Solid wood is the only exterior siding that looks like wood because it is wood. The grain, knots, and depth of a stain on a sawn board cannot be reproduced by any molded product. It is also the most demanding material we install, and that needs to be said before discussing appearance. Gouttières et Revêtements Synergy installs and replaces wood siding in Lanaudière, the Laurentides, the North Shore, Laval, and Montreal. RBQ licence 5723-4940-01.
Every board differs from the next: the wall has a living character rather than a repetitive pattern. Wood can be worked on-site without specialized tools, repaired one board at a time, and re-stained in another color without being replaced. No factory-prefinished siding offers that.
It is not the board itself that withstands the weather, but the finish applied to it. UV rays break down the surface, freeze-thaw cycles open the grain, and water gets in through it. When stain fades or paint blisters, the wood has already begun to deteriorate beneath the finish.
Refinishing is not a weekend decorating project: it means washing, drying, scraping and sanding loose areas, replacing damaged boards, redoing sealant joints, and applying the finish in dry weather. On upper stories, it requires scaffolding. And it must be repeated periodically: a south- or west-facing façade deteriorates faster than a north-facing wall protected by a roof overhang.
| Finish | Performance | Refinishing |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-transparent stain | Shows the grain and fades gradually. | Wash and apply a new coat, generally without stripping. |
| Opaque stain or paint | Hides the grain and forms a film that blocks UV rays more effectively. | When the film fails, it peels off in patches: scraping and sanding are required before recoating. |
| Factory-stained wood | Finish applied in the shop to all sides. | The finish still requires maintenance — see Maibec siding. |
The bottom of the wall is the area that takes the most abuse. Snow builds up against the siding and melts against it. Rain hitting the ground splashes back onto the first rows. A rebuilt garden bed can raise soil and mulch against the siding.
Wood in contact with the ground or packed snow stays damp and rots from the bottom up. Wooden exterior cladding must therefore end above the finished grade, with a starter strip that allows water to drain out. This clearance can be lost afterward: landscaping raised too high, asphalt added, or shoveled snow piled against the house. Roof water matters just as much: a downspout that discharges at the base of the wall soaks the lower wood every time it rains.
Wood must dry from both sides, or it does not dry. Furring strips fastened to the structure create an air space between the weather-resistive barrier and the siding: water that gets behind the cladding drains down and out, while air dries the back of the boards.
Siding nailed flat against the backing traps moisture between two tight surfaces. The back never sees air, vapour coming from inside accumulates there, and the finish peels from underneath. Repainting does not correct this. With wood siding, installation over furring strips is a requirement, not an upgrade.
Wood absorbs moisture through its ends. Cut fibres act like straws and take in water much faster than the flat face. Every cut made on-site exposes bare wood, including on boards factory-stained on all sides. These cut edges must be sealed before installation, while the cut is fresh.
The lower edge of every board is the other entry point. It receives dripping water, and it is the part people forget when refinishing: the visible face is refreshed while the bottom edge remains bare. Rot begins there, hidden beneath the next row and invisible from the ground.
You want the genuine material and are prepared to keep up with it. Finish maintenance is a planned expense, not an unexpected one. The walls are protected by roof overhangs. You want the option to change the color or repair a section without redoing the entire façade.
You are looking for siding that requires nothing. The walls face due south or west without overhangs, or are exposed to wind from a body of water. Access at height makes every maintenance job difficult. The building is a rental property or managed by a third party, and maintenance will be postponed.
To put it plainly: neglected wood siding does not simply age poorly—it rots. Choosing vinyl or fiber cement is a sounder decision than installing wood that will not be maintained.
Gouttières et Revêtements Synergy is based at 580 Chem. de Lavaltrie, local 103, Lavaltrie QC J5T 0H1. We hold RBQ licence 5723-4940-01, are Alu-Rex ÉLITE Installer, CAA-Québec Recommended and APCHQ Certified. We serve Lanaudière, the Laurentides, the North Shore, Laval and Montreal. We evaluate your wall on site before recommending a material or sequence of work.