Stripping a layer of vinyl off a 1920s bungalow reveals a story most homeowners did not know they were buying — cedar shingles under aluminum under vinyl, sometimes with original 1890s clapboard hiding below. Old house siding types tell you the era of construction, the wall assembly behind the cladding, and the likely problems you will face on a remodel. Misidentifying what is there leads to wrong repair products, ruined original material, and in the case of asbestos shingles, real health risks. Here is how to identify the most common siding types found on US homes built before 1980.
- Wood Clapboard: 1700s to Present
- Wood Shingles and Shakes: 1800s Onward
- Asbestos Cement Siding: 1920s to 1980
- Aluminum Siding: 1940s to 1970s
- Asbestos-Free Cement (Hardboard and Fiber Cement): 1980s On
- Vinyl Siding: 1960s to Present
- Stucco: 1800s to Present
- Brick and Stone Veneer: All Eras
- What to Do With What You Find
Wood Clapboard: 1700s to Present
Horizontal boards, typically 4 to 8 inches wide with an exposed face of 4 to 6 inches, overlapping by an inch or two. Original clapboard from the 1800s is usually 1×6 or 1×8 white pine, cedar, or cypress, hand-nailed with cut nails or wire nails depending on the era. Joints are usually butted, not mitered.
Identification clues: visible vertical butt joints every 12 to 16 feet, slight irregularity in board widths from hand milling, and a pattern of weathering that varies board to board. If the nails are square-headed cut nails, the siding predates 1900.
Repair approach: Replace damaged boards in kind. Western red cedar or eastern white pine still ship commercially in clapboard profiles. Avoid covering original clapboard with vinyl on historically significant homes — it kills resale value and traps moisture against the wood.
Wood Shingles and Shakes: 1800s Onward
Cedar shingles (sawn) and shakes (split) appear on Victorians, Shingle Style, Arts and Crafts, and many regional vernaculars. Original 19th century shingles measure 16 to 24 inches long with 5 to 7 inches of exposure. Modern replacement shingles are typically 18 inches with 5.5 inches of exposure.
Identification: individual rectangular pieces overlapping in courses. Original work often shows hand-cut variation in width and butt thickness. Shake siding shows distinct split-grain texture; sawn shingles show even mill marks on the butt edge.
Lifespan of cedar shingles in most climates is 30 to 60 years. Replacement runs $9 to $16 per square foot installed. The material is widely available and worth preserving.
Asbestos Cement Siding: 1920s to 1980
This is the siding most homeowners do not want to find. Asbestos cement shingles are typically 12 by 24 inches, gray to white, brittle, with a wavy or scalloped bottom edge on some patterns. They are hard, dense, and break with a sharp crack rather than the dull break of fiber cement.
If your house was built or re-sided between 1920 and 1980 and has hard cement-like shingles, assume asbestos until tested. Sample testing through a certified lab costs $25 to $80 per sample.
Asbestos siding is safe undisturbed. Drilling, cutting, sanding, or breaking it releases fibers that cause mesothelioma decades later. Either leave it alone, encapsulate by siding over it (after consulting local code), or hire licensed abatement contractors for removal at $8 to $14 per square foot.
Aluminum Siding: 1940s to 1970s
Aluminum dominated mid-century housing. Standard profiles are 4-inch and 8-inch horizontal planks with a baked enamel finish. The material dents easily and oxidizes to a chalky surface over decades.
Identification: light, hollow-sounding when tapped, dents from yard tools or hail, often visible seams every 12 to 16 feet. Cut a small section if needed — aluminum looks silver-gray under the paint, distinguishing it from steel siding (rusts) and fiber cement (gray cement core).
Aluminum can be repainted with bonding primer and exterior latex for $1.80 to $3.00 per square foot, extending life 10 to 15 years. Replacement aluminum is still made but vinyl and fiber cement have largely taken its market share.
Asbestos-Free Cement (Hardboard and Fiber Cement): 1980s On
After asbestos was banned in 1989, cellulose-fiber cement boards (James Hardie HardiePlank, Allura, Nichiha) took over the cement siding category. Hardboard sidings like Masonite were also common from the 1960s through the 1990s — and have a well-documented failure mode of swelling and rotting where water gets behind them.
Identification: hardboard is brown when cut, fiber cement is gray. Hardboard products often show swelling at bottom edges and around windows; fiber cement does not swell but can crack from improper fastening.
Failed hardboard siding has no good repair — it has to be replaced. Fiber cement repairs cleanly with Hardie patches and matching pre-finished pieces.
Vinyl Siding: 1960s to Present
Mass-market vinyl dominated US housing from the mid-1980s onward. Identifying it is easy: flexible, hollow, light, with horizontal slots in the back for thermal expansion. Early vinyl (1960s-1980s) was thin (0.035 to 0.040 inch) and brittle; modern vinyl runs 0.044 to 0.055 inch.
If your home shows vinyl, the original siding underneath is almost always intact. Pull one piece (carefully — older vinyl cracks) and inspect what is behind it. You may find 100-year-old clapboard worth restoring.
Stucco: 1800s to Present
Traditional three-coat lime or cement stucco was common on Mediterranean, Spanish Colonial, and Mission style homes. Modern EIFS (exterior insulation finishing system) appeared in the 1980s and looks similar but is foam-backed and lighter.
Identification: tap firmly — traditional stucco rings solid; EIFS sounds hollow. Look at penetrations like dryer vents and outlets; EIFS shows a foam core, stucco shows lath and metal.
Traditional stucco repairs with matching mortar mixes. EIFS often has water intrusion failures and may need complete remediation. Get a moisture inspection before buying any EIFS-clad home.
Brick and Stone Veneer: All Eras
Full brick walls (load-bearing or veneer) appear on Colonial Revival, Tudor, Georgian, and many 1920s-1950s homes. Thin brick veneer (less than 1 inch thick) became common in the 1990s as a cost saver. Identification: full brick has true brick courses at sills and corners with consistent thickness; veneer often shows shorter brick faces and adhesive bonding at corners.
Old brick mortar (lime-based) is softer than the brick itself. Using modern Portland cement mortar for repairs traps moisture in the brick and accelerates spalling. Match mortar type ‘O’ or ‘K’ for pre-1930s brickwork.
What to Do With What You Find
- Original wood clapboard, shingles, brick: restore in kind
- Aluminum: paint or replace, your call
- Vinyl: leave or remove — usually fine to remove for restoration
- Asbestos cement: leave alone or hire licensed abatement
- Failed hardboard: full replacement, usually with fiber cement
- EIFS: get a moisture survey first, may need full reclad
Identifying siding correctly is the first step in any historic home project. Make the wrong call and you can destroy original material, trigger asbestos exposure, or spend $40,000 covering a problem rather than $4,000 fixing it.
