PRICE GUIDE
Simon Lafortune

Simon Lafortune

UPDATED OCTOBER 23, 2026

Board and batten siding cost in Quebec

Modern farmhouse with white board and batten siding and multiple gables

The material moves the bill far more than the profile. Written by Simon Lafortune, CEO of Bâtir à Rabais, from five months of price analysis across several Quebec retailers: everything is converted to the square foot of wall covered, and the numbers update with our catalogue.

$1.75

per sq ft in vinyl, the lowest we track

$2.71

per sq ft in engineered wood

$3.21

per sq ft in fibre cement

6

hardware stores tracked

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Calculator

Calculate the cost of your board & batten wall

Enter the net area of your walls, pick the material, and see what the siding would cost at the lowest price Buildsavr tracks in Quebec. The result also shows per square foot, the only honest way to compare vinyl, fibre cement and engineered wood.

Material

The cheapest and the fastest to install. The batten is moulded into the panel, so there is nothing extra to buy.

MaterialQuantityUnit priceSubtotal
Vinyl board & batten sidingA 10 ft plank covers 5.83 sq ft, 10 percent waste included.151 planks$9.98$1,506.98

Materials estimate

$1,506.98

Cost per sq ft

$1.88/sq ft

The estimate covers the siding and the battens. Nails, starter and J-channel trim, the weather barrier and labour are not included. Lowest prices Buildsavr tracks at Quebec retailers as of July 29, 2026 (prices change by branch and by week). Quantities are rounded up to whole packs.

Where is each material cheapest?

Join the waitlist and we will build your buying plan: the cheapest store for each material, store by store. Live in Quebec today, rolling out across Canada.

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Board and batten, planche et baguette, planche et couvre-joint

Board and batten is vertical siding: wide boards standing upright, with a narrow batten covering each seam. That is where the name comes from.

Shopping for it in Quebec is harder than it should be, because nobody writes it the same way. Home Depot calls it planche et baguette, BMR calls it planche et couvre-joint, CanExel keeps the English Board & Batten, and some listings never name the profile at all. The same wall can cost you double depending on which listing you happen to find, simply because you never found the other three.

  • Board, or planche: the wide part, installed vertically.
  • Batten, or baguette, or couvre-joint: the narrow strip covering the seam.
  • In vinyl, both are moulded into the same panel.
  • In fibre cement and engineered wood, they are two separate purchases.

Why everything is compared per square foot

It is the only number that means anything. A 10 ft vinyl plank covers 5.83 sq ft. A 4 ft by 8 ft fibre cement panel covers 32. A pack of engineered wood covers 48. Comparing shelf prices is comparing a crate of milk to a litre.

So we convert every price to the square foot of wall actually covered, using the coverage the retailer publishes whenever they publish one. That is what shows the gap between the cheapest vinyl and the cheapest fibre cement is about $1.46 per square foot, not the hundreds of dollars the shelf prices suggest.

On an 800 sq ft wall, that gap is roughly $1,168 of siding. It is a real decision, but it is not the decision most people think they are making when they look at a panel tag.

Beige board and batten siding paired with a natural stone base and a black roof
Beige and stone: vertical battens stretch the facade upward.

Beyond this article

Beyond one price: compare your whole list across the retailers we cover.

Buildsavr compares your materials list store by store and builds the cheapest buying plan. We are live in Quebec today and opening province by province. Join the waitlist and we will tell you the day yours goes live.

Vinyl, fibre cement or engineered wood

Vinyl is the cheapest and the fastest to install, because the batten is moulded into the panel. You buy nothing extra and you never paint it. In exchange, dark colours cost noticeably more, and the relief is shallower than real board and batten.

Fibre cement is the most durable and the one that holds matte black best, which is the colour everyone is asking for right now. It installs as a full panel with battens sold separately, and it takes more labour. It is also the heaviest.

Engineered wood, which most people here call CanExel, gives the wood look without the wood maintenance. Vertical boards and matching battens install in two passes, and the colour range is richer than vinyl.

