Board and Batten Siding
What is board and batten siding?
Board and Batten siding is simply a siding style and panelling that creates a geometric, layered look by putting narrow strips of wood over the joints of wide boards.
This home style is quite common now, and you’ve probably seen many of them. It consists basically of wider siding with small strips placed along the seams.
The siding (panels) is known as a board, and the strip is known as a batten.
Historically, a wooden batten would be placed across a seam between the wide boards to provide a more robust and energy-efficient siding.
Board and batten were once considered a cheap way to cover a building, but now it is a popular way to make a building look unique. The look of boards and battens has become very popular inside and outside. The style has been used on ceilings, wainscoting, accent walls, furniture, and privacy fences.
Today, board-and-batten siding can be put on the exterior of any home along with brick, stone, or more traditional horizontal siding.
The use of vertical siding can make a house look bigger than it is.
Board and Batten is now used for interior walls and can look quite stunning.
Things Made of Boards and Battens
Many companies sell board and batten in various widths and materials, such as wood, composite, aluminium, vinyl, steel, and steel with or without insulation. Don’t forget that board and batten are not structural building materials and that the materials used often affect how the building looks.
For wood you can choose from cedar, pine, oak, or redwood. Or get that wood look with Vinyl, or engineered wood which is cheaper and easier to take care of than wood because you don’t have to paint or stain it.
Is Board and Batten long lasting?
I guess you have seen a lot old barns looking quite bad over time. When using it on a house you would obviously take more care of it than you would being on a barn.
When using wood, there is definitely more upkeep to this siding. Still, the current substrates used for sidings, like engineered wood, steel, vinyl, aluminium, or fibre cement, need very little upkeep, so your home siding will last for many years.
How Does Board and Batten stand up to the weather?
Like I said above if it was just wood, not the greatest siding for our Toronto winters. You can though get insulated vinyl and insulated engineered wood (composite wood siding) and of course James Hardie fibre cement board and batten.
