Siding in Ontario (2026): Vinyl, Fibre Cement, Engineered Wood, Cedar and Metal Costs Per Square Foot, Board and Batten, Problems and Measuring

Exterior FinishesSiding

Siding: What Each Material Costs Installed, Which One Suits an Ontario Winter, and Why the Cheap Fibre Cement Quote Is the One to Worry About

Per square foot of net wall, Central Ontario, October 2026, with the tearoff and the wall under it kept separate so the quotes compare.

Vinyl is cheap, fast and fine when it is nailed loose; fibre cement is the better-looking, longer-lasting board that half the crews who quote it have never installed to the sheet; engineered wood is the one in between that nobody asks about. These pages give the installed rate for each by grade, the honest comparison between them, the problems each one has after ten winters, and the measuring that turns “my house is 2,000 square feet” into a number a siding crew can price.

Price my siding The price guide Vinyl vs fibre cement

The numbers

$9.50vinyl, mid grade, installed
$18fibre cement lap, installed
$17engineered wood lap, installed
$2old vinyl off, per sq ft

The guides

Siding cost in Ontario

Every cladding by grade, per square foot of net wall, three houses worked through to HST, and the five things that move the price.

Vinyl vs fibre cement

The decision most people are making: cost, look, winter, fire, how hard each is to install right, and the 30-year number.

Board and batten siding cost

Vinyl, fibre cement and engineered wood versions, why the battens cost more than the boards, and where the look belongs.

Engineered wood vs fibre cement

LP against Hardie honestly: weight, cuts, finishes, warranties, cost, and the crew each one needs.

Metal siding cost

Steel and aluminum, panels and standing seam on walls, dents, fade, fire, and what it costs installed.

Vinyl siding problems and repairs

Ripples, loose panels, cracks, fading, matching a discontinued colour, and what each repair costs.

Cedar siding cost and maintenance

Real wood and prefinished, the stain schedule, the rainscreen it needs, and the 30-year cost against the alternatives.

How to measure for siding

Net wall, gables, openings and waste, and why multiplying the floor area by a rate is always wrong.

Four rules for siding a house

  1. Vinyl is hung, not nailed. Nail head 1/32 in. off the panel, centred in the slot, every 16 in. Tight nails are why it ripples in July. Problems.
  2. Fibre cement wants its clearances. 6 in. off the grade, 2 in. off a roof, primed cuts, flashing behind every butt joint, never caulked at the laps. Why it costs double.
  3. Wood gets a rainscreen. Cedar and engineered wood over strapping, so the back can dry. Cedar.
  4. Every quote states the net wall area it priced. If it does not, you are comparing a number to a guess. Measuring.

Have quotes or plans in hand? Let a builder read them first

For $99, I put your siding, stucco, masonry or eavestrough quotes on one grid, check the wall area against your house, name the product each one actually promised, price the tearoff, wrap, flashing, strapping and rot repair that was left as “extra”, and tell you which one to sign. For a new build or an addition, $249 turns your elevations into a wall-by-wall takeoff of cladding, stone, stucco details, eaves and flashing, with a budget by grade, that three contractors can price the same way.

Exterior quote review, $99 Exterior finish takeoff, $249 Check the quotes yourself first