  • Tight budget or large surface: vinyl.
  • A dark colour that has to hold for 25 years: fibre cement.
  • Warm wood look with no sanding or staining: engineered wood.
  • Wall in full south sun: avoid cheap dark vinyl.
Country house with white board and batten siding, covered porch and black metal roof
White with a black metal roof, the most requested combo right now.

What board and batten houses look like

The style that brought board and batten back is the modern farmhouse: a pale facade, battens clearly marked every 16 inches, a dark roof and black window trim. The photos on this page show the range of looks you can get with the products tracked here.

A useful cue while you look at them: white and pale tones are the cheapest colours in all three materials, and the contrast comes from the trim, the roof and the doors rather than the siding itself. If you want a fully dark facade, fibre cement holds it best, but expect the top of the per-square-foot range.

White board and batten facade with a black garage door, black and white contrast
The contrast lives in the doors and trim, not in the siding.

Where to buy board and batten in Quebec

Our catalogue tracks board and batten at six Quebec hardware stores: BMR, Canac, Gagnon La Grande Quincaillerie, Home Depot, Matério and Patrick Morin. No single banner covers all three materials, which is exactly why shopping one store means missing options.

The three catalogues below list every model with its price per square foot, cheapest first, across those six retailers.

  • Vinyl board and batten: BMR, Gagnon, Home Depot and Matério.
  • Engineered wood board and batten (CanExel, LP SmartSide): Canac, Matério and Patrick Morin.
  • Fibre cement board and batten: BMR, Canac, Gagnon, Home Depot and Patrick Morin.

What you need to buy beyond the siding

Siding alone does not make a wall. Whichever material you pick, budget for the starter strip at the bottom, J-channel around doors and windows, outside corners, compatible nails or screws, and a weather-resistive barrier behind all of it.

On a complete project those accessories often run 15 to 25 percent of the material bill. Our calculator above does not include them, because we do not track their prices at every retailer yet. We would rather hand you a partial honest number than an invented total.

The price gap

Board and batten pricing swings widely by material

We track 53 board and batten models at 6 Quebec hardware stores. The cheapest sells at $1.75 per square foot, the priciest at $6.88, a gap of 293 percent. Every price is converted to the square foot of wall covered, otherwise comparing a 10 ft plank to a 4 ft by 8 ft panel means nothing.

Board and batten price per square foot, by material, in Quebec
MaterialFromUp toModelsStores
VinylThe cheapest, with the batten moulded into the panel. Nothing extra to buy, nothing to paint.$1.75$4.43274
Engineered woodThe wood look without the wood. Vertical boards and matching battens go up in two passes.$2.71$3.3783
Fibre cementThe most durable, and the best at holding dark colours. Full panel, with battens sold separately.$3.21$6.88185

Want to see all 53 models, with photos and prices?

Colours, formats and the price per square foot for every model, store by store. We are live in Quebec today and opening province by province.

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Price per square foot of wall covered, before tax, updated monthly. Prices vary by branch and by week. Always check in store before you order.

Board and batten price by material, from our live catalogue

Material
Vinyl
Engineered wood
Fibre cement
Price per sq ft, from$1.75$2.71$3.21
Price per sq ft, up to$4.43$3.37$6.88
Models tracked27818
Hardware stores435
800 sq ft wall, siding from$1,400$2,168$2,568

Prices from our live catalogue, converted to the square foot of wall covered, observed on October 23, 2026. Siding only, before trim, fasteners and labour.

This price moves every week. We compare whole lists store by store: live in Quebec today, coming to your province.

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Frequently asked questions

Answers to the most common questions

How much does board and batten siding cost per square foot in Quebec?

Based on the prices we track as of October 23, 2026, board and batten starts at $1.75 per square foot in vinyl, $2.71 in engineered wood and $3.21 in fibre cement. The top of the range reaches $6.88 per square foot for battens and dark colours. Those prices cover the siding only, with no trim, fasteners or labour.

