(Let me know if this is the wrong place to ask.)

What type of siding materials work best for multifamily buildings? Is it any different than for houses, or do the same rules apply?

If you are building from scratch, go with brick. If you are working on a residing, go with vinyl. Both are tough and almost no maintenance.

Thanks for the reply. Would vinyl not be a good choice for a new building?

The only caution with vinyl is the potential for rocks to put holes in it from mowing/snow-blowing and for grills to melt it - if you allow grills. (The grill situation happened on a duplex we built years ago.) From a construction perspective, I would recommend a Hardiplank siding or its equivalent (fiber cement, etc.) for tenant situations if you are going with traditional siding. It is a little more expensive initially and requires painting every few years but is much more durable in the long run.

Vinyl on a long span will eventually fade and warp. It also looks cheap. If that's the vibe you want for your building. But it will work.

Concur with @Josh R. Dunwoody on the Hardiplank. Materials are about 1.5X more expensive than vinyl or T1-11 and will also cost about 1.5X for labor, but the stuff lasts forever, and is dang near bullet proof.

Hardieplank is the way to go, best on the market and will last forever as previously stated

We are looking to replace the vinyl siding on our 3-story 2 flat in Chicago and have gotten it down to between Hardiplank or vinyl, waiting on getting quotes back now.

I agree on the hardieplank! More expensive up front but worth it.

What is currently on there?  I have a home with the old particle board stuff called Masonite.  I am working with my local LineX dealer to see if you can spray truck bed lining on it.  It would seal it and make it darn near indestructible.  Granted there are draw backs, but it is cheaper than replacing it.

Originally posted by @Todd Michaels :

We are looking to replace the vinyl siding on our 3-story 2 flat in Chicago and have gotten it down to between Hardiplank or vinyl, waiting on getting quotes back now.

 I just replaced all the siding on a flip in Chicago. Hardie was only about 2k more than vinyl for a 2800sf house, so well worth it in my opinion.

We have received 1 quote so far, waiting on 2 more.  The quote was $18k for vinyl and $32k for Hardie.  @Blake Facente do you mind sharing who you used for the siding?

@Todd Michaels

I believe it was Lowe's - will check with my contractor. 12k for a 1.5 story SFH.