How to Combine Siding Materials and Profiles

Combining two or more siding materials and profiles creates contrast that can add complexity and sophistication to your home’s exterior. In today’s post, the residential roofing contractors at Dior Construction explore creative ideas for mixing and matching siding options to create a unique and stunning exterior.

Visual Contrast

Let’s begin with how different siding options create differences in visual contrast. If you were to have your house’s exterior in just one color, the differences in texture should be nevertheless distinctive. Contrast can be achieved with the following considerations:

• Texture. Different siding materials have different textures. Wood siding, particularly wood shakes, has a natural wood grain that’s discernible even when painted over. In comparison, vinyl siding has a typically smooth outer surface. Fiber cement siding can be made to have the qualities of both. For example, James Hardie® offers fiber cement siding in both smooth and realistic wood grain.
• Orientation. Siding orientation can create different visual effects. Most people are familiar with horizontal siding profiles such as clapboard and Dutch lap, which add girth to a house’s exterior. Vertical siding profiles like board-and-batten add visual height, which makes them ideal for upper-story exteriors.
• Roofing material. The roof may not be part of the exterior walls, but it is part of the house’s exterior. Therefore, the choice of siding must be in harmony with the roof.

Color Palette

A typical house exterior color palette consists of three colors: one for the roof, one for the siding, one for trim and similarly smaller sections. This is not a hard and fast rule, as you can add a fourth color — perhaps even a fifth — to the exterior color palette. If you don’t want to stray from the main colors, use different shades of the same base color.

Maintenance Requirements

When combining different siding materials, you have to consider the differences in their maintenance requirements. Vinyl siding typically requires nothing more than water and dish detergent to keep clean, while wood siding requires a more thorough cleaning and waterproofing routine. James Hardie fiber cement siding, in comparison, are available as unpainted boards, as well as low-maintenance factory-applied outer coatings.

Our siding contractors at Dior Construction can help you choose the combination of siding materials and profiles that will work best with your home. Give us a call at (201) 472-5462, or fill out our contact form to schedule an appointment. We serve communities in Essex County, NJ.