When most people think of siding they envision clap board siding. It is, in fact, the most popular design of siding sold today. This horizontal siding consists of rectangular planks stacked one next to the other to cover a home. Clap board is available in varying panel widths, also known as reveals. Interestingly, clap board siding has its roots in ship building. As early settlers began moving beyond classic log cabin home construction, they turned to the techniques of ship builders to maximize the wood material and create a look that we now recognize as clap board. This inspiration can still be seen in modern vinyl clap board configurations.

Double and triple installed panels are available—meaning that they are constructed as either two panels connected or three panels connected. The more panels that are connected the quicker the installation and the lower the cost.
The texture of the panel is also something the homeowner will need to decide upon. Smooth panels are very popular and provide a clean look. However, some prefer a wood grain to echo a more traditional real wood appearance. Of course, since this is vinyl and not real wood, there will be no wood-related maintenance involved. Real wood panels need care and upkeep throughout the years and regular exterior house painting can be very expensive. This can all be avoided with a high-quality vinyl product.

As clap board siding continued to gain traction in early home building, some homeowners wanted to distinguish themselves from their neighbors by adding a little style to their siding technique. Dutch lap is proof of this evolution in siding. Dutch lap is basically a clap board with grooving carved into it. In its original wood form Dutch lap boards were carved out by hand to add the grooving that makes it distinctive. The groove would be carved into the wood planks to produce a shadowing effect that added charm to the exterior look of the home. Of course, back-in-the-day achieving this type of effect on wood was very expensive. Today, however, the innovations of vinyl siding have made a Dutch lap option affordable as well as much more durable than its wooden predecessors.

Like Dutch lap siding, beaded siding is another effort by homebuilders to make their homes distinctive and stylish through the carving of the siding. Beaded siding is characterized by a thin notch carved into the bottom edge of the of the siding panel. Like Dutch lap, when this effect was produced on a wooden siding plank years ago it would have to be hand carved. Again, like Dutch lap, a homeowner with this style of siding would be distinguished among his or her peers as being wealthy enough to afford this styling.

Beaded siding offers a very charming look to the exterior of a home and is often paired with gingerbread style Victorian homes. Luckily, vinyl beaded siding is much more affordable than wood and offers virtually no maintenance.

Although most siding configurations are horizontal, some homes benefit from an off-the-beaten path vertical option. Notched vertical siding is known as Board and Batten and provides a rustic effect to the exterior styling of a home. The look is reminiscent of traditional American barns.

The notch that is characteristic of board and batten is part of the vinyl molding, but when this was originally crafted in wood, that notch served a purpose beyond aesthetic detailing. Craftsman would install the planks side by side and affix them using a wood piece that would run the length of the board. This piece was known as the batten—kind of like “batten down the hatches.” So, basically, the siding is named for how it was installed.

On Cape Cods, for example, many homeowners like a classic cedar shake look, but are hesitant to deal with actual wood cedar. Real wood requires regular maintenance, is affected by the elements over time, and wood cedar shakes can be a challenge to paint.

A great option that produces the look of wood while providing the resiliency of vinyl is a cedar impression product. This type of vinyl shingle siding option is available in a range of solid colors that have the look of freshly painted cedar. Some of the softer colors available include: sterling gray, spruce (a green sage), natural clay (a light brown tan), savannah wicker (a creamy golden off white), and colonial white. Bolder color choices are not to be discouraged and a homeowner really looking to achieve maximum impact with their color choices could choose: autumn red, pacific blue (a slate blue), forest (a green), or autumn yellow.

In addition to color, homeowners will need to choose the configuration of their vinyl cedar makeover. The most cost-effective vinyl option is the double stacked configuration, which is installed using panels that are constructed with two rows on top of each other. The look of this option is very pleasing to the eye and you would be hard pressed to distinguish the double from single rows or even individually placed vinyl cedar shingles. These are, however, options that are also available to those who are committed to achieving an individualized placement effect.

Straight edge or staggered vinyl cedar shingles is another option that homeowners need to consider. As their names suggest, straight edge vinyl cedar shingles line up evenly although each shingle will vary in size. The effect is a clean balanced look with the desired variation of shingles still in place. Staggered vinyl cedar shingles don’t line up evenly, although the striation is minimal. The effect is a natural, easy look that aligns truer to natural wood cedar shingles.

For those looking to achieve a Victorian effect in the placement of vinyl cedar shingles, half-round perfection shingles should be considered. This option is usually more of an accent piece used on turrets and roof line peaks. The rounded, tulip-like appearance is very charming and is often used on gingerbread style houses.