How to Mix and Match Siding Materials for a Custom Look

Thinking about refreshing your home’s appearance with an exterior makeover? If so, you might feel a tad overwhelmed at the prospect of narrowing down the options. With so many materials, brands, textures, and colors to choose from, how is it possible to decide on just one of each?

If you like the idea of mixing and matching styles to create a custom appearance for your home (and to make the process of deciding which ones to use easier!), you’ve come to the right place. Here are our expert tips for utilizing multiple siding styles to achieve the perfect look.

Which Siding Materials & Styles Best Complement Each Other?

When choosing siding materials to be installed together, it’s crucial to select products with equal durability that will provide lasting protection for your home. We recommend the following siding combinations for the perfect blend of strength and style:

Fiber Cement and Stone

Stone has a rich texture and color that can enhance the appearance of both traditional and modern homes, like Craftsman and Modern Farmhouse styles.

Stone is popularly paired with fiber cement at the base of the home or as an accent for columns, gables, or entryways. You can pair stone with wood-grain boards to create a rustic appearance or with smooth panels to create a contemporary look. Homeowners often choose hues that are the same or similar to each other, like grey stone with grey planks or tan stone with brown siding, to create a monochromatic color scheme.

Fiber Cement and Brick

Brick is another excellent material to pair with fiber cement siding to add a sense of tradition and timelessness to the façade of historic homes, such as Colonial or Tudor styles.

Like stone, you can use brick at the base of the home with a board-and-batten look above, or use brick to highlight the home’s accent features, like columns or gables. You can opt for traditional red or brown bricks and pair them with neutral siding for an inviting appearance, or paint the bricks another color, like white, to provide contrast for a more contemporary look.

Fiber Cement and Metal

Though metal trim is already a popular addition to fiber cement siding, you might want to consider taking the look a step further by mixing fiber cement boards with metal panels. The warmth and texture of fiber cement paired with the sleekness of metal creates an industrial-chic look perfect for homeowners who crave an eye-catching contemporary exterior.

Lap, Vertical, and Shingle Siding

You don’t have to choose different siding materials to achieve the “look” of having various types of siding. All you need to do is mix and match fiber cement siding styles.

For example, consider accenting lap boards with shingle siding to add timeless charm to cottage-style properties, like Cape Cod homes, or combine vertical and horizontal siding to add a touch of modernity to Farmhouse and Craftsman properties.

Design Tips for Creating an Eye-Catching Exterior with Different Siding Materials

Regardless of which siding materials you choose to mix and match, here are some expert tips to incorporate into your design scheme to guarantee your home will “pop” from the curb:

Highlight the Details

Does your home have unique details, like gables, pillars, or a covered front porch?

Consider showcasing these design features by using a different siding material. For example, a home with fiber cement siding will stand out with stone pillars or gables. Alternatively, for a property with lap siding, adding shingles to the gables or dormers can bring visual interest and texture to the exterior.

Define Separate Levels

Do you live in a split-level home? If so, choosing different siding materials to define each level can be a wise choice. Many homeowners opt to use brick or stone on the bottom level and fiber cement siding on the top floor.

Alternatively, you can use different siding styles with the same material, such as fiber cement, to define each level. A popular way to implement this technique is using lap siding for the home’s first floor and vertical or board-and-batten siding on the second story.

Experiment with Color

If you want to steer away from neutral shades (like beige, grey, and cream) to incorporate a pop of color into your home exterior, choose one of these color schemes:

• Complementary Colors — Complementary hues sit opposite each other on the color wheel and, when used together, tend to create a striking look. For example, pairing sage green siding with traditional red bricks creates an eye-catching appearance. 
• Analogous Colors — Analogous colors sit next to each other on the color wheel and can be used together to create a soothing appearance. For instance, grey stone accents with a hint of blue undertone would look excellent with deep blue or blue-green siding.
• Monochromatic Colors — To create a monochromatic look, select one color and choose various siding materials with the same hue. Brown stone and siding or blue lap siding with grey-blue shingles are excellent examples of the monochromatic style.

Embrace Simplicity

While it can be fun to mix and match siding materials, styles, and colors, choosing no more than two to three siding materials (like natural stone with fiber cement siding) or styles (like lap panels with shingle siding) is crucial to create a cohesive look.

When selecting colors, stick to a matching color palette or classic neutral shades, or choose two complementary colors to incorporate into your exterior design.

Create a Stunning Home Exterior That Lasts with JD Hostetter & Associates