Board & Batten is one of the easiest upgrades to show a homeowner.

It is also one of the easiest design tools to overuse.

The contractor sees a gable and thinks:

"Let's put Board & Batten there."

Then another gable gets Board & Batten.

Then the garage.

Then the entry.

Before long, the second profile is no longer an accent.

It is visual noise.

Gentek currently gives contractors several horizontal steel options through SteelTek, SteelSide and SteelTek Supreme.

For vertical steel, Gentek's current product directory lists 12" Board & Batten within SteelTek Supreme and Universal. Review the current Gentek Product Directory.

The sales opportunity is not simply to sell two profiles. It is to use those profiles to improve the architecture.

Start With One Primary Profile

Every two-profile exterior should still have a dominant siding language.

In most cases, that will be the horizontal field siding.

The horizontal profile establishes:

• The primary scale of the exterior
• The dominant shadow-line rhythm
• The visual width of the home
• The background against which the Board & Batten accent is read

Then the vertical profile should have a specific job.

"Let's first decide what we want most of the house to look like. Then we'll decide where changing to vertical siding actually improves the architecture."

That sequence keeps the second profile from taking over the design.

Choose the Horizontal Profile First

Gentek currently offers multiple horizontal steel exposures across its steel siding families.

SteelTek currently offers D4 and 8" horizontal profiles, SteelSide currently offers D4, D5 and 8", and SteelTek Supreme currently offers D4, D5 and 8" horizontal profiles. Gentek Universal currently provides a Double 5" Dutch Lap horizontal profile. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

Do not decide on Board & Batten until the primary horizontal scale is right.

Then Decide What the Board & Batten Is Supposed to Accomplish

Vertical siding should have a purpose.

Good reasons include:

"I don't want to add Board & Batten simply because it's available. I want it to explain something about the architecture."

SteelTek Supreme Gives You the Cleanest Same-Family Combination

One advantage of SteelTek Supreme is that the current family includes both horizontal profiles and 12" Board & Batten.

Contractors can build a two-profile exterior using:

• D4 + 12" Board & Batten
• D5 + 12" Board & Batten
• 8" + 12" Board & Batten

Gentek's current SteelTek Supreme information also highlights its coordinated Color Clear Through system and visualizer tools, which can help contractors compare whole-house combinations. Review SteelTek Supreme resources and design tools. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

Universal Creates Another Steel Board & Batten Path

Contractors should not assume SteelTek Supreme is the only Gentek steel path to Board & Batten.

Gentek's current product directory lists Universal with:

• Double 5" Dutch Lap
• 12" Vertical Board & Batten
• PVC finish
• Woodgrain or medium woodgrain textures depending on profile

The current directory specifies Universal Board & Batten at a 12" exposure with a 2" batten width and 5/8" batten height. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

"If you like Dutch Lap on the main walls and want vertical steel accents, Universal gives us both profiles within that product family."

That can be a strong design-specific alternative to a Supreme presentation.

Do Not Mix Product Families Without Checking the Color in Real Life

This matters.

Two Gentek products may carry a color with the same or similar name and still appear slightly different because of profile orientation, coating, texture and lighting.

Gentek specifically recommends using actual product samples for final color selections and notes that color, texture and grain can appear different depending on lighting, viewing angle, exposure and product profile. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

Same Color or Contrasting Color?

This is the next major design decision.

A useful rule:

"If the profile change is already strong, we may not need a dramatic color change too."

One design move is often enough.

Where Should Board & Batten Go?

Look for architecture—not empty wall space.

The Gable Is Not Automatically the Answer

This is worth repeating.

Contractors often treat every gable as a Board & Batten opportunity.

Sometimes the correct design is to keep the horizontal profile continuous.

Ask:

"Does this gable need emphasis—or does changing the siding here simply add another line to the design?"

If the change does not improve the elevation, do not make it.

Use Natural Architectural Breaks

Profile transitions should feel believable.

Strong transition locations include:

• Gable lines
• Inside corners
• Outside corners
• Recessed entries
• Garage projections
• Distinct wall planes
• Story transitions when the architecture supports them

Weak transition:

"We'll just stop the horizontal siding right here in the middle of the wall and start Board & Batten."

Better:

"This wall plane naturally projects forward, so the architecture gives us a logical place to change profiles."

How Much Board & Batten Is Enough?

There is no universal percentage.

But there is a useful design principle:

If the homeowner wants Board & Batten across most of the house, stop calling it an accent.

At that point you are designing a primarily vertical exterior with horizontal accents.

Horizontal D4 + Board & Batten

D4 creates more horizontal courses and more frequent lines.

