Ferndale Exterior Board & Batten Siding, Built for Kendall's Climate
Kendall sits in a part of Whatcom County where the weather doesn't do anything halfway. Winters bring long stretches of driving rain, spring and fall keep everything damp long enough for moss to take hold on roofs, fences, and siding alike, and the marine-influenced air that moves through the region carries a low, steady dose of salt and moisture that slowly works on anything not built to handle it. Board and batten siding, done right, holds up to all of that while giving a home the clean, vertical-line look that a lot of Kendall homeowners are after — whether that's on a newer build, a farmhouse-style remodel, or a garage and outbuilding that needs to match the house.
We install board and batten in one material: James Hardie fiber cement. We don't offer it in vinyl, LP SmartSide, cedar, or primed spruce, and that's not a marketing line — it's a standard we hold because of what we've seen happen to those materials in exactly this kind of climate. Below is what board and batten actually is, what correct installation looks like, and why the product choice matters as much as the crew that hangs it.
What Board and Batten Siding Actually Is
Board and batten is a vertical siding pattern: wide flat panels (the "boards") installed side by side, with narrow strips (the "battens") covering the seams between them. It's one of the oldest siding styles in American building, originally developed as a practical way to cover gaps in barn and farmhouse walls, and it's had a long resurgence as a look homeowners want on modern and traditional houses alike.
The style reads as clean and linear from the street, but the real function of the batten strips is to protect the seams between panels from wind-driven rain — which matters a great deal in a place like Kendall, where storms regularly push rain sideways into a wall rather than straight down onto a roof.
Two Ways to Build It
- Panel-and-batten: Large flat fiber cement panels installed vertically, with battens fastened over each seam. This is the most common and most efficient board and batten build.
- Individual board-and-batten: Narrower vertical boards installed with a small gap, then battens covering each gap. More traditional in appearance, more labor to install correctly.
Both approaches can be done in James Hardie fiber cement. Which one fits a given Kendall home usually comes down to the home's existing proportions, trim detailing, and whether it's new construction or a re-side over an existing wall.
Why James Hardie for This Style
Board and batten siding lives or dies on how well the seams and panel faces resist moisture over time, and that's exactly where material choice matters most. We use James Hardie's engineered fiber cement — including HardiePanel vertical siding and Hardie Artisan panel products — for board and batten work because it's manufactured to hold a straight, flat plane, take a factory-baked ColorPlus finish, and resist the moisture cycling that a Whatcom County winter puts a wall through.
Fiber cement doesn't absorb water the way wood-based products do, and it doesn't warp, cup, or telegraph seams the way engineered wood panels can once they've taken on repeated wetting and drying. In a pattern like board and batten, where every seam is a potential water path, that stability is the difference between a wall that looks straight for twenty years and one that starts showing wavy lines and soft spots after a handful of wet seasons.
James Hardie HZ5 Engineering
James Hardie makes climate-specific product lines, and homes in this region should be built with the HZ5 formulation — engineered for cold, wet Pacific Northwest conditions rather than the hot, dry-climate formulation sold in other parts of the country. We spec HZ5 on every Kendall job as a matter of course, not as an upgrade.
What Correct Installation Involves
Board and batten looks simple from the street, but it's one of the less forgiving siding styles to install correctly, because every vertical seam and every batten fastener line is a place water can find its way in if it's not detailed right. A correct install includes:
- A drainable rainscreen gap behind the siding, so any moisture that does get past the surface has somewhere to drain and dry instead of sitting against the wall sheathing.
- Correct panel and batten spacing per James Hardie's published fastening and gapping specs — not "close enough," since gaps that are too tight don't allow for material movement and gaps that are too wide undercut the water-shedding function of the pattern.
- Proper flashing at every horizontal transition — window heads, belly bands, roof-to-wall intersections — since board and batten's vertical lines make flashing details even more visible if they're done wrong.
- Correct fastener placement and depth, driven into framing, not just sheathing, and set to the manufacturer's specified pattern so the panels stay secure without cracking the material.
- Factory-finished ColorPlus panels installed with color-matched fasteners and touch-up, so the finish stays consistent instead of showing a patchwork of field-painted cuts.
