You want the wood look. You’ve seen it on Pinterest, on new construction down the road, on every modern farmhouse renovation that’s blown up your Instagram feed. Board and batten with warm wood tones, clean vertical lines, that mix of rustic and sharp that works on everything from a 1970s ranch to a new barndominium.
The problem with actual wood siding is everything that comes after the install. Repainting every five to seven years. Watching it crack and cup and check. Finding termite or wood bee damage in a spot you didn’t expect. Replacing boards that rotted out at the base. It looks great on day one and it’s making you a DIY weekend warrior by year 10.
There’s a better option!
It’s been sitting in the steel industry for a while — most homeowners just haven’t found it yet.
What Wood Grain Steel Actually Is
Wood grain steel siding is exactly what it sounds like: steel panels with a high-definition wood pattern printed directly onto the coil during manufacturing. The print happens before the panel is formed, so the grain follows the contours of the profile naturally. It doesn’t look like a wrap or a sticker (because it isn’t!). It looks like wood.
At Indiana Metal, we manufacture our wood grain line right here in Indiana. We purchase steel manufactured and coated in Indiana, then fabricate into our most popular siding panels — MP36, MPBatten (board and batten), and MPFlush profiles —in Bainbridge. The HD printing process produces up to 400 DPI resolution, and the grain pattern doesn’t repeat for an unheard of 32 feet, which means you’re not going to get that tell-tale wallpaper effect you see on lower-end products or first gen wood grain from other suppliers. The coating is UV cured so it’s quite literally baked on for long term success giving you an authentic wood look for years.
It’s also available in trims, beam wraps, and flat sheets — so if you’re doing a full exterior or just accenting a gable and a porch ceiling, you can tie the whole thing together from the same material.
Why Board and Batten and Wood Grain Are a Natural Pair
Board and batten has been around forever — it started on barns and farmhouses where wide boards were installed vertically with narrow strips covering the seams. Simple, practical, good-looking. The style fell out of fashion for a while and has come back in a big way over the last several years. Vertical siding installations have grown significantly, and board and batten specifically is showing up on contemporary homes, mixed-material elevations, and accent walls where it used to be mostly agricultural.
The reason it works so well with wood grain steel is that board and batten was originally a wood product. The two are historically connected — so when you do board and batten in a wood grain finish, it reads as intentional and authentic, not like you’re trying to fake something.
On a modern farmhouse, board and batten in a warm wood tone hits the exact note homeowners are looking for. On a barndominium, it ties the exterior back to the agricultural roots of the building style without committing to the maintenance burden of real wood. On a residential addition or accent wall, it creates contrast and depth without a complicated multi-material install.
Wood Grain Steel vs. Real Wood Siding
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room – money and how wood grain steel compares to real wood.
Real cedar siding runs roughly $7 to $12 per square foot installed. It needs staining or painting every three to five years. It’s vulnerable to moisture, insect damage, and temperature cycling — Indiana’s freeze-thaw winters are hard on wood siding in particular. Over a 20 to 30 year ownership window, the maintenance cost adds up significantly on top of the original install.
Depending on which panel profile you select, wood grain steel can start as low as $2/sq ft for the material. Many customers feel comfortable enough with steel to install themselves, further reducing the cost. Once you pay for the material (and potentially install) the cost is over; there is no on-going maintenance cost like there is with wood.
Where It Makes the Most Sense
Wood grain steel isn’t the right answer for every application, but there are a few places where it shines:
Full exterior siding. If you’re doing a full re-side or building new, wood grain board and batten gives you the modern farmhouse look without any of the maintenance commitment of real wood.
Gable ends and accent walls. One of the most popular uses is mixing materials — horizontal metal or vinyl on the main walls, vertical wood grain board and batten on gable ends or accent sections. The contrast adds architectural interest without overcomplicating the install.
Porch ceilings and soffits. Wood grain steel in a horizontal profile works well here. You get the warm ceiling look without the rot risk that comes with actual wood in a semi-exposed location.
Barndominiums and post-frame buildings. The barndominium market has driven a lot of interest in wood grain steel because it lets you bring a residential aesthetic to a building that’s structurally agricultural. Board and batten in a warm wood tone reads as intentional design, not a workaround.
Beam wraps and trim details. We can fabricate wood grain flat sheet and custom trim, so if you’re wrapping a structural beam or doing a detailed entry, you can carry the wood grain look into smaller elements without switching materials.
What to Ask Before You Order
A few things worth knowing before you spec it:
The profile matters. MPBatten gives you the true board and batten look with the vertical rib pattern. MP36 is a corrugated exposed fastener profile that can take the wood grain print for a different aesthetic. MPFlush is clean and flat, good for accent work and contemporary applications.
If you’re doing a full exterior, we can help you spec the right quantity and profile combination. Stop in at our Indianapolis location on Airway Drive or Bainbridge and we’ll walk you through it.
Indiana Metal manufactures wood grain steel siding in Bainbridge, IN. Indianapolis location: 6352 Airway Drive. Indianapolis: 317-907-7777 | Bainbridge: 765-657-2828 | indianametal.com
Jena Jackson, Marketing Indiana Metal Inc
I live in a barn, but I wasn’t born in one!
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