It has been a pretty exciting January around here! We have had the pleasure of being featured in two publications; the 2021 Community Report for Peoples Bank and the Winter Issue of Premier Builder Magazine – Seattle/Puget Sound Edition.
We are extremely grateful for the support of these two organizations, as well as all our customers, vendors, colleagues, family and friends. When running a small business, every bit of help along the way helps!
In addition to the housing shortage, with people staying home more, the desire for outdoor living spaces, home offices, and general home improvement projects is on many people’s minds. Throughout the U.S. and Canada, lumber mills and building material manufacturers are having a hard time keeping up with the demand for home construction products. As usual, when supply becomes low, pricing goes up. This is especially true on DIY products such as fencing, decking, and pressure-treated lumber. We are also hearing from consumers outside the Pacific Northwest that Western Red Cedar products are very scarce, with no clear projections on when they will be available. We understand that this has created an unusual situation, and it can be frustrating when consumers are not able to secure the products they need and/or at the prices they may have budgeted for. At this time, we expect prices to remain high through the end of 2020 but expect supply and trucking issues to improve.
Over the years, we have developed deep relationships with lumber mills specializing in Western Red Cedar, Alaska Yellow Cedar and Douglas Fir building material production, so we have many sources we can pull from to help you get the products you want and need, as timely as possible, at absolutely the best prices we can offer. Rest assured, our team of professionals are doing their very best to support you and provide quotes, fill orders and get them out to the job site to help keep your project on schedule, to the absolute best of our ability. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we all work though this together.
Western Red Cedar channel siding is a popular type of lap siding that provides excellent weather protection, especially in areas where the moisture levels change with the season. The profile of each piece of channel siding overlaps the next piece partially, thus creating a deep, recessed channel effect.
Channel siding is readily available in knotty grades of Western Red Cedar with a rough sawn, textured face in the following dimensions
1×6” unseasoned or kiln-dried
1×8” unseasoned or kiln-dried
1×10” unseasoned
*Please note-the dimension described is not the finished or “dressed” size after the channel is milled, but refers to the size of board that the piece of channel is used to create the pattern*
This diagram provided courtesy of the WRCLA
Other dimensions of Channel Cladding, as well as clear cedar grades or other species of wood, are available by special order. In these next two photos, we worked with a specialty mill to have a true 1″ thick channel siding pattern created out of knotty Western Red Cedar for a customer in North Carolina.
Here is a beautiful example of custom milled, clear-grade Alaska Yellow Cedar Channel Siding we recently supplied a customer in the Seattle area.
Channel siding can be installed horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Be sure to allow a 1/8” expansion gap between the pieces and do not nail through the overlaps. One nail through the face is sufficient for channel siding that is 6” or less. For profiles over 6”, two nails should be installed through the face, keeping nails 2-1/2” to 3” apart to allow for movement without splitting.
This diagram is provided courtesy of the WRCLA.
When installing channel siding horizontally, start at the bottom and work up. For vertical or diagonal applications, the siding should be nailed to blocking or furring strips as needed to ensure that the nail penetrates solid wood. Stainless steel or other corrosion-resistant ring shank nails are recommended to hold the siding in place.
To learn more about other popular wood siding profiles, please visit our blog on that subject by clicking HERE, and before your next project, be sure to visit us! We ship nationwide!
Prized for both interior and exterior use due to its pale yellow color, workability, and longevity, Alaska Yellow Cedarwas the chosen wood for this unique, modern home on Fidalgo Island in Washington state.
Designed by local architect Brooks Middleton, whom we have had the pleasure to work with on several local projects, designed this project to have it built using clear, vertical grain Yellow Cedar for accent walls inside the home and for some of the exterior cladding. Since what he was looking for was not an “off the shelf” product, we worked with our mill to manufacture the custom spec’d 6″ clear vertical grain (also referred to as VG) Yellow Cedar for the exterior siding, as well as the 8″ clear VG Yellow Cedar for the interior of the home.
Clear, vertical grain is the highest grade of Cedar, and as you might guess, the most expensive. The wood is sawn specifically so that all the growth rings are parallel to each other on the face of the board. All pieces milled will have a smooth face of decay-resistant heartwood and will be free from most growth characteristics that affect appearance. Please note that even in all the clear grades, including VG, some knots may be present, as well as other less-than-perfect characteristics. Every tree, as well as every piece of lumber, will have natural individual characteristics, including variance in color.
When installing any natural wood product, regardless of grade, the trick is to install the best pieces in the areas with the highest visibility and always allow for some waste, especially in lower grades of clear and knotty Cedar products.
And before your next project, be sure to visit us! We specialize in working with customers with unique needs!
