Choosing the right replacement siding for your home is a decision that goes beyond mere aesthetics. It's about investing in health, durability, visual appeal, and long-term value. If you’re replacing your siding, now is the time to make your home healthier and longer lasting by protecting it with a rainscreen. Among the various wood siding options available, hardwood rainscreen siding stands out as a superior choice.
In this article, we'll delve into why hardwood options like Ipe, Jatoba, Cumaru, FSC Certified Machiche, or Garapa are excellent alternatives for those seeking a durable, beautiful, and sustainable siding solution.
Weighing Your Options: Exploring High-Quality Replacement Siding Choices
Before jumping into the benefits of hardwood rainscreen siding, it's essential to understand the range of Mataverde hardwood choices available. Each wood species offers unique characteristics that cater to different aesthetic preferences and project requirements. Ipe, known for its incredible hardness, Jatoba with its warm, reddish-brown hues, the chocolatey brown tones of FSC Certified Machiche, and Garapa offering a light, golden appearance – these are options worth considering. Here is a brief comparison of each to help you find your best option. There are resource links with each when you are ready for more details.
Ipe Wood
- The hardest, most fiber dense of the hardwood siding species, Ipe boasts proven longevity of twenty five years plus with just minimum maintenance.
- Natural color range of rich, warm medium to dark browns.
- Class A fire rating.
- if you allow it to weather to a silvery gray, enjoy a low maintenance exterior.
Ipe wood rainscreen installed around windows, entryway and soffits creates a warm and welcoming exterior.
- Requires an oil-based UV protectant finish to preserve the wood color. It can also be weathered naturally to a silvery-gray patina.
- Very high resistance to insect and moisture damage, including mold and rot, making it ideal for all climates.
- Sustainably and responsibly sourced by Mataverde.
RELATED: More design ideas in the Ipe Wood Rainscreen Siding Photo Gallery here.
Jatoba Wood
- Also known as Brazilian Cherry, Jatoba has a deep, dramatic color range from pink-brown to a deep reddish-brown.
- Jatoba siding boards start out lighter, but darken with exposure to UV into warmer, deeper hues.
- Dramatic grain variations add interest to your exterior.
- Class A fire rating.
Jatoba rainscreen siding, shown here with a semi-transparent bronze cedar tint applied, installs around windows without flattening the façade.
- For a low maintenance exterior, allow Jatoba to weather to a silvery gray patina.
- Requires an oil-based UV protectant finish to preserve the wood color.
- Very high resistance to insect and moisture damage, including mold and rot, making it ideal for all climates.
- Sustainably and responsibly sourced by Mataverde.
RELATED: More design ideas in the Jatoba Wood Rainscreen Siding Photo Gallery here.
Garapa Wood
- The lightest color profile of the exotic hardwoods, Garapa offers the option of a golden blonde to medium brown range of natural color.
- Interesting and exotic figuring.
- Lower fiber density other exotic hardwood options, it is still tested at 1.5x the hardness of Oak.
- The most budget friendly hardwood, when project budget is a consideration.
- Class B fire rating.
- Low maintenance, no painting or staining needed.
Golden Garapa rainscreen siding installed vertically transforms a transitional style exterior.
- Requires an oil-based UV protectant finish to preserve the wood color. It can also be weathered naturally to a silvery-gray patina.
- High resistance to insect and moisture damage, including mold and rot, making it ideal for all climates.
- Sustainably and responsibly sourced by Mataverde.
RELATED: More design ideas in the Garapa Wood Rainscreen Siding Photo Gallery here.
FSC® Machiche Wood
- Mataverde Machiche comes with Forest Stewardship Certification to help with your projects with specified sustainable criteria, such as LEED projects. (Other Mataverde hardwoods can be specified for FSC, too, when needed.)
- Interesting grain and exotic figuring.
- Class B fire rating.
- Low maintenance, no painting or staining needed.
FSC Machiche was chosen to wrap the exterior of this hillside custom home and contrast with the colder, cement elements.
- Requires an oil-based UV protectant finish to preserve the wood color. It can also be weathered naturally to a silvery-gray patina.
- High resistance to insect and moisture damage, including mold and rot, making it ideal for all climates.
- Sustainably and responsibly sourced by Mataverde.
