Solid wood has been used successfully for hundreds of years as a siding material. Its properties make it adaptable to various climates and architectural styles. But getting optimum performance from wood siding requires choosing the right product for the job and installing it correctly. As a field representative for the Western Wood Products Association, I travel throughout the Midwest talking with builders about wood siding and helping them troubleshoot installations that went wrong. Most of the problems that I see cropping up over and over are easily preventable. This article covers the most common of those problems and how to avoid them. Selecting the Right Material One whole set of problems stems from selecting the wrong material for the job. Picking the
