Do it yourself barn siding

by June
(New Hampshire )

We had the frame of our barn done by professionals and will have them do the interior finish work but we are going to do roof and siding ourselves as we are quite capable of doing so. Can you tell me what is the best type of wood to use for the siding? We are located in NH and cost is high on the list.

Thank you
June

Hi June,

Thank you for your question. Sounds like a really neat project you have going there. There are a few choices you could consider.

White Pine:
It is native to the Northeast and is a very durable and stable soft wood. I have reclaimed a lot of white pine siding from old barns. Most of the time the wood is in excellent shape even after being on the barn for 100 years without paint!

Southern Yellow Pine:
It is native to the south, and is fairly resinous which means it will resist rot...to a point. Many old barns were re-sided with southern yellow pine around the 1920's-1940's.

Cedar:
Cedar is always a good choice for rot resistance and it is good for keeping pests at bay. It can be more expensive than the previous two.

These are my top 3 picks for wood siding. I hope this helps. Good luck with your project.

The Barn Geek