Metal Siding Seattle — Standing Seam & Panel Systems Built for the Pacific Northwest

This is what most people picture when they hear “metal siding.” Clean lines, concealed fasteners, and raised interlocking seams that keep water out completely. No exposed screw heads means no penetration points — which is a big deal in Seattle. The raised seam creates a shadow line that adds real depth to the facade. Best for contemporary, modern, and mid-century homes. We use it as a full envelope or as an accent on upper stories and gable ends. Available in steel and aluminum with Kynar finish.

If you want that modern farmhouse-industrial look, this is the panel. The wave profile has become increasingly popular on Seattle homes, ADUs, and commercial-to-residential conversions in neighborhoods like SoDo, Georgetown, and Fremont. Corrugated uses exposed fasteners with neoprene washers and goes up faster than standing seam, which helps with cost. The look is intentionally utilitarian — it works when you want honest, raw, and industrial. Available in galvanized steel, Galvalume, and pre-painted finishes.

The most refined metal option — flush panels, tight joints, and a nearly seamless facade. Flat-lock panels interlock at concealed edges to create a smooth, clean plane. This is what you see on high-end custom homes and architect-designed projects where the wall surface itself is the design statement. It requires the most skilled installation of any metal panel type — the tolerances are tight. Typically zinc, copper, or aluminum. Highest material cost, but the result speaks for itself.

Looks like traditional lap siding but made of steel or aluminum. Horizontal metal lap panels mimic the proportions of wood or fiber cement lap siding with concealed fastener systems that keep the face clean. This bridges the gap for homeowners who want metal’s durability without an overtly modern look — from the street, it reads as conventional siding. Available in steel and aluminum with textured or smooth finishes and a wide color range.

Metal is the most expensive siding material we install. Standing seam runs $30–$55 per square foot installed — compared to $14–$20 for Hardie and $15–$21 for LP SmartSide. The lifetime math works out in metal’s favor, but if your budget is tight right now, Hardie or LP SmartSide will protect your house just fine and cost significantly less to install.

Metal panels can dent from impacts — baseballs, ladders leaned against the wall, hail, tree branches. Heavier gauge steel (24-gauge) holds up well, but aluminum and thinner gauges are more vulnerable. A dented metal panel is harder to fix than a damaged Hardie plank. If your house is next to a basketball hoop or in a hail-prone area, keep that in mind.

With Hardie or cedar, if you get tired of the color in ten years, you can repaint. Metal siding with a Kynar finish isn’t designed to be field-painted — the factory coating is part of what makes it last. If you think you’ll want a color change down the road, that’s worth considering before you commit.

Modern metal siding looks nothing like the corrugated barn panels some people picture, but older HOA covenants sometimes restrict metal cladding by name. Horizontal lap metal panels are virtually indistinguishable from traditional siding at the street, but if your CC&Rs say “no metal,” you’ll need to get an exception or go with a different material. Check before you design.

Existing siding is removed completely. We inspect every square foot of sheathing for dry rot, moisture damage, insect damage, and structural deficiencies. Any compromised sheathing is replaced with new plywood or OSB before any new material goes up. This is where we find the hidden problems — failed flashings, missing WRB, saturated sheathing — that caused the old siding to fail.

A code-compliant weather-resistive barrier is installed over the repaired sheathing. All seams are lapped correctly (upper over lower, minimum 6” horizontal, 12” vertical), taped at joints, and integrated with window and door flanges using peel-and-stick flashing. The WRB is the critical second line of defense — metal sheds water at the face, but wind-driven rain and condensation behind the panels still have to drain somewhere, and the WRB keeps that moisture off your sheathing.

Head flashings above windows and doors. Kickout flashings at roof-wall intersections. Step flashings along rooflines. Proper flashing integration at every penetration: vents, hose bibs, electrical boxes, light fixtures. Failed or missing flashings are the number one cause of water intrusion behind siding in Seattle — regardless of siding material. We flash every transition before a single panel goes up.

Panels are field-measured and fabricated to length for each elevation — long, continuous runs wherever the wall allows, so you get clean lines and fewer joints. We plan the layout so seams land evenly around windows, doors, and corners. Standing seam profiles hang on concealed clips that let the metal move through Seattle’s temperature swings without oil-canning or stressed fasteners.

Standing seam panels lock together mechanically — there’s no bead of caulk holding the weather out. Corners, window returns, and terminations get matching hemmed trim profiles, and every penetration (vents, hose bibs, fixtures) is sealed with manufacturer-spec boots and concealed butyl where the system calls for it. On a metal wall, sealant is a detail, not a crutch.

We walk every elevation before sign-off — checking seam engagement, panel alignment, and trim fit — and photograph the finished assembly for your project file. You get the manufacturer’s finish-warranty paperwork (30–40 years on Kynar 500 coatings) plus our workmanship warranty in writing.