Choosing your tiny house siding is one of several crucial decisions you’ll need to make when planning and building or buying your tiny home. You may even want new siding when turning your shed into a tiny house. With so many options, picking just one can be challenging. Another problem, if you’re like us, is that you want to try them all.
Unfortunately, trying on various types of tiny house siding ideas is impractical and costly. Narrowing your choices by examining the most important siding factors before heading to the store saves time and money. To help, we’ve created this guide to understanding and choosing your tiny house siding.
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Why Choosing the Right Tiny House Siding Matters
Choosing the right siding for any home is essential for protection and appearance. Choosing tiny house siding is no different, except that the smaller canvas, so to speak, leaves little room for choosing incorrectly.
Penetrations in the siding, such as windows, doors, and vents, are typically less frequent per square foot in standard-sized homes. Tiny home siding must be functional and attractive while being able to seal easily around several penetrations over a small area.
Choosing the right tiny house siding is more crucial than choosing siding for a normal house because a mistake here could mean damage to a larger percentage of your home.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Tiny House Siding
Let’s start by looking at the most significant factors to examine when determining which tiny house siding might work best for your home.
Budget
Your tiny house siding is one of the most visible aspects of your home. It’s also crucial for protecting the structure. So, spending a fair chunk of the budget on it wouldn’t be a poor decision. However, if it breaks the bank, that’s not good either. Balance your construction budget for siding with prudence against your home’s needs and the needs of your family. Err on the side of sacrificing appearance over function. You can make it look good later if necessary.
Lifespan
Another important consideration is how long your siding will last. Similar to the budgeting decision, you’ll want to get a grasp of how long it will be before you need to spend significant money on new siding.
Durability
Durability is one of the more important factors when deciding which tiny home siding you need. Durability refers not only to how well it stands up to abuse but also to how well it protects while under that abuse. Consider the climate where you live, how much sun radiation your siding must endure, how much rainfall, and whether your home must face excessive wind.Then, consider how well a particular material will hold up under each condition it could face.
Maintenance
The 100% maintenance-free siding has yet to be discovered or achieved. While many types and brands claim to be free of ongoing maintenance, the truth is only that some types require less maintenance than others. Wood siding typically requires the most maintenance by way of keeping it painted, stained, or otherwise sealed. Vinyl and composites are at the other end of the spectrum and require very little maintenance besides keeping the edges caulked and sealed.
Appearance
Of course, siding is like clothing for your home. It also creates much of your home’s character. You can choose a siding type and style to match and complement the style of your tiny home. However, if you’re feeling creative, you can also choose various types and styles for your home based on how different types play off of each other or work together for a cohesive appearance.
Ease of Installation
While the ideal siding situation for your home should only involve installing it once over a very long time frame, making sure you can install it without too much trouble may be important if you’re doing the work yourself. Some types of siding, such as stucco or detailed wooden siding, are usually best left to the pros. But, many types are certainly simple enough for DIY installation.
Moisture and Bug Resistance
Keeping the weather out of your living space is siding’s number one job. However, to be effective in reaching that goal, your siding must have some level of resistance to moisture and pest intrusion. Moisture and bug resistance may be a feature of the siding material, its design, or how it’s maintained.
Sustainability
Choosing a building material based on its sustainability is more important to some consumers than others. If you’re specifically following sustainable building practices or just looking to do your part in saving the planet, sustainability in siding encompasses areas surrounding raw material sourcing, travel requirements, manufacturing considerations, overall carbon footprint, and recycling ability.
Choosing A Style of Tiny House Siding
Choosing a Style of siding for your tiny house is as much a matter of style as function. While your house needs protection, making it look attractive is also important, if not essential.
Lap Siding
Lap siding, sometimes called clapboard siding, is one of the most common siding styles. It’s identifiable by its overlapping horizontal rows of individual boards or what looks like individual boards. Typical lap-siding materials are wood, vinyl, metal, fiber cement, and composites.
Lap siding is excellent for achieving a traditional house appearance and, depending on the material, can be relatively low maintenance.
