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When it comes time to give your home a facelift, siding stands out as one of the most effective ways to do it. But there is more to siding than many homeowners realize. Along with the obvious decision factors like color and material type, there are more factors to consider, including durability, weather resistance, and style.
Here in the Midwest, we experience a wide variety of weather conditions including high winds, hail, heavy snowfall, driving rain, and even the occasional tornado. With this in mind, it’s important to install high-quality, durable siding on your home. Choosing the right siding begins with understanding your options. In this article, we will walk through several types of vinyl siding and discuss how vinyl siding truly protects your home.
Vinyl Siding Types
Choosing vinyl siding for house, garage, or outbuilding can seem like a daunting process. We’re here to help you better understand your options so you can make the best choice for your project. We’ll start below with an outline of design options and the benefits of each.
Traditional Vinyl Lap Siding
Lap siding is the most common type of vinyl siding. It can be seen on many homes around the country and, most likely, several even in your own neighborhood. There are several reasons for this:
Cost Effective:
Vinyl lap siding is typically the most economical option for re-siding a building. It is produced in high quantities and, as a result, homeowners are able to upgrade to this design without breaking the bank.
Clean and Classic Appearance:
This siding option provides a clean look to every building and comes in a wide variety of color options, allowing homeowners to create the perfect look for their home.
Durable and Repairable:
The overlapping panels on traditional lap siding allow it to easily shed water and create a moisture-resistant barrier that protects your home. It is highly durable against wind and, if it does need to be repaired, it is a fairly simple process.
Insulated Vinyl Siding
For added layers of durability, rigidity, and energy efficiency, insulated vinyl siding is a great option. Homeowners can experience many of the same benefits of traditional vinyl siding, while adding more protection to their homes’ exterior.
Increased Energy Efficiency:
Since these siding panels are insulated, they help prevent draftiness and heat or cold loss in your home. This ultimately leads to lower energy bills and increased comfort inside the home.
Noise Reduction:
This is often a popular option for farms, homes near highways, and other locations where exterior noise is prevalent. Thanks to the thickness of the insulation, sounds coming from outside the home are muffled and the interior of the home will typically be much quieter.
Added Impact Resistance:
This type of siding is thicker than a typical vinyl siding, giving it greater impact resistance against hail and a high wind rating as well.
Vertical Vinyl Siding
This type of siding is commonly referred to as board and batten. It can often be found on farmhouses or as an accent to a home’s exterior, but it can be used to side an entire home in any location.
Modern Design:
This type of siding can add a vintage or modern look depending on the layout of the home and the specific design options that a homeowner chooses.
Excellent Water Drainage:
Because of the shape of this siding, it provides excellent drainage during heavy rains and provides a highly effective water barrier for your home.
Taller Appearance:
Due to the vertical design, this siding often makes homes appear taller than they actually are, increasing curb appeal and first impression of the home.
Shake Vinyl Siding
This type of vinyl siding mimics the appearance and appeal of traditional cedar shake siding, while providing the durability, functionality, and ease of vinyl siding. Homeowners often choose this type of siding for its unique look and are able to create their dream home exterior with this option.
Classic Style, Modern Functionality:
With the classic style that this type of siding brings, many homeowners are drawn to it. It allows homeowners to create a specific look while enjoying all of the benefits that come with vinyl that we have mentioned above.
Curb Appeal Without Wood Maintenance:
While traditional wood siding offers incredible style, it is one of the highest maintenance siding products available. Shake vinyl siding takes the maintenance down to a minimum while still allowing homeowners to achieve the look they want.
Increased Durability:
These panels are typically thicker than a normal vinyl siding panel, allowing homeowners to enjoy more protection from weather, rot, and insect penetration.
Why Vinyl?
There are many benefits to vinyl over other types of siding. An effective siding system protects your home from moisture, prevents rot and mold, helps manage freeze and thaw expansion, and reduces long-term maintenance and energy costs. Below, we will compare common types of siding and explain the benefits of vinyl against each.
