Since colonial times, Americans have protected their houses from the weather with thin, overlapping wood planks known as clapboards. The siding, which got its name from the Dutch work klappen, "to split," was originally hand-split from logs of white pine, hemlock, spruce, or cypress. Later, saws did the work, turning out miles of delicate, tapered strips less than an inch thick.
Today, clapboard siding comes in a variety of woods, widths, and lengths, as well as in such man-made materials as fiber-cement. But as far as This Old House general contractor Tom Silva is concerned, western red cedar is still the best choice for the money. "It takes paint easily, goes up faster than shingles, and as long as it's installed properly and well maintained it can last the lifetime of the house," Tom says. "It looks great, too."