RELATED: More design ideas in the Machiche Wood Rainscreen Siding Photo Gallery here.
Want to know more benefits of designing and building with a wood rainscreen installation?
Download the Ultimate Guide to Wood Rainscreen Siding for images, pro tips, and more.
Benefits of Hardwood Rainscreen Siding for Your Home
Aesthetic Appeal
Hardwood rainscreen siding, regardless of the specific type chosen, brings an unparalleled aesthetic charm to your home. The natural grains, colors, and textures of Ipe, Jatoba, Cumaru, FSC Certified Machiche, or Garapa hardwood can transform the exterior, giving it a timeless and elegant look. This not only enhances your property's curb appeal but also makes a lasting impression.
Rainscreen design flexibility allows for vertical or horizontal installation, like this modern barn-inspired home using Ipe wood.
Durability
One of the primary reasons homeowners opt for hardwood rainscreen siding is its exceptional durability. Hardwoods are renowned for their resistance to decay, insects, and harsh weather conditions. Ipe, for instance, is often used for outdoor structures due to its remarkable ability to withstand strong UV and heavy exposure to the elements. Choosing a hardwood rainscreen siding ensures your home is protected against the test of time.
Ipe Rainscreen in a high UV area, California wine country, can sustain its strength and characteristics for many years.
Sustainability
Your sustainable choices matter. Opting for FSC hardwood siding is a responsible decision. Mataverde offers FSC Machiche, and other species can be specified FSC Certified when ordering. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification guarantees that the wood is sourced from responsibly managed forests, promoting environmental conservation and ethical practices.
Whether you specify FSC certified hardwood or sustainably harvested through other methods, all Mataverde exotic hardwoods are responsibly sourced and harvested, recyclable, and environmentally friendly.
RELATED: Learn about the Mataverde Commitment to Environmental Preservation
Architect rendering of an award winning wood rainscreen project completed with Climate-Shield and Mataverde Garapa.
How Your Choice of Rainscreen System Effects Your Siding
You have many installation options, but the most important thing to consider is, “will my choice of rainscreen system improve my siding performance?”
Rainscreen installation is a crucial factor in ensuring the durability and longevity of your wood replacement siding. Closed rainscreen systems are attached using wood furring strips, creating a high potential to trap water and humid air behind it, or absorbed into the wood furring strips themselves. This is a perfect opening for rot and mold behind your siding boards.
Unlike traditional siding installation methods, the Climate-Shield Rainscreen system is an open joint rainscreen that uses all metal rainscreen clips, not furring strips. This air cavity between the exterior cladding and the building structure allows for optimal air circulation and moisture management. This innovative design acts as a protective barrier, preventing water infiltration and minimizing the risk of mold, rot, and decay in the underlying wood.
Installing vertical Climate-Shield Rainscreen with Garapa siding, photo courtesy @CK_construction.
RELATED: 7 Ideas To Update Your Home With Rainscreen Siding
By mitigating the effects of moisture, the Climate-Shield Rainscreen installation enhances the overall performance of the wood siding, significantly extending its lifespan. This approach not only safeguards the structural integrity of your home but also contributes to the sustained beauty and functionality of the wood siding over the years.
In essence, Climate-Shield Rainscreen installation goes beyond conventional methods, offering a proactive solution to weather-related challenges and ensuring that your investment in wood replacement siding stands the test of time.
Ready for more about Wood Rainscreen Siding inspiration?
Download the Ultimate Guide to Rainscreen Siding here.
Ensuring Longevity: Understanding the Lifespan of Hardwood Rainscreen Siding
Hardwood rainscreen siding isn't just a short-term solution with a pretty face; it's an investment in the long-term integrity of your home. These hardwoods have a longer lifespan compared to many other siding materials. Properly maintained, they can endure for decades, making them a cost-effective and sustainable choice.
Ipe hardwood rainscreen siding on a home under construction.
Selecting a replacement siding for your home is a decision that holds both aesthetic and practical implications. Hardwood rainscreen siding, whether Ipe, Jatoba, FSC Certified Machiche, or Garapa, combines timeless beauty with unmatched durability and sustainability. It's not merely an upgrade; it's an investment in the enduring charm and value of your home and the health of your family. So, choose wisely, and let the beauty and strength of hardwood rainscreen siding redefine your home's exterior.
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