4-Inch House Siding Vs. 8-Inch Siding

Width

• Very little difference exists between 4-inch and 8-inch siding, whether it be wood siding, vinyl siding or any other type. The main difference in the siding is that one is cut wider than the other and will look different on your house as a result. Both 4-inch and 8-inch siding planks or strips are usually cut in 8-foot lengths.

Installation

• Installation of 8-inch siding does differ somewhat from that of 4-inch siding, especially in regard to various types of wood panel siding. This type of siding is usually pieced together tongue-and-groove style, enjoining each plank to the next. The groove in a 4-inch siding plank is usually 1/8 inch deep one edge of each plank. With 8-inch siding, the groove depth is usually a little more. What this means in terms of installation is that you will have to nail the 8-inch siding slightly more toward the middle of the plank than you do with 4-inch siding. This is necessary to allow for slight movement that occurs as the siding absorbs and loses moisture.

Patterns

• Another way in which 4- and 8-inch siding sometimes differ is in terms of the decorative patterns they form on the wall of a house. This occurs not only because the planks themselves differ in width, but also because some types of siding have exterior grooves that occur at regular intervals. These intervals will vary based on the width of the siding.

Maintenance

• The differences in siding width may affect the siding's maintenance. Siding width is directly proportional to the number of siding pieces that your home will have. You can expect to have nearly twice as many pieces with 4-inch siding. This has the potential of creating additional maintenance problems or labor if you have to replace an entire section of the siding itself. More siding means more pieces to install. This is also true of adding finishes and weatherproofing. Wider siding will usually require less care.