Best Siding Styles & Materials for 2025

Artem from Foremost Exteriors breaks down everything you need to know—what styles are trending, which materials are worth the upgrade, and how to avoid common mistakes that can cost you time, money, and curb appeal.

Best Siding Styles & Materials for 2025

Thinking about replacing your siding, but unsure what’s popular, what’s durable, and what’s actually worth the investment in 2025? Let’s break it down.

In this short video, I’ll help you understand the common siding options available today, what styles are trending right now, what upgrades make sense for your home, and what may help your future resale value.

Here’s the truth: if you pick the wrong siding material or style, you could end up with more maintenance, a look that feels dated in just a few years, or worse, siding that fails when the weather gets tough. So let’s help you avoid that.

Let’s start with the basics.

Vinyl siding is still the most popular siding material in America, and that’s for good reason. It’s budget-friendly, low-maintenance, and comes in classic styles like clapboard and Dutch lap. What’s different in 2025 is that longer, wider vinyl panels with fewer seams are becoming more popular, and matte finishes are trending more than shiny, glossy ones.

If you’re considering vinyl, avoid anything under .040 gauge. That’s just too thin. For better durability, look for .044 or thicker, and make sure your siding comes with a solid fade-resistant warranty.

Now let’s talk about insulated vinyl siding. This is vinyl with a foam backer that makes it more rigid and can improve energy efficiency. It can be a nice upgrade if you want a sturdier feel and maybe a little noise reduction. But often, a better approach is to add rigid foam insulation boards behind the siding so you’re not locked into one specific siding product. That usually gives you more flexibility and better long-term results, along with improved R-value.

Next up is fiber cement siding, like James Hardie. If you love the look of real wood but want something that resists fire, pests, and rot, fiber cement is a great choice. It comes in lap, panel, board and batten, and shake styles. James Hardie fiber cement products come with a 30-year non-prorated warranty, and ColorPlus finishes include a 15-year paint and labor warranty against peeling, cracking, and fading.

In 2025, we’re seeing more dark colors, along with contrasting white or wood-grain trim. Earth tones are also making a comeback, and modern homes are using fiber cement with vertical styles for a clean, custom look.

Now let’s talk about engineered wood siding, like LP SmartSide. It gives you a beautiful natural wood appearance and is much easier to install than fiber cement. Cutting fiber cement can wear out tools and blades quickly, and the weight makes freight and delivery more difficult. LP SmartSide doesn’t have those same challenges.

That said, it does come with installation guidelines that must be followed carefully. If they aren’t, you could run into maintenance issues or early product failure. That’s true with fiber cement too, but proper installation is especially important here.

Then there’s steel siding. Specifically, we prefer to use EDCO steel siding, which is local to Hopkins, Minnesota. Steel siding is becoming more popular in 2025, especially for homeowners who want durability, low maintenance, and a clean, modern look. It doesn’t absorb moisture, warp, or rot, and it’s non-combustible, making it ideal for harsh climates and long-term peace of mind.

It also comes with a lifetime warranty, 50-year hail protection, 35-year fade protection, and it’s made from recycled steel, so it’s fully recyclable as well. If you pair it with a metal roof, you get a sharp-looking, long-lasting, high-performance exterior that requires very little upkeep.

Now let’s talk about trends. In 2025, we’re seeing a lot of dark, moody siding colors like charcoal, forest green, and black. Board and batten or other vertical paneling is popular for gables, front elevations, or even full exteriors. Natural wood accents, especially white oak and walnut-style finishes, are showing up in soffits and trim. High-contrast designs are also trending, like white trim on dark siding or black accents on light exteriors.

We’re also seeing more monochromatic looks, where the siding and trim are similar in tone and texture does most of the visual work. All of this is enhanced by trim, fascia, soffit choices, and other finishing touches that can make a home really stand out.

If you want to see exactly what your home would look like with these options, ask us about our 3D design and rendering service. It’s not a free option, but it gives you a photorealistic rendering of your home with the styles, colors, and trim options you’re considering. For homeowners who need to see it before they believe it, this tool is a game changer. It helps you make faster, more confident decisions and avoid second-guessing your investment.

Before we wrap up, let’s quickly define a few siding terms you may hear during your consultation.

Lap siding is horizontal planks that overlap. Dutch lap is similar, but it has a beveled edge with deeper shadow lines. Board and batten uses vertical panels with battens covering the seams. Soffits are the material under the eaves and help with ventilation, assuming the proper openings are installed. Fascia is the horizontal trim where your gutters attach. Frieze board is a decorative trim between the siding and the soffit. House wrap is a moisture barrier installed under the siding. Exposure refers to how much of each plank is visible once installed.

If you’d like a cheat sheet, just ask. We can send you our full siding glossary. Some manufacturer manuals are pretty lengthy, but if you want to see those, we can send them too. Many include pictures and plain-English explanations that are easy to understand.

So what’s next? We’ll help you choose the right combination of style, protection, and long-term value based on your home and your goals. If you already have a desired material in mind, let us know. We’ll bring the right samples to your consultation.

If you are exploring siding options, follow this page with six types of siding for homes for a broader material breakdown, comparing vinyl, wood, and fiber cement for side-by-side tradeoffs, and vinyl vs. fiber cement siding if those two products are your main finalists.