According to Cost Helper associates, having a professional contractor install 1,250 square feet of yellow pine siding can cost up to $7,500. Cedar wood siding can cost up to $8,500 for the same amount. Cedar shingles (cedar shakes) can be up to $10,000 per 1,250 square feet.
Pine siding receives and holds finishes and paints well. Cedar can be painted and stains well but often, consumers enjoy the unadulterated grain patterns offered by natural, unpainted cedar. Fast growth pine trees make pine siding cheaper and easier to come by than cedar. Cedar is more resistant to rot, insect infestation and moisture damage than pine but it must be sealed and stained to maintain these qualities.
Both types of siding require regular maintenance throughout the years, especially cedar to maintain its resistant qualities. Longer lengths of pine that are "knot-free" may be hard to come by making a project more labor intensive than usual. One of the downfalls of fast growth pine is that it is prone to splitting and cupping. Pine generally requires more maintenance than cedar because it does not easily resist rot.