Shakes
Shake siding is a shingle siding where one row overlaps the one below, and individual shingle edges are staggered from one row to the next. Shake or shingle siding is available in a couple of styles. Shake siding generally refers to rough-edged shingles that may or may not have identical widths. The type gives a rough but elegant exterior appearance.
Scallop siding is also a form of shingle siding. However, scallops are uniform pieces rounded or otherwise shaped on the bottom edge. The appearance is a busy but clean look. Scallop siding is often a detail feature that showcases a home’s gable end or dormers.
Shakes and scallops are often made of cedar or other woods. However, vinyl and composites can mimic the look and offer easy installation and lower maintenance.
Shiplap
Exterior shiplap siding is essentially the same stuff you’d find indoors, except that it must be made weather-resistant with stain, paint, or sealant or consist of material other than wood. You can install exterior shiplap siding as vertical shiplap or horizontal shiplap. It’s the same stuff, just in a different orientation. Shiplap boards are simply long, straight boards with overlapping joints on the long sides. Shiplap siding is available in various woods and composites.
Board and Batten
Available mostly in wood or specialty composites, board and batten siding offers a truly unique look. Board and batten siding is essentially plywood or other large flat material over which long, thin boards cover seams and create evenly spaced voids in a vertical pattern. Tiny house board and batten siding is often characterized by thinner spaces between the battens than are typical on a full-sized home.
Metal Siding
Metal tiny house siding is available in numerous forms. Steel and aluminum are the main components. Styles range from lap siding to corrugated variations, standing seam, box rib and batten types. Steel siding is one of the more versatile materials for creating nearly any look you’re going for. Often, steel siding is available in an insulated form for adding R-value to your exterior walls.
Tiny House Siding Materials
The materials that make up your tiny house siding are important for more than just looks. Each material type carries characteristics and maintenance requirements that make it better or worse for where your home is located and the conditions it must endure.
Wood
Wood siding is sort of the original house siding. Siding made of wood can be nearly any shape or style, from shiplap and lap siding to board and batten, shakes, scallops, or almost any other you can think of. Wood is popular on homes striving for an older home look or a modern look while appealing to the sustainable materials aspect.
However, wood siding is the most needy when it comes to maintenance. While cedar wood may never absolutely require much sealing or staining, for longevity and appearance, many opt to at least seal cedar siding. Other woods, including both hard and soft species, generally require ongoing maintenance that includes regular painting, sealing, or staining.
That said, wooden tiny house siding’s appearance and sustainability are hard to beat.
Recycled or Reclaimed Wood
Reclaimed wood goes further down the sustainability road than plain old wood siding. Recycled or reclaimed wood siding can be siding from another home, reused as the same material on your tiny home, or may have been used for something else entirely before becoming siding.
In addition to the increased sustainability factors, reclaimed wood siding can offer a rustic, classic, or modern appearance, depending on how you use it. Reclaimed wood can come in nearly any shape, form, or size and is relatively easy to repurpose. Treat and maintain recycled wood as you would new wood siding by regularly sealing, painting, staining, or otherwise protecting the material.
Vinyl
Vinyl tiny house siding comes in several styles of lap, shakes, scallops, and other variations. Once the house-wrap preparation work is complete, vinyl siding is easy and quick to install. It’s lightweight, and installation is pretty straightforward. The J channels and trim strips surrounding each wall penetration make for a neat and tidy look.
Variations of vinyl siding can create a rustic, modern, or traditional appearance. However, its ability to mimic other material types falls short when viewed close-up and may not appeal to siding purists. Vinyl siding, regardless of style, is available in insulated and non-insulated forms.
Metal
Metal siding is available in numerous configurations of aluminum, steel, and others. The versatile material is excellent for adding unique, classic, and detailed patterns that will last as long as the home with minimal maintenance requirements. Metal siding comes in corrugated, lap, and several other variations. It can also include insulated backing to add R-value to the house.
