Challenge
When John N. of Washington state began plans for a large barn complex to serve as an event space for weddings, corporate gatherings, and banquets, he knew that he wanted the structure to have an authentic, rural look. Wood exterior siding would deliver that look, but John was concerned about the annual upkeep costs inherent to real wood.
Influence
John reached out to Steel Structures America, an industry leader in steel structure design and construction, to see if they knew of any low-maintenance siding alternatives that could reproduce the rustic aesthetic he was chasing. Their experts introduced him to the concept of woodgrain steel, which is comprised of steel sheet with a woodgrain pattern printed onto its surface.
Solution
Steel Structures America recommended steel siding made with Tru-Steel HD, a digitally printed woodgrain steel from Steel Dynamics. Unlike traditional woodgrain steel, which is made with one or two ink colors applied with engraved rolls, Tru-Steel HD uses a large-format digital printer to transfer high-resolution images of real wood and stone to the surface of the steel, with millions of colors available.
These images are developed in-house by Steel Dynamics and can run up to 32 feet before repeating. Traditional woodgrain steel, by comparison, will repeat an entire pattern approximately every 32 inches, making it nearly impossible to include features like knots, cracks, and distinct grain patterns.
The team at Steel Structures America designed the building and sourced board-and-batten siding made with Rough Edge Barnwood Plank, a popular Tru-Steel HD image. The resulting barn-inspired event space looks like it was constructed with real, weathered barnwood, but maintains the durability and longevity of steel.
* Actual product color may vary from images shown due to lighting conditions, time of day, and atmospheric factors. The images shown here represent different lighting conditions and their respective color-shifts.
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