Swapped out all my cedar siding for engineered wood last fall

I used to swear by real cedar for every job. Thought anything else was just cheaping out. But after doing a house in Seattle where the cedar started warping within 8 months, I got fed up. A supplier showed me a piece of LP SmartSide that had been sitting in their yard for 3 years with no rot. So I tried it on my own shed first, and after a winter of rain it looked perfect. Now I use engineered wood for all my builds unless a customer specifically asks for cedar. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a big difference in durability?

2 comments

2 Comments

river18317d ago

Wait until you have to replace a damaged piece five years in, that real cedar would've just let you plane down.

noahw5317d ago

Read a study a while back that said engineered wood actually holds up better in wet climates because the resins make it more resistant to moisture absorption. Real cedar is great but it's a natural product so you're rolling the dice on how stable each board is gonna be. That's why I tell people to go engineered unless they really need that cedar look for a specific project.