Use metal siding to add nearly any look you desire to your tiny home by varying the siding style and trim details. Many of which are also available in metal. However, metal siding is often accompanied by composite trim work.
Composite and Other
Composite siding is a generic term for various other types of house cladding. Composites are generally made from a combination of materials bonded together with resins or other compounds to form durable and, often, weather-resistant home shells. Many composite tiny house siding materials require little maintenance. The minimal maintenance needs usually focus on keeping edges sealed and the material clean.
Modern composite siding versions may contain wood, cement fibers, or other materials. Modern Mill makes a durable and low-maintenance composite siding product from rice hulls, and it’s gaining popularity.
Engineered Wood
Depending on manufacturing specifics, engineered wood siding is sometimes called manufactured wood siding. These products, such as those made by LP Smart Side, are a composite siding material created from wood fibers, protected and held together with various resins, waxes, and other substances.
Engineered wood siding can be manufactured to mimic the appearance of wood grain or made smooth for a clean look. Either way, most engineered wood siding is durable, long-lasting, and requires little maintenance. However, some older types require a bit more maintenance than expected to keep water problems under control.
Fiber Cement
The James Hardie company is perhaps the best-known manufacturer of fiber cement siding. However, several more exist and are worth exploring—GAF, American Fiber Cement, and Finex are a few. Fiber cement siding is a composite house-siding material made from cement fibers and binder materials that’s extremely strong, durable, and flame and weather-resistant. Fiber cement siding can mimic other siding types and is expected to last over 50 years.
Installing fiber cement siding when using traditional tools designed for woodworking creates a lot of dust and debris. However, special tools made for the purpose reduce this inconvenience.
Brick and Stone Veneer
While it’s certainly possible to construct a solid brick tiny house, it’s quite uncommon and largely impractical. However, veneers, or thin versions of actual or imitation brick or stone, are very popular among tiny house owners and those living in full-size homes.
Durability and low maintenance are the main selling points after great looks for these materials. Some types require infrequent sealing to preserve them best. But, for the most part, these are set-it-and-forget-it siding options that are excellent for creating a rustic or unique appearance on your tiny house.
Tiny House Exterior Trim Work
Of course, no home’s siding would be complete without complementary and essential trim work around windows, doors, and other penetrations. Many of the same materials used for siding are available in trim pieces with the common addition of pressure-treated wood.
Wood and pressure-treated wood are often used with wood, brick, and stone siding types. Trim work types, like vinyl, metal, composites, and PVC are typically for use with their like-kind siding. It’s not a hard and fast rule, just the norm.
Composite, vinyl, and metal siding materials often come pre-matched with various proprietary styles of trim work. However, many PVC trims are relatively generic and are compatible with nearly any siding type without looking out of place.
Tiny House Siding Maintenance Considerations by Type
While house siding has come a long way over the years, there are still some maintenance considerations to keep in mind, regardless of the type you choose for your tiny home. Some types are easier to maintain than others. However, all types require at least some attention from time to time, and all have a small effect on the overall cost of living in a tiny house.
Regular maintenance must address the primary concerns of moisture intrusion, pests, weather, and appearance. Below are the basic needs of various siding types.
Wood
Wood siding offers excellent appearance and versatility qualities. However, it also needs the most attention regarding maintenance to keep it in top shape. The biggest concerns with wood siding relate to moisture and pests.
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Protecting its surfaces is crucial to keep wood siding in its best shape. Pests love to consume wood and will find even the tiniest opening to exploit. Woodpeckers can’t seem to get enough ot the stuff. Maintain wood siding by following these steps regularly.
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- Paint, seal, or stain all exposed wood siding surfaces.
- Regularly touch up spots where paint, stain, or sealant has failed.
- Caulk or seal all edges where the siding meets trim materials or wall penetrations.
- Annually inspect and repair any caulking failures.
- Inspect annually for pest and bird damage and immediately address any issues.
- Keep the siding clean with a soft brush and mild soap. Or use a power washer on a low-pressure setting to avoid damaging the wood.
- After power washing, inspect the edges and sealant and immediately repair any damages.
