Steel Log Siding Cost and Pros & Cons – ROI and More

Updated on May 17th, 2023

Steel log siding is a unique type of siding made from steel that looks like real wood logs. It was invented and is manufactured in Colorado, where strong siding is a must to stand up to extreme weather.

TrueLog Steel Siding Canyon Red

On average, steel log siding cost is $8.50 to $16.50 per square foot for the material and professional installation. The cost range reflects differences in material options, installation complexity, and your home’s location (robustness of the local home remodeling and real estate market).

By comparison, natural wood log siding ranges from $10.50 to $17.50 per square foot installed.

This guide focuses on steel log siding cost, pros and cons, durability, the return on your investment in terms of your home’s value. Along the way, we’ll make comparisons to authentic log siding, so you can see steel’s relative advantages and disadvantages.

Average Cost To Install New Siding Typical Range: $5,240 - $8,130
See costs in your area

That Appeal of Log Siding

Log siding makes a home look solid, warm, and inviting. It is classic siding with unsurpassed charm.

Steel log siding remarkably mimics the look and texture of wood while eliminating the worst aspects of real log siding – high maintenance costs and susceptibility to insects, rot and fire.

What is Steel Log Siding?

Here are the basics of this material often called fake log siding.

Lightweight G-90 galvanized steel 26 gauge (thicker) and 28-gauge steel is used. The material is stamped with authentic wood texture: cedar, pine, weathered wood and more. Some designs include faux chinking.

Durable coatings are designed to resist fading, cracking, and blistering. Foam backer inserts are added for stability and an R-value of 3 to 4.

Steel log siding is installed using the same techniques and accessories as standard steel or vinyl siding, so the process goes quickly. The siding is backed with very good warranties discussed below.

Read more

House Siding Options, Plus Costs, Pros & Cons in 2023

There are several different material options for house siding: wood, metal, stone and stone veneer, vinyl, brick, fiber-cement, stucco and more. But, looking at the materials for siding is just scratching the surface! Delving deeper, we see many more options and sub-options.

The only limitations are your imagination. We’ll cover primary options plus a few sub-options in this guide. Special note: all cost related information is based mostly on the 2023 information. As you can guess, the cost of materials and installation have gone up by double digits compared to previous year due to supply chain issues and rampant inflation.

1. Wood
2. Vinyl
3. Fiber Cement
4. Stucco
5. Brick
6. Metal
7. Stone

Material Category: Wood (4 Primary Options)

lpsmartside-lap-trim-house

The main options relate to how the material is installed, such as: bevel, shingles, board-and-batten, and split-log.

There are numerous sub-options, as wood has several grains, many ways to cut / shape it, and thousands of color choices.

Within this category, we also include Engineered Wood siding. Also known as composite wood, man-made wood, or manufactured board.

Natural wood obviously comes directly from timber, while the man-made version is manufactured from wood fibers, saw dust, and bonding agents. It’s a strong, lightweight and less expensive alternative. Instead of pieces cut from logs, the material is shaped to match the order for a job.

Wood Siding Costs Installed: Natural Wood vs. Engineered Wood Siding, Plus ROI

Natural wood material is relatively expensive, considering the cost of initial investment and the ongoing maintenance costs.

On average, natural wood siding costs between $10.50 to $17.50 per square of natural wood siding installed, depending on the project scope and complexity, trim options, and your home’s location. This price range also depends heavily on the grain and grade of wood used, as well as specific style and options.

Average Cost To Install Wood Siding Typical Range: $10,230 - $15,360
See costs in your area

The recent increase in costs is tied to the overall spike in the prices of lumber, as well as tighter supply of home remodeling pros.

Prices will be higher in more affluent areas, as natural wood is considered a premium material that can also help a property stand out in a neighborhood with other higher-priced homes.

For engineered wood siding, you can expect to pay between $9.50 and $15.50 per square foot installed. The $12.50 to $14.50 per sq.ft. range is in between the midrange and the high-end, while a somewhat fairer price range would fall in between $10.50 and $13.50 per sq.ft. installed.

Pricing for the installation on the entire house will have a fairly wide range, but this is usually due to your home’s region and local real estate values, as well as normal variations (that can be quite wild) in pricing among different contractors in your area.

To install natural wood as cladding for an averaged sized home, it will cost between $21,000 and $35,000 for a typical house with 2,000 sq.ft. of siding.

With Engineered Wood, your total project cost will be between $19,000 and $31,000 for a typical house with 2,000 sq.ft. of siding.

ROI (Cost-to-Value Return) for the Engineered Wood siding is nearly 79% (cost-to-value return), which is higher than the natural wood’s 77% cost-to-value return normally recouped at resale.

Average Cost To Install LP Siding Typical Range: $9,210 - $13,750
See costs in your area

Read more