Is board and batten more expensive than horizontal lap siding?

Not meaningfully, for the material itself. In vinyl, board and batten and double 4.5 lap siding sit in the same range per square foot. The difference shows up in labour: board and batten needs vertical nailing support or horizontal strapping, which adds time and framing material.

What colour should board and batten be?

White and pale tones dominate new modern-farmhouse facades, usually with black trim, a black roof or black doors for contrast. It is also the cheapest choice: in all three materials, pale colours sell for less than dark ones, sometimes three times less for the same profile.

What spacing should board and batten battens have?

The standard is 16 inches on centre, which follows the wall studs. Some go to 12 inches for a denser look, or 24 inches for a more contemporary one. In vinyl the question does not come up: the spacing is already moulded into the panel.

Can board and batten be installed over existing siding?

Yes, provided you add strapping and a compliant weather barrier. Most manufacturers require solid nailing support and an air gap behind the siding. Always check the manufacturer requirements, because installing directly over old siding usually voids the warranty.

How much material does an 800 sq ft wall need?

In vinyl, about 151 ten-foot planks once 10 percent waste is included. In fibre cement, about 55 panels of 4 ft by 4 ft. In engineered wood, about 19 packs plus roughly 53 twelve-foot battens if yours are 16 inches on centre. The calculator at the top of the page runs the numbers for your exact surface.

How much does board and batten installation cost?

We track materials, not labour, so we will not publish an invented number. What moves a quote: wall height, the number of corners and openings, the condition of the wall underneath, and your region. Vinyl is the fastest to install, fibre cement the most demanding because of weight and cutting. Always get two or three detailed quotes with materials and labour split out.

How long does board and batten siding last?

The material decides, not the profile. Manufacturer warranties give the order of magnitude: often a limited lifetime warranty on vinyl, around 25 years on engineered wood, and up to 50 years on fibre cement. In all three cases, installing to the manufacturer requirements is the condition for the warranty to hold.

Can vinyl board and batten be painted?

Yes, with an acrylic paint made for vinyl, and one condition: never go darker than the original colour, because a dark shade makes the panel overheat and warp. Check your warranty too, several manufacturers void it once the siding is painted.

Are CanExel and board and batten the same thing?

No. CanExel is a brand of engineered wood siding, and board and batten is a profile. CanExel offers the board and batten profile, but the profile also exists in vinyl and fibre cement from other manufacturers. If you want the CanExel look at the best price, compare engineered wood vertical boards against each other.

Does board and batten hold up in the Quebec climate?

Yes. All three materials are built for freeze-thaw cycles. Two precautions specific to our climate: install vinyl with the prescribed expansion gap, because it contracts in the cold, and keep a clearance at the bottom of the wall for snow and splash-back, whatever the material.

Where can I find board and batten on clearance?

Real clearances are end-of-lot sales, mostly slower-selling colours, and they show up in store in late fall and early spring. The shortcut: our board and batten catalogue ranks every model from cheapest to priciest per square foot across six hardware stores, which makes end-of-line models and colours being cleared out stand out immediately. Then check stock at the branch, because a clearance goes fast.

Does this board and batten price apply outside Quebec?

Not directly. Every price on this page is what a Quebec retailer charged on the date shown. Buildsavr is live in Quebec today and rolling out province by province, so we do not publish shelf prices for other provinces yet. Statistics Canada's construction price indexes, quoted on this page, show how building costs differ from one province to the next, but only a store's own tag tells you what you will pay.

When will Buildsavr cover my province?

We are opening province by province and we do not have a date for each one yet. Join the waitlist on our home page, pick your province, and we will email you the day it goes live. Nothing in between.

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One price never tells the whole story. Compare your whole list, store by store.

Buildsavr prices every line of your materials list at every retailer we cover and builds the cheapest buying plan, store by store. We are live in Quebec today and rolling out across Canada. Leave your email and we will tell you the day your province goes live.