New shop siding options

[Gary Yoder]

I'm finally ready to build a small stand alone shop and get out of the basement. I'm not rolling in dough, and woodworking is not something I can spend lots of time on, so a small shop on a budget is a must. I'm planning a 16'x24'. I wanted a weathered board and batten look to fit in with the buildings already around but am worried it will be expensive. T-111 looks a little like that, but i've heard some horror stories...

Does anyone have experience or ideas? Thanks everbody!!

[Von Bickley]

Keep this in mind, a shop is a place that you want to work IN, and not have to work on. I would try to build it as maintenance free as possible.

[Don Jarvie]

I would put the same type of siding as your house so it looks like part of the property. It will look a lot nicer.

[Art Mann]

I used T1-11 on my shop and it was thoroughly unsatisfactory. The boards warped and the paint wouldn't stay on it. After a couple of years, I had the outside covered over with top grade vinyl and have never regretted it one bit.

[Gary Yoder]

Thanks for the info on T1-11, I figured as much.... I live on a small farm so the house does not match the other buildings, and isn't part of the "setting" of everything, including this shop. All the other buildings are wood sided, and weathered. That's why I thought board and batten look would fit in but at the same time be a little nicer looking.

[Chris Damm]

If you like the look of T1-11, check out LP's Smart Panel. It is priced about the same as T1-11 but is very durable. It comes primed and has held up very well on my out building for about a decade now.

[Bartee Lamar]

Not sure about the price, but I am a BIG fan of Hardee Plank. This is concrete siding. Looks like wood siding. Put it on, paint it your done. No problem with living creatures or water getting into your siding.

[Michael N Taylor]

I have had good success with T-111 you just need to prime all of the edges and back before you install it. I always do 2 coats of primer since it is rough and soaks up the first coat pretty fast.

[Charles R Johnson]

I too have used T-111 successfully for many years It can breakdown if it stays wet at the ground level. I've also had success with a product like the Smart Panel. You can also get an exterior ply with a ruff texture and no grooves. Over that one can use 1x battens to create the look of board and batt siding. Make sure to use the proper house wrap / vapor barriers for your area. Are you planning to finish the inside?

It certainly would be worth your while to check around for old barn wood. Sounds like your in a rural area. Might fit your property nicely if cost effective.

[Larry Rupert]

I've got two buildings with T111, and I'm sorry - but the stuff is junk. I have had mine for some years now, and have babied it, still junk, requires painting "fairly frequently", and definitely bows as mentioned. In fact, one reason I posted this reply is that I am just getting started on fixing / scraping / painting one of the buildings now. A long tedious job, made worse by the rough finish of T111, and the even poorer "durability". My advice, spend whatever you have / need to in order to NOT use it.

Larry

[Gary Yoder]

Thanks everybody. I've decided to buy local 4/4 hemlock from a nearby sawmill, and do board and batten. More work, yes, more money, yes, but my wife is happy with that look, so it's a winner! haha Thanks for your insight.

[Von Bickley]

Thanks everybody. I've decided to buy local 4/4 hemlock from a nearby sawmill, and do board and batten. More work, yes, more money, yes, but my wife is happy with that look, so it's a winner! haha Thanks for your insight.

If your wife is happy, go with it.... When Mama's Happy, Everybody's Happy.

[Patrick McCarthy]

If your wife is happy, go with it.... When Mama's Happy, Everybody's Happy.

Ain't that the truth!!!!!!

[Richard Shaefer]

for my shop, I used 4x8 sheets of 1/4" Hardipanel fiber cement and then over laid it with 1x2 fiber cement trim strips. It's HEAVY but insanely durable and holds paint like nothing else. I'll never use wood for siding again. And jsut personal taste, I won't use vinyl siding. Tupperware is for leftovers, not a home

[Jason Roehl]

for my shop, I used 4x8 sheets of 1/4" Hardipanel fiber cement and then over laid it with 1x2 fiber cement trim strips. It's HEAVY but insanely durable and holds paint like nothing else. I'll never use wood for siding again. And jsut personal taste, I won't use vinyl siding. Tupperware is for leftovers, not a home

As a painter, I'd go with brick.

Of the paintable options, I like fiber cement with cedar trim, provided it's all done correctly--drainage plane behind the siding, vented top and bottom, all siding and trim back-primed and all cuts primed (solid-color acrylic stain for primer on both). All seams/joints/gaps caulked (except the aforementioned vents). A coat of the solid stain on the cedar trim, then two coats of a high-quality acrylic exterior coating ($50+/gallon shelf price).