Siding protects your garage from snow, hail, rain, and other elements. Garage siding can be made of several different materials, but not all are budget-friendly. So, what’s the cheapest siding for a garage that’s available?
If you’re a homeowner on a budget, researching the cost of garage siding can help determine the most affordable and durable product.
How Much Does Garage Siding Cost?
The price of garage siding varies drastically. The most important factor influencing the cost is the material.
Here’s how much you need to pay for some of the most popular solutions:
| Siding Material | Cost per Square Foot |
|---|---|
| Vinyl | $3.00 |
| Fiber Cement | $3.50 |
| Wood | $10.00 |
| Steel Log | $9.00 |
| Stucco | $6.00 |
| Metal | $3.20 |
| Composite Wood | $4.50 |
| Brick | $14.00 |
What Can I Use For Garage Siding?
You can use many relatively cheap materials for your garage siding, including vinyl, fiber cement, steel logs, metal, wood, brick, and composite wood.
Apart from these popular options, you can also try a few cheap garage siding alternatives:
Fresh Paint
If your garage siding is in good shape, consider simply repainting it rather than installing new siding.
Keep in mind that you’ll need to prepare the garage siding surface appropriately by fixing any damaged sections and cleaning them.
Afterward, select the finish that works well with your material. You may need to apply some primer first if you want to apply a drastically different color.
Neutral colors are ideal for garages, but bolder shades can work just as well.
Corrugated Metal
Corrugated metal sheets are a cheap garage siding option and add an industrial flair to your garage.
Even though it’s not a standard cladding material, it can be perfect for your garage due to its combination of durability and light weight.
Corrugated metal is a cheap garage siding that can endure fierce elements without overwhelming the space.
Pros And Cons
As you’re probably upgrading your garage on a budget, you’re probably looking for the cheapest garage siding.
However, consider the benefits and drawbacks of every material before making your decision. Here’s a quick breakdown:
Fiber Cement Siding Pros And Cons
Fiber cement is a popular choice because it replicates the elegance of wood but with much less maintenance. Fiber cement siding creates stunning effects, especially if you have a Shaker or Vintage Craftsman house.
Fiber cement siding is also sturdy and easily lasts for decades. Moreover, the material resists fading, pests, and water intrusion, minimizing the risk of damage caused by bad weather.
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While fiber cement is a great and cheap garage siding option, it has a few notable disadvantages. Namely, it requires specialized installation methods and equipment because it’s heavy.
Labor costs for fiber cement siding installation are increased further since the contractors need to use shorter boards.
Finally, the fiber cement material creates visible seams, and you must completely get rid of the old siding before mounting it.
Did you know? The composition of fiber cement varies by manufacturer, but most producers use water, sand, Portland cement, and cellulose fibers.
Steel Log Siding Pros And Cons
Installing steel logs is a great way to emulate rustic log garages. As a result, this cheap siding lets you turn the garage area into a quaint hangout space or man cave.
While it looks like real logs, it’s made of steel, making it durable enough to endure winds, storms, and hail.
The biggest problem with steel logs is that they’re prone to corrosion. Consequently, you need to mitigate water exposure to extend the lifespan of your garage siding.
Vinyl Siding Pros and Cons
The most impressive feature of vinyl as a cheap garage siding option is its versatile looks.
You can choose from a wide range of colors and textures, such as wood grain and smooth surfaces, for your vinyl garage siding.
Many manufacturers offer vinyl siding in various edges, including scalloped and straight edges.
Some vinyl siding products are even designed to imitate wood shakes to blend in nicely with traditional houses. Others have a smooth finish to complement modern abodes.
Easy installation is another huge plus of vinyl siding. Unlike wood shakes, it doesn’t require absolute precision to mount onto your garage.
The vinyl siding material is cheap and exceptionally durable too. It doesn’t fall victim to termite infestation and moisture warping.
Lastly, maintaining vinyl garage siding is a breeze. You need only wash the surface with a high-pressure washer to remove dirt, mildew, or other debris.
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That said, there are several issues with this material.
Strong impacts can damage the finish, and vinyl isn’t biodegradable. Furthermore, overlapping the product creates visible seams, which can ruin the curb appeal of your garage.
Real Wood Siding Pros And Cons
People prefer real wood as a garage siding because it boasts unmatched elegance. Wood siding can dramatically increase the value of your garage, as it works great with virtually any design.
In addition, wood siding is relatively robust and resistant to impact.
However, natural wood has many flaws.
High-quality products like real wood siding can be super expensive, especially if they require high maintenance.
Authentic wood siding can not be used to cover your old garage siding either. Instead, you’ll first need to remove the original layer, which raises installation costs.
Stucco Siding Pros And Cons
Stucco is a classic cheap garage siding option.
Many homeowners mount stucco onto their garage since it creates an elegant and clean look.
Moreover, it’s easy to attach and can easily last more than 50 years if maintained properly. This means you’ll only need to install siding once if you opt for stucco.
Nevertheless, you should still consider the potential disadvantages of stucco before purchasing it as your cheap garage siding.
Most notably, stucco can develop cracks shortly after the installation due to improper techniques. They may seem like a cosmetic issue, but the problem might be much more severe. The gaps can run deep into the material and cause permanent structural damage.
Metal Siding Pros And Cons
If you need another cheap garage siding option, metal siding is another excellent pick. Besides being cost-efficient, metal siding is easy to paint and install.
There are several types of metal siding to choose from, but aluminum might be your best cheap garage siding option.
Aluminum siding is highly robust, weatherproof, and fireproof.
Furthermore, aluminum resists pests and is made up of individual panels. If one or two aluminum siding panels get damaged, you can fix the problem with only replacing the affected garage siding panels, reducing the total repair cost.
