While numerous products are lower maintenance if you have the skill not too much required and time to keep it up a good bit required it should be fine.
Pine siding vs cedar siding.
Like other woods cedar must also be sealed and stained or painted to resist moisture damage and decay.
Each type has a slightly different grading system.
White cedar is usually quite knotty and decay resistance is ok but not amazing better than pine and spruce but not as good as red cedar.
Redwood siding costs the most.
It lures woodpeckers and requires somewhat frequent repair and refinishing.
Painting is the standard protection.
Same goes for better cheaper faster if you want a natural wood siding pine or cedar with a clear finish to stay looking like new wood forever then it will take regular maintainance stain would probably be longer lasting between coats than clear finishes but will still require periodic recoats steve.
Cedar is a softwood like pine but is tougher and more resistant overall able to withstand the outdoor elements without requiring treatment.
If you want authentic siding and can afford the cost of buying and maintaining it go with cedar.
Cedar on the other hand is a very stable long lasting siding product.
Modern pine log siding is more affordable because pine is more abundant pine forests grow faster and raw pine is easier to work with.
Lap siding creates a very similar look to tongue and groove siding bu t instead of a thin shadow line between boards in lap siding the partial overlap of each the board leaves a wider gap or channel that creates deeper shadow lines.
In terms of wood pine plank siding is the least costly.
Cedar also has many indoor uses for items like wardrobes chests and musical instruments and is popular for its red look and unique grain.
Cedar is naturally attractive but it is high maintenance.
On the other hand vinyl is intrinsically cheaper.
Cedar t g exterior siding pine exterior siding will check warp crack twist no matter what you do to it.
Lap shiplap channel cedar siding.
Pine has been the traditional siding in the northeastern us for several hundred years along with cedar shingles.
Cedar siding is naturally more moisture and insect resistant than pine but it must be treated and maintained to retain these qualities.
Any wood clapboards will last longer with a solid paint or stain and backprimed as aj said and ideally installed using a rain screen detail.
Each type of wood is available in a range of grades too such as clear or heart top grade select a b c rustic and more.
While it s absolutely true that pine log siding costs less than cedar calling it a budget material wouldn t be absolutely fair.