Wood Siding makes a excellent Green choice.
Many homeowners tell me they don't want to use wood siding like cedar for their siding home improvement project because it was a valuable natural resource and we're running out of trees.That couldn't be further from the truth.
Wood siding is a renewable resource. In fact we have more trees today then we had at the turn of the century. If you choose Wood Siding for your siding home improvement project be sure to look for siding with certification from either (SFI) Sustainable Forest Initiative or the (FSC) Forest Stewardship Council. This will insure that proper wood harvesting practices have been followed.
When old wood siding is removed from a home and goes into a landfill, it biodegrades quickly.Another green aspect of Wood Siding is that it doesn't require a lot of energy to produce. Sidings like Brick or Fiber Cement although considered green building products use a lot of energy in the manufacturing process.
If you really want to be green you can choose re-claimed wood siding. However, most of the wood siding sold today is either a pre-primed or natural Cedar siding.
Wood Siding Benefits
- Wood siding is renewable
- Wood siding is recyclable
- Wood siding biodegrades quickly in landfills
Wood Siding Drawbacks
- Wood siding attracts pests like carpenter ants and wood peckers.
- Wood siding offers little insulation benefits
- Wood siding requires a lot of maintenance
- Wood siding can and will shrink and expand
- Wood siding is expensive
