Frequently Asked Questions

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Where can I buy your clapboards?

You can buy directly from our mill and we are able to ship anywhere in the country. If you are located in Vermont, Maine or New Hampshire, our quarter-sawn vertical grain clapboards are carried by some of your local lumber yards.

Do I have to pick up the clapboards or can you ship?

We ship our clapboards all over the country. We do have very completive rates, which often make sense to ship to your job site. You are certainly welcomed to pick up your order at our Moretown, Vermont Mill if you live in the Northeast.

Do you have a minimum order?

We are happy to help you with any of your needs. However, with smaller orders, shipping tends to be a bit more pricey. We will get smaller orders to you in the most economical way possible.

How should I store my clapboard order?

Lumber should never be stored directly on the ground. The clap boards should be horizontally elevated slightly off the ground and under cover.

Do I have to let the clapboards acclimate before painting?

No, the clapboards are fine to prime, paint or stain once you receive them.

Do you recommend having the clapboards pre-primed prior to installation?

Yes, pre priming is becoming more and more the norm. It’s one more barrier against moisture entering the clapboard from behind, and will give you a longer finish on your Wood Clapboard Siding. Clapboards can be primed and also a finish coat of your color choice can be applied prior to shipping. Once the clapboards are installed you do need a finish coat which will cover seams, nails and ladder marks. Doing the two coats is a great way to get your house painted, also your project has a finish while being installed. If one coat of primer is applied, it’s important to apply a finish coat to protect the primer.

What colors can I get?

We use Sherwin Williams products as standard, but we can also apply customer specified product and colors.

How long will it take to get my order primed?

2-3 weeks is the typical turn around.

How much should I lap the clapboards?

Our clapboards are graded for a 1 1/2” lap to give you the typical reveal for each of our 6 widths that we manufacture.

It’s not uncommon to install them with a 2” lap, however, you’ll need to adjust the footage on your project, since you are installing with a narrower reveal.

Are you able to manufacture a full 1/2” thick edge?

Our clapboards are planed 7/16” on the thick edge. A custom edge is available up to 9/16” in some widths with larger orders. If this is something you are interested in please give us a call to discuss the details.

Can we get clapboards longer than 6’?

The longest length that we manufacture is 6’. When you place an order, approximately 70% of your order will be between 5 - 6 feet long (heavy on the 6 foot lengths). The balance will be between 3 - 4 1/2 feet (heavy on the 4 1/2’ lengths).

Using our boards makes for straight-forward installation, easy enough for one person to install. The feedback we get from customers is that the shorter lengths are convenient to handle and work nicely around windows, doors, dormers and gable ends.

Does a 6” clapboards measure a true 6”?

All of the different width clapboards measured a true 6 1/2”, 6”, 5 1/2”, 5” and 4 1/2” before they are planed. Once planed, a Clap Board will measure a 1/2” narrower. For example, our 6”, once planed, will measure a true 5 1/2” and is graded for a 4” reveal. The 6” clapboard would be lapped 1 1/2” to achieve the 4” reveal.

Should I add anything in for waste, when determining footage needed?

If you have deducted for windows and doors, you should add about 10% into your square footage for waste. If the windows and doors are not deducted, that will give you the waste factor needed.

When installing our vertical grain clapboards in the varying lengths, that also reduces the waste you might generate.

Where do your logs come from?

Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire and New York. Many of our larger log suppliers are FSC certified.

"The clapboards we bought from Ward exceeded our expectations and were among the highest quality materials we used while building our own workshop studio.  We used only the finest, longest lasting materials in this project, so Ward's quarter-sawn clapboards were a natural fit.  It has been surprising how stable they have been, how flawless, how beautiful and consistent to work with.  The relatively short lengths actually make installation relatively easy and certainly precise. Thank you for your exceptionally fine product.  This is the real thing in a world full of poor quality imitations."

-Ben Falk,
M.A.L.D. Whole Systems Design