Vinyl vs. Wood
As we mentioned above, wood siding creates a classic look for a home. However, it is one of the highest maintenance products over time.
When wood panels are damaged, they often have to be repainted which can be a costly and time consuming process. For a vinyl siding repair, it is common to simply remove the affected piece and replace it with a new one, making the process simple and inexpensive.
Wood is also prone to rot and insect penetration which can severely diminish its effectiveness over time. Vinyl, on the other hand, is far less susceptible to these factors and provides a longer-lasting solution for a home’s exterior.
Vinyl is a longer-lasting product that will usually save a homeowner money both now and in the long run.
Vinyl vs. Fiber Cement
Fiber cement siding is a popular option for its durability and longevity, but this product does come with its own setbacks that vinyl siding helps alleviate.
Fiber cement siding is a much heavier, more expensive, and more labor-intensive product, leading to high upfront costs for a homeowner. While it can ultimately lead to lower energy bills in the future, vinyl siding achieves many of the same benefits without the high initial price tag.
While vinyl siding panels are built to last and require little to no maintenance over time, fiber cement siding will require periodic painting and caulking to ensure that the system stays intact and effective. Typically the only long-term maintenance with vinyl siding comes when a panel is damaged, but with fiber cement, a homeowner will most likely have regular maintenance requirements even if no major damage occurs.
Vinyl vs. Metal
When it comes to long-term durability, metal siding is one of the most effective options on the market. Metal panels can withstand high wind speeds and stormy conditions well and maintenance is fairly minimal.
The biggest setback when it comes to metal roofing and siding panels is their cost. Because metal siding is such a high-quality and low maintenance product, the upfront cost is usually significantly higher than vinyl. Homeowners who choose vinyl over metal siding experience many similar benefits with a far lower price tag.
A Cost-Effective and High-Quality Option
Vinyl siding is the most popular option in the industry and it’s for good reason. It provides the quality and longevity of other products while keeping the initial and long-term costs far lower. Homeowners enjoy a wide variety of design and color options to bring the vision for their homes to life when they choose vinyl siding.
Why Professional Installation Matters
Vinyl siding repair and replacement is often seen as a good DIY project and there are many homeowners who are capable of completing the project themselves. However, there are several benefits to having the job completed by professionals that can’t always be achieved by installing yourself.
Proper Installation:
When installing vinyl siding, there are several factors to consider and details to watch out for. It isn’t always as simple as nailing on new siding and a professional installer will take every aspect of the project into consideration to make sure the job is done correctly.
Proper Expansion Spacing:
Vinyl siding expands and contracts depending on the weather and when it is being installed, this has to be taken into consideration. A professional contractor will understand how to effectively install siding to ensure that it has the space needed to expand and contract without cracking.
Cold Weather Installation Techniques:
When frozen, vinyl siding becomes brittle and prone to cracking if it isn’t installed with care. Here at Professional Roofing Solutions & Construction LLC, we take the proper precautions to make sure that siding is installed properly and without breaking. These precautions include warming siding before installation and careful nailing to keep each piece intact.
Warranty Protection:
Most siding manufacturers include a product warranty on their products that cover damage and defects. However, these warranties require strict installation guidelines to keep the warranty valid. We take the time to understand the manufacturer installation instructions, as well as state code requirements to ensure the product warranty. Additionally, we provide a workmanship warranty on every siding project that covers our customers from issues arising as a result of installation error. This gives homeowners confidence that their project will be completed correctly and, if there are any issues, they will be fixed immediately.
Why Professional Roofing Solutions & Construction LLC?
We have helped thousands of customers bring their visions to life through exterior siding replacement. Whether the replacement is needed due to storm damage or it’s just time for a facelift, northern Indiana homeowners look to us to make sure that the job is done correctly and their homes are protected from the elements.
We begin every project with a free, no-obligation consultation where we walk through the project with you, offer recommendations as needed, and provide a free estimate to complete the job. We’re here to partner with you in the effort of improving the look, functionality, and safety of your home.
Ready to get started? Contact us today to schedule a meeting with one of our siding experts.