However, while metal siding can endure impact, heavy blows often leave dents and other visible imperfections.
Rust is another threat to metal garage siding, which is why the material warrants extensive maintenance.
Did you know? Steel siding is more durable than aluminum, but it can be too heavy for some garages.
Composite Wood Siding Pros And Cons
If you need an enhanced version of genuine wood, composite wood is a phenomenal option.
Composite wood siding combines the unparalleled appearance of wood siding but is much more durable.
On top of that, composite wood siding stands up to pests, cracking, warping, and other threats better than its natural counterpart.
But despite the revamped design, composite wood can rot. It also requires continual maintenance and painting.
Brick Siding Pros And Cons
Traditional brick garage siding is sturdy and gorgeous. It features a classic appearance that’s never outdated, complementing both contemporary and vintage homes.
When it comes to fire and weather resistance, brick siding is probably the best garage siding material you’ll find. Brick siding can withstand extreme temperatures, snow, hail, heavy rain, and other inclement conditions without showing any damage.
The downside is the price. Brick garage siding is the priciest material, so you might not be able to afford it if you’re on a budget.
And while it’s super-sturdy, brick siding can get damaged by tremendous impact, which is hard to repair.
What Is The Cheapest Kind Of Siding?
Vinyl is the cheapest siding for garages. Coupled with its sturdiness and versatility, vinyl is the most popular option.
You need a minimal budget to cover the cost of vinyl siding materials. It should cost up to $3 per square foot.
Vinyl siding can make your garage stand out regardless of the nuance you choose. White, gray, and light brown are especially suitable for creating attractive results.
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How Much Siding Do You Need For Your 24×24 Garage?
Siding panels are normally sold in boxes, with each box covering about 50 square feet.
Let’s assume your siding is mounted on three garage walls because the fourth wall has a door. Let’s also suppose the wall is eight feet high, and the three walls have no side doors or windows. In this case, you’ll need around 13 boxes to cover your 24×24 garage.
When purchasing your garage siding, always buy 10% more than the calculated amount.
Useless pieces frequently occur due to breakage and cutting. So, rather than make another trip to the store, buy more materials upfront. Even if you don’t install them, they may come in handy in the future.
How Much Does Siding For Your 24×24 Garage Cost?
If you decide to install vinyl siding for your garage, you’ll need about $1,800 to cover a 24×24 garage. On top of that, you need to add the cost of labor ($1-$3.5 per square foot), crown moldings, soffits, corner boards, trim, and removing original siding.
What’s The Lifespan Of Garage Siding?
The lifespan of garage siding depends on the material.
Here are some of the most durable options and their life expectancy:
Wood siding
Wood is durable but has a low lifespan (20-30 years) because it’s often assailed by moisture and pests. Therefore, it rots quickly, so you’ll need proper maintenance to extend the life expectancy to over 30 years.
Vinyl
Vinyl typically serves the owners for 20-40 years. It can deteriorate more rapidly in areas prone to hailstorms and sandstorms. As a consequence, you may often need to repaint the surface.
Fiber Cement
Fiber cement is an extremely sturdy material. You can expect fiber cement to last for more than 50 decades. Still, you might need to apply a fresh layer of paint every five years to maintain its great looks.
Can You Replace Siding Yourself?
Many home improvement projects require professional contractors, but it might be unnecessary for replacing garage siding. This is especially true if you have vinyl.
If a baseball or falling branch pokes a hole through one of the garage siding boards, don’t worry. You can return the garage to its former perfect condition in 10-15 minutes using your replacement pieces and a zip tool.
The process is simple: unzip the affected panels and snap in new ones. Besides a zip tool, you may also need a pry bar to remove the original pieces more easily.
Did you know? Vinyl boards are relatively pliable, so they’re less likely to break during the installation.
What Is The Easiest Siding To Mount?
Apart from being the cheapest garage siding, vinyl is also the easiest material to mount on your exterior walls.
Cutting vinyl garage siding to size is easy due to its light design. This can significantly bring down the price of your project.
As previously mentioned, you can install vinyl garage siding on your own with basic equipment.
Should You Detach Old Siding Before Mounting New?
Some materials can’t be mounted on top of the existing garage siding, like fiber cement.
However, other sidings can be installed without detaching old siding. This can save a lot of money and time. Plus, it can provide extra insulation because the two layers trap air.
Still, you must inspect your existing siding prior to installing new siding over the old material. Otherwise, you will be unable to check the condition of the studs. Some of them might be rotting, while others may have collapsed.
Hence, remove a section of the original siding to verify the new product can be installed safely.
Is Panel Siding Waterproof?
Panel siding isn’t waterproof or flood-resistant.
Wind-driven rain and storm can allow water to seep in through tiny cracks in your garage, resulting in extensive damage.
To minimize the destruction, install a water-resistant membrane around your garage.
What Color Of Siding Is Most Resistant To Fading?
Siding technology is more advanced than ever. Breakthroughs have made most materials incredibly resistant to numerous threats, including fading.
But despite this, your garage siding fades over time due to exposure to UV rays.
If discoloration is one of your main concerns, consider using a lighter color for your garage siding. Fading color is less conspicuous on garage sidings with lighter finishes.
Should You Install Insulated Siding?
Many people believe adding insulated siding provides enormous energy savings. The reality might be quite the opposite.
Although insulating your siding can be beneficial, it’s usually not worth the cost. It brings minimal R-Value (2-3), which is too low to make the investment worthwhile.
Hence, stick to standard siding.
Select Your Garage Siding Material And Roll Up Your Sleeves
Installing siding is an easy way to revamp your garage.
Vinyl is the cheapest garage siding option, but you should also consider other materials since they may fit your property (and budget) better.
Once you decide on your product, mount it yourself or hire professionals if you’re not confident about your skills.
