Wood-Look Longboard and Aluminum Siding Installation

Longboard and architectural aluminum siding for Calgary homes: a wood-grain powder-coated finish on a non-combustible metal plank that dents rather than cracks and skips the staining cycle of real wood. Installed over a flashed, drained wall to the manufacturer’s published instructions.

(587) 324-8484 How the job runs

A modern front entry with warm wood-look aluminum planks running vertically beside the door and continuing across the soffit above.

The Problem It Solves

Plenty of Calgary homeowners want the warmth of a wood exterior, and plenty have lived with what real wood asks for. A cedar feature wall facing south or west loses its finish long before the boards wear out, and the City of Calgary’s climate-ready guidance notes that natural wood siding is prone to damage from wildfire, high winds and hail. The wood-look entry that looked great on the rendering becomes a job to sand, stain and repair on a schedule, in the most visible spot on the house.

Infills and tight suburban side yards add a second problem. Where a wall sits close to the property line, the building code limits what cladding can go on it and may call for a fire-rated wall assembly. Real wood and most wood-look composites are combustible, which rules them out or pushes the design into a tested assembly. Designers who want a warm, natural face on a narrow infill elevation end up choosing between the look they drew and the cladding the code allows on that wall.

Then there is the older generation of aluminum siding. If your house still wears thin, flat-finish aluminum from decades ago, you know its limits: dents from hail and ladders that never come out, a faded finish that rubs off on your hand, and trims bent on site without much thought for how water leaves the wall. Replacing it like for like repeats those weaknesses. What people want is metal’s toughness with a finish and profile that look deliberate.

How It Works

Architectural aluminum plank siding answers both wishes. Longboard, for example, says its façade systems are manufactured in-house from aluminum extrusion to finishing, coated with AAMA 2604/2605 powder coatings that replicate wood grain, stone and aged metal, and tested to meet CAN/ULC-S114 / ASTM E136 non-combustibility standards. There is nothing to rot, split or restain. It is very low maintenance rather than no maintenance: an occasional wash, a look at sealant joints around windows, and prompt attention to anything dented or scraped.

Under hail, aluminum behaves differently from wood or vinyl. The City of Calgary’s guide says hail and wind-driven debris can dent or scratch aluminum siding but will not affect the integrity of your home, and that aluminum does not crack during freeze-thaw cycles. A dent is cosmetic, not a hole in the wall, and on plank systems damaged boards can typically be replaced individually, depending on the system. Behind the metal face we still build the second plane of protection: a lapped sheathing membrane, flashing at horizontal junctions and openings, and flat furring that lets water drain. Open-joint layouts leave gaps by design, so that membrane and flashing do more of the work.

At a Glance

Material: Aluminum plank and panel cladding with a factory powder-coated finish
Finish: AAMA 2604/2605 powder coatings (Longboard), in wood-grain, stone and aged-metal looks
Fire behaviour: Longboard states testing to CAN/ULC-S114 / ASTM E136 non-combustibility and ASTM E2768-11 class 1 flame spread
Systems: Tongue-and-groove planks, flat panels and open-joint rain screen (Longboard)
Code standards: Strip aluminum siding to CAN/CGSB-93.2-M; aluminum sheet cladding to CAN/CGSB-93.1-M, min. 0.58 mm, or 0.46 mm over backing
Attachment: To framing, furring or blocking, not to foam insulation (NBC(AE) 9.27.5.1.)
Flashing: Aluminum flashing min. 0.48 mm thick, at horizontal junctions, offsets and openings
Typical uses: Soffit-to-grade feature walls, entries, infill elevations and full modern re-clads

How the Job Runs, Step by Step

Measure limiting distance and choose the system

On infill and side-yard walls we confirm how far the wall sits from the property line before anything is ordered. That, plus the look you want, decides between tongue-and-groove planks, flat panels or an open-joint layout, and which way the boards run.

Strip, inspect and repair the sheathing

Old cladding comes off so we can see the sheathing. Soft or damaged sheathing is replaced, and a new breather-type sheathing membrane goes on with joints lapped at least 100 mm, upper sheets over lower, and taped at windows and doors.

Furring and flashing

Furring at least 19 × 38 mm goes on at no more than 600 mm on centre, shimmed flat so the boards read straight. Flashings slope outward, extend at least 50 mm up behind the membrane, and get end dams and a drip offset.

Starter, boards and trims

Starters are set level and boards go on in the sequence the manufacturer’s published installation instructions describe, with the fasteners, clips and trims that system specifies, leaving the movement allowances it calls for at ends and trims.

Seal, check and hand over

Exterior-grade, non-hardening sealant goes between the cladding and window and door frames. We walk every elevation for straight courses, tight trims and clean penetrations, and leave you the manufacturer’s care guidance for the finish.

What Decides the Specification

The first decision is the system. Tongue-and-groove planks give a continuous board face; flat panels suit a gridded, architectural elevation; an open-joint layout shows deliberate shadow lines. Orientation matters too: vertical boards lift a short entry wall, horizontal boards calm a long garage face. Wood-grain finishes read differently in low winter sun than on a chip indoors, so we choose them outside. We also plan how the aluminum meets what sits beside it, such as fibre cement lap, stone veneer or stucco, so each transition gets its own trim and flashing.

The second decision is the wall behind the boards. The code sends strip aluminum siding to CAN/CGSB-93.2-M and aluminum sheet cladding to CAN/CGSB-93.1-M, at least 0.58 mm thick or 0.46 mm over backing, and the product documentation tells us which applies. If exterior insulation goes on during the re-clad, the cladding must still fasten to framing, furring or blocking rather than foam, with fastener lengths and spacing from the cladding or fastener manufacturer or an engineer. In Calgary, foam outside the sheathing also has to be thick enough relative to the cavity insulation to keep the sheathing warm.

