Anacortes Siding Board & Batten Siding in Conway: A Look That Has to Earn Its Keep
Conway sits in the low, flat farmland along the Skagit River, close enough to Skagit Bay that salt-laden air is a regular visitor and far enough from any windbreak that driving rain off the water hits home exteriors straight on. It's also classic board and batten country — the vertical-plank-and-strip look is a natural fit for the farmhouses, barns-turned-homes, and craftsman-style builds scattered through this part of Skagit County. But board and batten is one of the least forgiving siding profiles when it's installed casually, and Conway's climate is exactly the kind of environment that finds every shortcut within a few years.
This page is about doing board and batten siding correctly for a Conway property specifically — not board and batten in the abstract. The vertical seams, the vertical grain runoff, the batten fastening, and the drainage path all behave differently here than they would on a sheltered lot in town, and a crew that hasn't worked this stretch of the county tends to find that out the hard way, on your house.
What Board & Batten Siding Actually Is
Board and batten is a cladding pattern, not a specific material: wide vertical boards (or panels) are installed first, and narrow strips called battens are fastened over the vertical seams between them. Done in wood, it's one of the oldest siding styles in America. Done in fiber cement, it keeps the look while removing most of the maintenance headaches that made the traditional version a chore to own.
The appeal for Conway homeowners is straightforward: strong vertical lines, a farmhouse or modern-rustic character that suits the surrounding agricultural landscape, and a profile that reads as more custom than standard lap siding. The risk is also straightforward — every batten is a fastening point and every seam beneath it is a place water wants to get behind the cladding. How that seam is built determines whether the siding lasts twenty-plus years or starts failing at the seams in five.
Why Vertical Siding Is Less Forgiving Than Lap Siding
Horizontal lap siding is self-shedding by design — each course overlaps the one below it, and gravity does most of the work moving water down and away from the wall. Board and batten doesn't have that built-in overlap. Water runs down the face of the panel and along the batten edges, which means the flashing detail, the caulking (or lack of it), and the gap behind the battens matter far more than they do on a standard lap job. In a climate that gets sustained driving rain off the water, as Conway does, those details aren't optional finish work — they're the difference between a wall that dries out and one that doesn't.
What Conway's Climate Does to a Board & Batten Wall
Three regional factors show up again and again on siding jobs in this part of Skagit County, and they interact with a vertical batten profile in specific ways:
- Salt air: Proximity to Skagit Bay puts a fine layer of salt on exterior surfaces over time. On fasteners and trim that aren't corrosion-resistant, this accelerates rust, staining, and eventual failure — particularly at batten fasteners, which sit exposed on the face of the wall rather than hidden under a lap.
- Driving rain: Wind off the water pushes rain sideways into the wall assembly rather than letting it fall straight down. That lateral pressure is exactly what a well-built rainscreen gap and correct batten spacing are designed to handle — and exactly what a flush-nailed, unventilated batten job cannot.
- A long moss season: Western Washington's wet months stretch long, and moss and algae take hold on any surface that stays damp. Vertical battens create narrow shadowed channels that hold moisture longer than a flat wall does, so the finish on those surfaces needs to resist growth, not just look good on installation day.
None of this means board and batten is a bad choice for Conway — it means the installation has to account for these conditions from the first course to the last flashing detail, not just from a distance.
What a Correct Board & Batten Installation Involves
A board and batten job that's going to hold up here needs several things working together, not just good-looking panels:
Drainage Plane and Rainscreen Gap
Behind the siding, a weather-resistive barrier has to be installed and lapped correctly, with all penetrations (outlets, hose bibs, vents, light fixtures) properly flashed before the first panel goes up. On vertical profiles especially, a furring strip or rainscreen gap behind the panels gives any water that gets past the face a path to drain and dry instead of sitting against the sheathing.
Batten Fastening and Spacing
Battens need to be fastened with corrosion-resistant fasteners at a spacing and pattern that matches the manufacturer's engineering — not just "close enough." Over-fastening or fastening through the panel seam without proper backing is one of the most common causes of early board and batten failure, because it locks the assembly down tight and gives trapped moisture nowhere to go.
Flashing at Every Transition
Window and door heads, roof-to-wall intersections, deck ledgers, and the base of the wall near grade all need dedicated flashing — kick-out flashing at roof lines, head flashing at openings, and a proper starter detail at the bottom. These are the spots where water concentrates, and they're the spots a rushed crew skips because they don't affect how the wall looks from the street.
Factory Finish, Not Field-Applied Paint
A factory-applied finish that's baked on and warranted is a different product from a raw board that gets primed and painted on site. The factory process bonds the coating more consistently across the whole panel, including the cut edges once they're sealed, which matters a great deal on a profile with as many exposed edges as board and batten has.
