There have been many improvements in recent years over good old pine clapboard. The biggest seller is vinyl, then comes cement fiber clapboard. Both have the same shape and a wood-grain effect that makes them appear like the original product. Even aluminum and steel are making inroads into the "faux wood" industry.
However, many purists ache for the real thing so they have a choice among many wood products such as pine, cedar and treated spruce.
Because it has fewer natural oils spruce tends to deteriorate faster but it is cheaper. This is why a few manufacturers are making clapboards out of spruce but then pressure spraying it with paint. These pre-painted clapboards even have channeling on the backs to prevent water from wicking up in between the planks.
If you want traditional pine clapboard you can buy it in lengths and pre-paint it. Place the planks on saw horses with the rough side up. This side is painted because it will hold the paint longer.
Because pine has heavy natural oils, especially in the knots, it is best to shellac the knots first, especially if the planks are going to be painted a light color. If not sealed these oils will, in time, bleed through and stain the paint.
Do all the planks and let dry for 2 days. Then apply an oil-based primer with a roller. Once this is dry you can put a premium grade latex exterior paint on the planks.
There is an argument amongst many siding people about painting the backs of the planks. One group says to leave the wood bare to let moisture out and others say to seal the wood.
Properly done the wood siding will last as long as any other material. In fact there are wooden homes almost 200 years old with the original clapboard siding.
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