Pine is material of choice for builder in Harsh climate

Carrabasset Valley building Jon Boehmer has some advice for builders who badmouth the durability of white pine as an exterior siding material: take more care in the installation.

Boehmer builds in the western mountains where the climate is as harsh as any place in the state. He has experience with just about every modern siding material out there, including cement-fiber siding and polymer fly-ash composites. For durability, affordability and good looks he often chooses pine, either as clapboards or vertical siding..

“We actually use pine a lot,” he told me. “We have a lot of confidence in it if you treat it. That’s the key.”

Jon Boehmer sided the garage with pine shiplap and the house with pine clapboards on this zero-energy home near Sugarloaf ski resort. Photo courtesy of Backcountry Construction.

I spoke to Boehmer for an upcoming article in Green & Healthy Maine Homes about a zero-energy home near Sugarloaf ski resort. I was particularly taken by his comments about Maine white pine because builders routinely disparage its durability and rot resistence. Boehmer appreciates pine’s virtues while noting that its supposed drawback in rot resistance can be confidently counteracted.

“Pine is very affordable and easy to work with,” he said. “You have to seal it, which eats into cheapness, but it’s a step we’re in complete control of.”

He commonly sources materials from Hammond Lumber in Farmington. Boehmer takes care to prime all sides of siding or clapboards before installation. “Three hundred and sixty degrees, every surface has to be coated. Front, back and cut ends.” After siding is installed, caulked and sealed, one or two top coats are applied. Nail indentations are not overlooked. “Unless those nail heads are perfectly flush, that’s an opportunity for moisture to get in.”

“It’s really about doing it right,” he said. Boehmer primes the siding on all sides before installation.

For more about the house Boehmer finished, check out Green & Health Maine Home Winter Guide