Vinyl
While vinyl siding’s looks have and are always improving, the fact is that it still looks like vinyl. That’s not a bad thing in some cases. The look can still represent anything from contemporary to rustic. However, there’s no hiding the fact that it’s not real wood or another arguably more attractive siding product.
What vinyl siding is excellent for, however, is easy installation and very little maintenance needs. Even if water does get behind it, the material has a built-in solution, and pests attacking the siding itself won’t be a problem.
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Maintaining vinyl siding requires minimal effort. Weep holes in the material allow water to drain out if it gets behind the material, so even maintenance mistakes are forgivable.
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- Seal edges where J and C channels meet doors, windows, and penetrations.
- Touch up scratches with vinyl siding repair products.
- Replace cracked or damaged pieces when necessary.
- Occasionally inspect for damages.
- Power wash with low pressure to keep it clean.
- Keep an eye out for pest damage behind siding material
Metal
Similar to vinyl siding, metal requires very little maintenance and is relatively easy to install. On the other hand, the material is a little more costly than some other siding types and can require special installation tools for some types.
While metal lap siding is made to look like a wooden product, the result is similar to vinyl. There’s really no hiding that it’s not wood. However, metal siding made to look like metal siding is very attractive.
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Keeping metal siding looking and performing its best is straightforward. Keep up on scratch repairs to keep it looking great for a long, long time.
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- Seal edges where J and C channels meet doors, windows, and penetrations.
- Touch up scratches with touch-up paint or epoxy.
- Occasionally inspect for damages.
- Power wash with low pressure or use a soft-bristled brush and mild soap to clean.
- Keep an eye out for pest damage behind the siding material.
Engineered Wood
We can lump engineered and manufactured wood maintenance together since they generally share the same traits. Engineered and manufactured wood can easily mimic real-wood siding and is, for the most part, easier to maintain.
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Maintenance for engineered and manufactured wood depends greatly on the type of material you choose for your tiny home. The composition of any engineered siding contains mostly water and pest-resistant resins. However, if wood fibers are present in the product, take care to up your maintenance game somewhat over products made with less vulnerable materials.
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- Paint, seal, or stain all exposed siding surfaces.
- Regularly touch up spots where paint has failed.
- Caulk or seal all edges where the siding meets trim materials or wall penetrations.
- Annually inspect and repair any caulking failures.
- Repair scratches and dents with resin repair products.
- Inspect annually for pest damage and immediately address any issues.
- Physically or chemically treat any areas of mold that may develop.
- Keep the siding clean with a soft brush and mild soap. Or use a power washer on a low-pressure setting to avoid damaging the siding surfaces.
- After power washing, inspect the edges and paint and immediately repair any damages.
Fiber Cement
Another composite material that looks great and is easy to maintain is fiber cement. Fiber cement siding that’s kept safe from water intrusion lasts a long time and rewards its owner with consistent and durable good looks.
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Maintenance for fiber cement siding is simple. While the product can suffer damage if water soaks into the material, it takes quite a bit of neglect to hurt it otherwise. Treat fiber cement siding like you would with engineered wood, and everything will be fine.
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- Paint, seal, or stain all exposed siding surfaces.
- Regularly touch up spots where paint has failed.
- Caulk or seal all edges where the siding meets trim materials or wall penetrations.
- Annually inspect and repair any caulking failures.
- Repair scratches and dents as they occur
- Physically or chemically treat any areas of mold that may develop.
- Keep the siding clean with a soft brush and mild soap. Or use a power washer on a low-pressure setting to avoid damaging the siding surfaces.
- After power washing, inspect the edges and paint and immediately repair any damages.
Brick and Stone Veneer
Brick and Stone veneer maintenance differs slightly from other types of siding. The basic idea is to keep water out and watch for signs of shifting.
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Maintaining brick and stone veneers mostly consists of looking at it. The materials seem to be impenetrable under most circumstances. There are just a few tasks to do from time to time.
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- Inspect annually for mortar or material cracks and repair them as necessary.