Why We Only Install James Hardie Board & Batten
We standardized on James Hardie fiber cement for every siding job we do, board and batten included, and this profile is actually where the choice of material matters most. Hardie's vertical siding system — HardiePanel vertical siding paired with HardieTrim battens — is engineered as a matched system, not a mix of unrelated parts, and it's manufactured in Hardie's climate-specific HZ formulations that account for the wet, marine-influenced conditions we have on this side of the state.
Fiber cement doesn't rot, doesn't swell and shrink with moisture the way wood does, and isn't a food source for the moss and mildew that a long wet season here practically guarantees. It's also non-combustible, which matters given how much of Conway's surroundings are open farmland with seasonal burning and dry-grass risk in late summer. The ColorPlus factory finish carries its own warranty against fading and wear, so the vertical lines and shadow lines that make board and batten attractive stay sharp instead of chalking out after a few Puget Sound winters.
We don't install vinyl, LP SmartSide, primed spruce, cedar, or other fiber cement brands as board and batten alternatives. That's not a knock on every homeowner who has one of those products on their house — it's that we've drawn a line on what we're willing to put our name behind, and Hardie's combination of moisture performance, factory finish, and long transferable warranty is what we've found actually holds up on a vertical profile in this climate.
Cost Factors on a Board & Batten Project
Board and batten typically runs somewhat higher than standard lap siding on the same house, mainly because of the extra material (the battens themselves) and the additional labor for fastening and detailing each seam correctly. What actually moves the number on a given Conway home:
| Factor | Why It Affects Cost |
|---|---|
| Wall height and complexity | Multi-story walls, dormers, and gable ends require more scaffolding, cutting, and fitting around trim |
| Existing siding removal | Tear-off and disposal of old wood, vinyl, or damaged cladding adds labor before installation starts |
| Sheathing and moisture damage | Rot found once old siding comes off has to be repaired before new siding goes on — this is common on older Conway farmhouses |
| Rainscreen/furring detail | A proper drainage gap behind the battens adds material and installation time but is essential on this profile |
| Trim and flashing scope | Window counts, roof-to-wall intersections, and porch or deck tie-ins each need individual flashing work |
| Color and finish selection | Factory ColorPlus finishes vs. field-primed-and-painted panels affect both material cost and long-term maintenance |
We give exact numbers only after walking the specific property — anyone quoting a board and batten job over the phone without seeing the walls, the existing sheathing condition, and the trim detail is guessing.
How Our Process Works on a Conway Job
- On-site walkthrough of the existing walls, noting moisture damage, trim condition, and any flashing that needs to be corrected as part of the job — not just covered over.
- A written scope covering tear-off (if needed), sheathing repair, weather-resistive barrier, rainscreen detail, HardiePanel and HardieTrim batten installation, and flashing at every transition.
- Material delivery and site prep, including protecting landscaping and existing hardscape common on Conway's more rural lots.
- Installation following James Hardie's published fastening and clearance specifications, not shortcuts, because those specifications are what keeps the manufacturer's warranty valid.
- Final walkthrough where we point out the flashing and drainage details that don't show on the surface but are the actual reason the siding will hold up.
Why Hiring a Crew That Already Works This Area Matters
A crew that regularly works Conway and the surrounding Skagit County lowlands has already dealt with the specific combination of conditions here — the salt exposure off the bay, the wind-driven rain pattern, the older farmhouse construction with its own quirks, and the moss and moisture load that builds up over a full wet season. That's not a marketing point; it changes real decisions on a job, like where to add extra flashing that a generic installation guide wouldn't flag, or how to detail a rainscreen gap so it actually drains instead of trapping water in a shadowed batten channel.
It also means faster, more accurate estimates, since we're not learning the regional conditions on your dime, and a crew that's accountable locally if a detail needs a second look after a hard winter.
What to Ask Before Hiring Anyone for a Board & Batten Job
- Will there be a rainscreen or furring gap behind the battens, or are they fastened flush to the wall?
- What fasteners are being used, and are they rated for coastal/salt-air exposure?
- Is flashing being replaced or upgraded at windows, roof lines, and the base of the wall — or just reused?
- Is the batten spacing and fastening pattern following the manufacturer's engineered specifications?
- Is the finish a factory-applied, warranted coating, or field-primed and painted on site?
- Does the written estimate name the actual product line (HardiePanel, HardieTrim) rather than just "fiber cement siding"?
If you're weighing board and batten siding for a home in Conway, we're glad to come take a look and walk the property with you — no pressure, no obligation, just a straight assessment of what your walls actually need and what it would take to do the job right. Use the form below to request a free estimate.