Rustic Siding Option Ideas

Rustic Siding Options and Design Ideas
​Wednesday, January 17 2018

Rustic and rustic modern designs have been increasing in popularity amongst homeowners over the last several years. There’s something charming and romantic about the idea of a rustic cabin or home that often drives the imagination, and inspires homeowners to want to create a cozier atmosphere for their home properties.

And while wood siding and shingles are the most common methods of creating a rustic-style façade, they aren’t always the best options. Wood shingles are highly susceptible to rot and insect activity, while rustic siding requires a great deal of maintenance and upkeep. For homeowners who want the look of a rustic home, but not the maintenance or durability factors that often play a role, there is another option – fiber cement siding.

Rustic Siding Options in Fiber Cement
Fiber cement siding is made of a unique mixture of sand, cellulose fiber, and Portland cement. This blend is formed into the siding you use on your home inside a mold, which means that it can take on the appearance and shape of many different types of siding, including rustic styles.
This means that in addition to traditional horizontal lap siding, you can also get a variety of other looks for your home, with the same durability and low maintenance care that fiber cement brings.

Board-and-Batten
For some homes, a board-and-batten installation can give a hint of rustic charm that can give your home a farmhouse or rustic-modern style. This method involves installing wider planks vertically, with battens or thinner planks covering the joins. The wider planks and the texture of the battens makes for a visually appealing effect that can elongate the appearance of the home, while calling to mind old farmhouses, barns, and ski resorts – all rustic-style buildings that can add interest to your home’s façade.

Cedar-Look Shingles
Cedar shingles are a popular option for creating a rustic exterior on a home. Cedar-look shingles made of fiber cement can also give you a lot of possibilities as well. Each cedar-look shingle has the same texture and appearance of a true cedar shingle, but without the maintenance or durability problems that wood shingles have. You can find cedar-look shingles in straight or irregular edges that can allow you to determine the exact level of rustic appearance you want to give to your home. And if you want to take it a step further, and get a truly authentic rustic look, you can also use individual cedar-look shingles in a variety of sizes to get the kind of irregular and country appearance you desire.

Rustic Modern
Rustic modern is a fairly new style that combines some rustic attributes with sleeker, more modern designs. This can be easily accomplished on the exterior of the home by mixing some ship lap planks with architectural panels. The result is a home that has texture, interest, and clean lines at the same time.

Rustic Siding Design Ideas
There are countless ways that you can create a rustic design for your home using fiber cement siding. If you need inspiration, check out these three design ideas.
Simple Planks

Sometimes less really is more, as is the case of this rustic building. A simple horizontal lap siding installation is done in a Redwood stain that perfectly complements the peeled wood logs framing the entryway. The texture is added through the use of fieldstone in the columns, which helps add dimension to the building as a whole.


Mixed Styles
To achieve the look, traditional horizontal lap siding is combined with cedar-look shingles on the upper story of the home. The same color is used everywhere, on both types of siding as well as on the trim. This puts an emphasis on the shape and texture of the siding, rather than on the color or the architecture of the house, creating a more dynamic and rustic-inspired design.

Shingles and Stone
You don’t need to use a natural wood stain to get a rustic look for your property. This home uses a Sterling Gray finish on the irregular cedar-look shingles to match the color of the fieldstone. The texture of the shingles also complements the large amounts of stone on the property, creating a cohesive look for the exterior and making a charming country façade at the same time.
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Get a Rustic Look
Rustic-style facades are popular nearly everywhere, with many people enjoying the images that they can evoke. If your home is ready for a makeover, consider using fiber cement siding to help achieve a rustic look for your home that can give it a fresh new look.