- Caulk or seal all edges where the siding meets trim materials or wall penetrations.
- Annually inspect and repair any caulking failures.
- Physically or chemically treat any areas of mold that may develop
- Keep the siding clean with a stiff-bristled brush and mild soap. Or use a power washer on a low-pressure setting to avoid pitting the surface or mortar.
Giant Chart of Tiny House Siding Styles, Materials, and Features
To put it all into perspective, choosing the best siding material for your tiny home takes quite a lot of consideration. The chart below provides a quick peek at the basic attributes of each tiny house siding type.
Tiny House Siding Chart Key
1 = Not its best feature 2 = Could be better 3 = Tolerable 4 = Great 5 = Excellent
How to Choose Your Tiny House Siding
That was a lot of information to digest. We mentioned things to consider earlier, but here’s a recap of the top six things to think about when choosing your tiny house siding to wrap up our discussion.
Price
Many of us choose tiny home living as a way to keep our budget under control. Price is a major factor for most material purchases—siding included. The beauty of tiny home living is that you won’t need much siding, so while price is an important factor, there may be some room to move.
Appearance
We want our home to look good. However, appearance is just one part of the equation. Balance appearance qualities against pricing, maintenance, and other factors, too. Remember that much of a siding’s appearance can be a direct result of the amount of maintenance it receives.
Maintenance
Maintenance is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. If you love working on your tiny home, you may not be bothered by a rigid maintenance schedule and can enjoy the benefits of siding types that require a little more attention.
On the other hand, if you desire a low-maintenance product, you may find yourself sacrificing some other desirable siding qualities.
Installation
You’re not likely to have to install siding on your tiny house more than once or twice over its lifetime. However, you can save substantial time and money by choosing a siding type that you can easily install yourself or hire out to someone who’s not necessarily a specialist in the siding installation field.
Durability
To keep you from having to install siding more than a couple of times, choosing a durable siding product is key. Durability has as much to do with maintenance and material as it does with your home’s location climate. Choose a siding that will last a long time in the weather your home is subjected to in its location.
Sustainability
Sustainability is becoming more and more crucial over time. Siding types like wood and metal are arguably the most sustainable siding products. However, other types are coming into their own on that front. Do a little research about the sustainability of the siding product you’re considering and choose based on your personal principles regarding the subject.
What’s the Best Siding for Tiny Houses
We can’t tell you which type of siding is best for your tiny house. However, we can tell you which one ticks the most boxes for most people who’ve done their research. Metal siding is our favorite tiny house siding for many reasons, including the following.
- Low maintenance requirements
- Scratches are mostly repairable
- Relative installation ease with limited special tools needed
- Highly pest and bird-resistant
- Great looks that can mimic other styles
- Available with added insulation
- Long-lasting durability
- Heat and fire-resistant
- Dents aren’t easily repairable, but mostly won’t compromise integrity
- Stands up to harsh weather
- Good value for its price
- Recyclable material
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Why not Stucco on a Tiny House?
You may have noticed that stucco is suspiciously absent from this article. That’s not an error. While stucco has excellent qualities and, in some cases, would be ideal for tiny house siding, it has a drawback that disqualifies it from tiny home practicality—Namely, its seamless surface.
Stucco’s seamless surface is excellent for protecting full-sized homes and looks great when installed by a skilled craftsperson. However, maintaining the seamless surface requires the home to never shift due to a settling foundation. Tiny houses simply don’t tend to have bulky enough foundations to ensure that they don’t move.
The potential for movement causes concern against investing in stucco siding. When stucco’s surface is damaged, the material can soak up water and cause moisture problems within and underneath the material.
While that’s a similar problem that stone and brick veneers may encounter, the difference is that veneers are more easily repairable than stucco. Other siding types have plenty of seams that can unnoticeably shift and adjust as necessary.
One could install an overly beefy foundation under their tiny house to accommodate stucco’s structural-rigidity needs. However, doing so would likely be far more costly than practical just to have stucco siding.
