Vinyl Siding Shakes: Rustic Charm without Hassle of Cedar

• July 23rd, 2010
• In: Vinyl Siding
• By: Rob Sabo
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Ceder shake and shingle siding is a popular choice for wall cladding, but all wood siding products deteriorate over time. When you need to replace your shake or shingle siding, consider using vinyl siding shingles. Vinyl products resist weather better than wood, and they won’t rot, crack, or split over time like cedar does.

Cedar shingles have been used to side walls for more than 100 years; however, they’ve always been labor intensive to install, because the siding consists of hundreds, or even thousands, of individual cedar shakes nailed to the wall sheathing. Viny siding shingles, on the other hand, are sold in rows that mimic the look of individual cedar shakes and shingles, making installation much easier.

Types of Vinyl Siding Shingles

Companies, such as CertainTeed and The Foundry siding by the Tapco Group, manufacture a wide variety of popular shake and shingle styles, including:

• straight-edge
• staggered edge
• straight-edged rough split
• staggered-edge rough split
• half-round
• hand-split

Straight-edge shingles have smooth, clean lines where the shingles end and are an elegant siding choice. Conversely, rough-split vinyl siding shakes have a rustic look that brings out a home’s natural charm. Half-round shingles have a distinct cottage feel to them, and hand-split shingles give off a more “log cabin” feel.

The look and style you choose depends entirely on what’s prevalent in your geographical area, and what style you prefer.

Vinyl siding shakes and shingles also are made in several different range of lap sizes, from 7 inches to 10 inches. Typically, if the lap is 7 inches, the vinyl siding shake or shingle panel is sold in a 14-inch exposure–meaning installation is twice as fast.

I’ve always liked the lookof homes with cedar shake siding–and you’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference between a home clad in individual cedar shingles and one clad with vinyl siding shingles.