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Vinyl Siding Prices : Siding Calculators : Lap Siding Calculator
Lap Siding Calculator
Our lap siding calculator can help you find industry average pricing for horizontal lap siding boards and panels. In general, homeowners will spend $3 to $7 per square foot for lap siding fully installed, this includes the panels, all additional materials and the cost of the installation. (Explore siding costs per square foot) There are many factors that will determine the overall cost of the siding project, thus our lap siding calculator can help you see how changes in materials, square footage, and project specifics will change what you were likely to pay.
Lap Siding Calculator Basics
Lap siding is also known as clapboard, bevel siding and sometimes as weatherboard. The idea behind lap siding is that each board is placed horizontally on top of the board beneath, with a slight overlap between the boards. The lower edge of each board is slightly thicker than the top so that water, snow and moisture can be sloughed off and away from the home. This helps to insure that moisture cannot get into the walls and cause issues such as mold or wood rot. Lap siding can be made from a number of materials, including vinyl, real wood, composites and fiber cement.
Select from three lap siding materials - choose from vinyl, composite wood or aluminum (these are three of the most popular material options out there). Next enter your project plan - options include replacing your existing siding, new home siding, siding for an addition to your existing home and finally repairing or re-sdiing a section or sections of your current siding material. Then choose the estimated size of the project - our square footage sizing begins at 1000 sf and goes up in increments of 250 sf all the way up to 8000 sf.
Additional Lap Siding Calculator Details
Choose a budget preference - entry level is ideal for a lower end composite wood or vinyl product, mid range is ideal for a mid grade vinyl, composite wood or a low end aluminum product and the high end selection will be for premium composite wood, foam back vinyl siding products and high grade aluminum panels. The final step is to simply enter your zip code and use the See Pricing button to find an estimate. The pricing you will find is industry standard - for more specific cost details, we recommend actually getting free bids and seeing what local contractors have to say.
Vinyl Lap Siding
Many manufacturers have replaced real wood boards with vinyl panels. There are lots of reasons for this change in the siding industry, chief among them is vinyl's strength, durable and low level of maintenance. In addition, vinyl will not rot overtime like wood is prone to do. Finally, vinyl boards does not need to be painted or stained, which is great from a convenience and long-term cost perspective. Vinyl lap siding is by far the most popular material used to make this type of horizontal cladding.
Fiber Cement Lap Siding
The second most popular material used for lap siding is probably fiber cement. This product was made popular by James Hardie who created a fiber cement board that proved much more durable and flame resistant then real wood siding. While there were initially some health concerns associated with fiber cement boards, those have largely beenaddressed. Many contractors are big fans of fiber cement boards, while others see foam backed vinyl as a better product at roughly the same cost.
Real Wood Lap Siding
Some consumers and homeowners like the idea of having real wood lap siding. Typically, the wood species used is a lower grade wood such as a plywood or a simple pine. The advantage to using real wood is the realistic grain and texture to the boards that vinyl products simply cannot match (although they are getting closer and closer with each year.). The real downside to using wood lap siding is that the boards must be painted initially and then every 10 years or so to preserve the integrity of the wood itself. This can add some real cost to the project, however, some homeowners like the idea of being able to change up the color of their home every decade or so.
Lap Siding Costs
Vinyl lap siding boards can run anywhere from $.50 all the way up to $2.25 per square foot for the boards themselves. The biggest factor that will drive the cost of vinyl panels will be whether the board is insulated or not. These foam backed boards will typically start at $1.50 per square foot. Other cost factors include whether the boards are hurricane resistant and the length of the panel itself. For instance, 16 foot boards or even 20 foot length boards will typically drive the cost up about $.25 per square foot, however there are fewer visible breaks between the boards that tend to take away from the aesthetics of the walls. Fiber cement boards should run roughly the same price as the foam backed vinyl panels. Wood, such as pine or plywood, should run $.50 to a $1.75 per square foot for the boards themselves.
-- Price Range: $.50 to $2.25 psf --
Other Material Costs
There are a number of additional materials that will be required besides the actual siding boards themselves. This include the collated nails used to secure the boards to the sheathing underneath, J channels and or F channels, corner pieces, starter courses, soffits and facia boards, etc. As a general rule of thumb, these additional materials will run $1 to $2 per square foot.
-- Price Range: $1 to $2 psf --
Installation
Installation prices should run $1 to $3 per square foot. Vinyl lap siding is on the lower end of this price range, while fiber cement lap boards and wood boards will tend to be at the higher end of this price range. If the contractor has to paint the fiber cement and or wood boards this can add an additional $1 per square foot to the project cost. Sometimes, the contractor will include the cost in the purchase price of the boards themselves, while other times they will tack it on to their installation prices. If you are having your boards primed and or painted, make sure that you get the contractors price for the service in writing and understand where it appears in the bill (so that you aren't being double charged.)
-- Price Range: $1 to $3 psf --
Related Topic: Clapboard Siding Calculator