Popular siding for barn. Thoughts?

[sawtooth]

Looking at pine or popular for barn siding. The house was built in 1800's and still has original popular siding so thinking of using it again. Thoughts for good and bad please!

 

[Rio_Grande]

Poplar is fine as long as it stays dry.

 

[vabiker23518]

I'm in the process of having a 24X24 garage built with a board and batten exterior. Instead of pine, I'm having cypress installed. Cost a little more but builder says it will hold up better than pine (really high heat load here in VA). Time will tell.

 

[sawtooth]

I'm doing board and batten also. It's a 40x60 barn with poured wall foundation so wood will be 12" or so off ground. Thinking I will go this route as I really like poplar and have a good supply for it.

 

[pmhowe]

You don't say where you live, and that might make a difference. When I lived in Maryland, poplar was a very common siding for barns. My barn dated from the 1800's and the wood was solid, wherever it was kept from the rain. It also was full of shotgun pellets, .22 pellets, and a few rifle bullet holes. Still, a very good, strong wood, if kept dry.

 

[forgeblast]

We have a mill near us doing rough cut hemlock. Its what I use.

 

[rtimgray]

You don't say where you live, and that might make a difference. When I lived in Maryland, poplar was a very common siding for barns. My barn dated from the 1800's and the wood was solid, wherever it was kept from the rain. It also was full of shotgun pellets, .22 pellets, and a few rifle bullet holes. Still, a very good, strong wood, if kept dry.

Is it safe to assume that someone had to prove to someone else that they could hit the broad side of a barn?

 

[sdef]

I am using T1-11 plywood siding on a now three year old shed and an addition onto the house. I like the rustic type finish, even painted.

 

[PILOON]

Here in Quebec many if not the majority of old barns were sided with popular as it is about the cheapest wood around as well as not meeting structural specs for structural use.
As long as it stays dry it is OK judging by the number of 100+ yr old barns dotting the countryside.
In fact that old weathered barn siding is now a very desirable decorator material and fetches prices that shames exotic paneling.

 

[smstonypoint]

Let's make sure that we are talking about the same thing. When I hear "poplar" I think of "yellow poplar," AKA "tulip poplar," even though that tree is not a true poplar.

What "poplar" are you talking about?

Steve

 

[pmhowe]

I was talking about tulip poplar. It is a nice wood. Trees grow tall, with few side branches (so few knots), has a straight grain. It saws nicely into boards, but has a greenish color to the wood, with sometimes a purplish cast. However, it stains readily, and can make good moldings, bookcases, etc. It just rots readily, if kept damp.

 

[Blue_Sky]

In South Alabama cypress is a great choice. I used cypress with four inch wide, one inch thick pine battens. Getting that type of lumber is beginning to be the issue. There is an independent lumber mill that I go to but if it closed, it would be difficult to replace.

 

[Blue_Sky]

I think mostly it is kids climbing around on the bales of hay, shooting at birds, but so far I am just glad they don't start a fire. No one lives on the property and I can't be there all the time.

My folks taught me to not trespass on other people's property. It has been my experience that it is difficult to keep others off my property even when I am living on it and especially when I am not there for a period of time. I have started putting up trail cameras to see who is coming around. A place close to me helped solve a theft case by using these cameras.

 

[ultrarunner]

The 40 x 54 barn at my brother's property was built in 1868 and in the same family until this year... the last rancher was born there in 1912 and passed away 98 years later and still spry and the go to guy for the areas living history...

Anyway, the barn is all clear heart untreated redwood with dirt floors... some of the siding boards are over 20" wide...

My vote is clear heart redwood...

25 years ago I built a 20 x 30 shop and used ship lap Redwood and ship lap Cedar with Pine for trim... the pine is all buy rotted away and the redwood and cedar are fine.

 

[TomSeller]

My folks taught me to not trespass on other people's property. It has been my experience that it is difficult to keep others off my property even when I am living on it and especially when I am not there for a period of time. I have started putting up trail cameras to see who is coming around. A place close to me helped solve a theft case by using these cameras.

Right. I put a gate up on the entrance to one of my properties and a guy that lives down the road actually complained that I was making it hard for him to cross my property. On one of my other properties one guy said "I walk through here all the time, it's just a farm".

 

[motownbrowne]

Both poplar, which is related to aspen and cottonwood and tulip poplar, which is in the magnolia family, will make fine siding for a barn.

 

[Blue_Sky]

Right. I put a gate up on the entrance to one of my properties and a guy that lives down the road actually complained that I was making it hard for him to cross my property. On one of my other properties one guy said "I walk through here all the time, it's just a farm".

Wow!! That would drive me nuts. timbuktu, USA. I would make sure I have good insurance coverage there.