Alberta Code Notes

Alberta currently enforces the National Building Code – 2023 Alberta Edition. For houses, Article 9.10.15.5. sets what can clad a wall near a property line: under 1.2 m of limiting distance, the exposing face needs a 45-minute fire-resistance rating, and metal or non-combustible cladding is one of the listed options. Minor combustible elements such as window trim are permitted if distributed rather than concentrated. Soffits within 1.2 m of a property line must be unvented, and none may project within 0.45 m of it except facing a public way. We measure limiting distance on each job.

Under Alberta’s Permit Regulation, replacing siding with a similar type of siding, for maintenance or appearance and with no structural change, is generally exempt from a building permit. Switching from vinyl, stucco or wood to aluminum plank is a change of cladding type, and adding exterior insulation or altering openings can also take a project outside that exemption. The City of Calgary treats exterior renovations case by case; its Land Use Bylaw exempts added exterior insulation and associated cladding from a development permit, but building-code approval is a separate question. We confirm with the municipality before work starts.

General guidance only. The authority having jurisdiction and the product’s own evaluation report decide what applies to your job.

Around Calgary

Wood-look aluminum suits inner-city infills in southwest communities such as Altadore and South Calgary around Marda Loop, where post-war originals can sit beside newer homes, some finished in metal panel, board and batten or stone. On those narrow lots a side wall may sit close to the property line, and a non-combustible plank can let the wood tone carry around the corner instead of stopping at the front. East of the city in Chestermere the same idea works at an entry, a bump-out or under a covered porch, and on exposed lots in Cochrane, west of Calgary, trims and flashing get extra attention against wind-driven rain and snow.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Fastening it like vinyl: Aluminum boards move with temperature. Pinning them tight or ignoring the manufacturer’s movement allowances at ends and trims can bow boards and stress joints over a few Calgary winters.
Treating metal as the waterproofing: The aluminum face sheds most water, not all of it. Skipping the membrane or the flashing at openings and horizontal junctions leaves the sheathing to absorb what gets past.
Choosing a finish from a chip: Powder-coated wood grains change character with light and distance. Look at a full-length board outdoors, on the elevation it is going on, before committing a whole wall.
Assuming cladding alone solves fire rules: Non-combustible siding is one part of a compliant wall near a property line. The assembly behind it may also need a fire-resistance rating, and soffits there have their own limits.

When to Choose Something Else

Choose something else if you want real wood that ages and can be sanded and refinished; cedar siding does that honestly, with the upkeep that goes with it. If the goal is to re-side a whole builder-grade house at the lowest cost, vinyl, which the City of Calgary’s guide calls the least expensive siding, or fibre cement lap is the more usual choice, and aluminum plank can be kept for the entry or one feature wall. If a visible dent from hail would bother you every time you walk to the door, know that metal shows impacts even when the wall behind it is fine. And if the sheathing behind the old siding is wet or rotten, that repair comes first, whatever cladding goes back on.

Often Done Alongside

Corrugated & Standing Seam Metal Siding

Corrugated, ribbed and standing seam steel or aluminum panels for walls.

HardieBoard Vertical Board & Batten

HardiePanel vertical siding and HardieTrim battens over a furred cavity

Rain Screen & Cavity Ventilation Systems

Furring or drainage mat leaving a drained, vented gap behind the cladding.

Where We Do This Work

Aluminum Plank: Questions We Get

Does wood-look aluminum actually look like wood up close?

From the street and across a yard, a good wood-grain powder coat reads convincingly as stained wood, which is where most people see an exterior. At arm’s length you can tell it is a coated metal board: uniform, cool to the touch, with no raised grain. We recommend viewing a full-length sample outdoors on your own wall, in morning and afternoon light, before choosing a finish.

Will hail damage Longboard or aluminum siding?

Large hail can dent or scratch aluminum. The City of Calgary’s climate-ready guidance says that damage does not affect the integrity of your home, and aluminum does not crack in freeze-thaw cycles. On plank systems, damaged boards can typically be replaced individually, although the method depends on the system. No siding is immune to large hail, and there is no industry hail rating for wall cladding the way there is for roofing.

How much upkeep does aluminum plank siding need?

Very little compared with wood. There is no staining or sealing cycle for the boards. Plan on washing off grime occasionally, checking sealant joints at windows and doors every few years, and dealing with any dent or scrape promptly. Follow the manufacturer’s care guidance for the powder-coated finish, since harsh cleaners or abrasive pads can mark it. The sealant, not the metal, is usually the first thing to need attention.

Can aluminum siding go on a wall close to my neighbour’s property line?

Often it is one of the easier choices there. For houses, the building code lists metal or non-combustible cladding among the options for walls with a limiting distance under 1.2 m, and Longboard states its products are tested to CAN/ULC-S114. The wall may still need a 45-minute fire-resistance rating, and soffits on that side have their own limits. We measure and confirm the full wall specification before ordering.

How do you work out what my walls actually need?

We start by looking, not selling. That means walking every elevation, checking the flashing over windows and where roofs meet walls, the clearance between the siding and the ground, decks and roofs, and pressing on anything that looks soft or stained. Where a course of siding can be lifted, we look at the membrane and sheathing behind it. The written recommendation says what the wall needs first, what can wait, and when a repair makes more sense than new siding.

Considering Aluminum Plank?

Call Calgary Siding Solutions or send the details. We will look at the job, tell you whether aluminum plank is the right fix, and price it in writing.

(587) 324-8484 Send the Details