Adding Board & Batten creates a strong contrast in direction.

Because D4 already produces substantial horizontal detail, keep additional accents controlled.

Horizontal D5 + Board & Batten

D5 often creates a very balanced two-profile exterior.

The five-inch exposure is broad enough to calm the main walls without becoming as visually wide as an 8" profile.

SteelSide currently offers a D5 horizontal profile, while SteelTek Supreme offers both D5 and its own Board & Batten profile. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

Horizontal 8" + Board & Batten

This is a bolder combination.

Both profiles have a larger visual scale.

This combination can work especially well when the contractor wants a cleaner, less repetitive exterior.

But on a small or highly detailed house, the scale can become too heavy. Test it visually before selling it.

Dutch Lap + Board & Batten

Universal creates a unique combination because the horizontal profile already has additional shadow detail.

The contractor is combining:

Because both profiles have strong personality, the rest of the exterior should remain controlled.

Should the Trim Color Change Too?

Not automatically.

A two-profile exterior already contains one major design transition.

If you also change siding color, corner color, window trim color and fascia color, the house can become fragmented.

Gentek's Color Clear Through system is designed to help coordinate siding, soffit, fascia, trim and rainware across compatible product lines. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}

"We already have two siding directions. Let's make sure the trim supports that design instead of becoming a third competing idea."

Use the Gentek Visualizer Before Finalizing the Combination

Profile combinations are difficult to judge from small samples alone.

Gentek's Visualizer allows contractors and homeowners to upload a house photograph and compare products, profiles and colors. Open the Gentek Visualizer. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}

Build at least three versions:

Then ask:

"Which version looks the most intentional—not simply the most different?"

That question helps prevent over-design.

Compare Actual Samples in Their Installed Orientation

Horizontal and vertical siding can reflect light differently.

Gentek advises homeowners to evaluate physical samples outdoors and notes that the same color can appear somewhat different across profiles because of texture, lighting, viewing angle and orientation. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}

At the kitchen table:

1. Place the horizontal sample horizontally.
2. Place the Board & Batten sample vertically.
3. Set them beside each other.
4. Take both outside.
5. View them from several feet away.
6. Check the combination at more than one time of day when practical.

"I don't want you choosing these two products flat on the table. Let's turn them the way they'll actually sit on the house."

Build the Upgrade Around Design, Not Square Footage

When Board & Batten costs more, do not present it merely as:

"This adds another $2,500."

First show what the homeowner receives.

"This option changes the front gable and entry from horizontal siding to vertical Board & Batten. It creates the focal point you preferred in the rendering. That design upgrade adds $_____ to the project."

Price the design after establishing preference.

Three Ways to Present the Upgrade

Then ask:

"If all three cost the same, which exterior would you choose?"

Preference first. Price second.

Do Not Use Board & Batten to Fix a Weak Color Plan

Another common mistake is adding a second profile because the original color combination feels boring.

Profile and color solve different problems.

If the colors are wrong, fix the colors.

If the architecture lacks hierarchy, then consider a profile change.

Do not use more siding patterns as camouflage for an unresolved design.

Five Questions Before Adding Board & Batten

What Should a Salesperson Never Say?

The 30-Second Two-Profile Presentation

The One-Sentence Design Rule

The Real Premium Upgrade Is Design

Contractors sometimes focus so heavily on material specifications that they forget why a homeowner may be willing to spend more.

The homeowner may not be buying "75 additional square feet of Board & Batten."

They may be buying:

• A better-looking front elevation
• A stronger entry
• A less dominant garage
• A farmhouse-inspired exterior
• A more customized home
• An exterior that does not look like the original house

Sell the transformation, then support it with the correct product.

Build Two-Profile Steel Designs With Suburban Wholesale & Supply

Contractors make better exterior-design decisions when they can compare full-size siding samples, profile depths, textures and colors before presenting the project to the homeowner.

Suburban Wholesale & Supply supports professional contractors throughout Davenport, Bettendorf, Moline, Rock Island, East Moline, the Quad Cities, Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois with Gentek siding products, physical samples, literature, accessories, material quotes and jobsite delivery.

Contractors can explore steel siding products available through Suburban Wholesale & Supply and compare horizontal steel and Board & Batten options before building the homeowner presentation.

Bring project photographs, measurements or exterior plans to our Davenport showroom and let our team help you compare Gentek SteelTek Supreme, SteelSide, SteelTek, Universal and other siding options for the project.

The goal is not to sell the homeowner two profiles. The goal is to use two profiles to make the entire home look better.

Sources & Contractor Resources