Skipping any one of these doesn't usually show up in year one. It shows up in year five or six, as staining along the battens, soft spots at the base of the wall, or paint failure at seams that were never properly protected in the first place — right when a driving-rain winter or a heavy moss season finds the weak point.
Why Moss and Salt Air Matter More With This Style
Board and batten's vertical battens create more surface texture and more shaded, slow-drying edges than a flat lap siding profile — which is exactly where moss likes to establish itself in a climate that stays damp as much of the year as Whatcom County does. Left unaddressed, moss holds moisture against the siding surface far longer than open air would, which accelerates wear on any material that isn't fully sealed against it.
The steady low-level salt content in the region's air adds a second, slower pressure: it can degrade unprotected fasteners and unfinished wood surfaces over years of exposure, even without direct coastal spray. James Hardie's factory-applied ColorPlus finish and our use of corrosion-resistant, manufacturer-approved fasteners are both chosen specifically to hold up against that combination — moss-friendly dampness plus a steady trace of salt in the air — rather than assuming a "standard" siding install elsewhere in the country will perform the same way here.
Board & Batten Material Comparison
| Factor | James Hardie Fiber Cement | Wood / Cedar | Vinyl or Engineered Wood |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moisture response | Non-absorbent, dimensionally stable | Absorbs moisture, swells and shrinks | Can trap moisture behind panels; edges vulnerable |
| Moss/algae resistance | Factory finish resists staining, cleans easily | Porous surface holds moss and mildew | Varies; seams and laps can trap growth |
| Fire performance | Non-combustible | Combustible | Combustible (vinyl melts/deforms; engineered wood burns) |
| Finish longevity | Factory-baked ColorPlus, long repaint interval | Field paint/stain, frequent recoating | Molded-in or field-applied color, fades and chalks over time |
| Typical warranty | Manufacturer-backed, transferable | Limited or none on material | Varies widely by manufacturer and installer |
Our Process for a Kendall Board & Batten Project
1. On-Site Assessment
We walk the home, check the existing wall condition, look at drainage paths and roof-to-wall intersections, and talk through where board and batten makes sense — full elevations, an accent wall, or a garage/outbuilding to match.
2. Wall Prep
Any damaged sheathing or framing found during tear-off gets addressed before new siding goes on. We don't cover up a wall problem with new material — a rainscreen and new siding over a compromised wall just hides the issue longer.
3. Rainscreen and Flashing
We install the drainage gap and all window, door, and horizontal transition flashing before a single panel goes up, since this is the layer that actually keeps water out over the long run.
4. Panel and Batten Install
Hardie panels and battens go up to manufacturer spec — correct spacing, correct fastener pattern, correct penetration depth — with color-matched fasteners and factory ColorPlus finish throughout.
5. Final Walkthrough
We walk the finished job with the homeowner, check every seam and transition, and go over basic care so the siding performs the way it's designed to for decades, not just for the first few winters.
Maintaining Board & Batten Siding in This Climate
- Rinse siding annually to clear pollen, dust, and early moss growth before it takes hold.
- Keep gutters and downspouts clear so roof runoff doesn't sheet directly down a wall section.
- Trim back vegetation and tree cover that keeps a wall shaded and slow to dry after rain.
- Inspect caulking at window and door trim yearly and re-caulk any cracked or separated joints.
- Address any impact damage or exposed fastener promptly rather than waiting for the next dry stretch.
Why It Matters to Hire a Crew That Already Works Kendall
Board and batten siding done to a generic national spec doesn't automatically hold up in Whatcom County conditions. A crew that already works homes in and around Kendall knows the wall assemblies common to this area, understands the difference between a driving winter rain here and a light coastal drizzle elsewhere, and won't need to relearn HZ5 detailing or rainscreen requirements on your job. That local repetition is what keeps flashing details, fastener schedules, and finish work consistent — the parts of the job a homeowner can't easily inspect once the siding is up, but that determine whether it performs for twenty years or needs attention in five.
We install exclusively James Hardie fiber cement because it's the product we're willing to stand behind on Whatcom County walls — through the wet winters, the moss season, and the steady salt air that this region deals with year-round. If you're considering board and batten for a home in Kendall, we're glad to come take a look and talk through what a correct installation would involve for your specific walls. Reach out for a free, no-pressure estimate using the form below.