The appearance and functionality of the materials you choose for the exterior of your home is crucial to its value. So, when the time comes to adding siding to your home, it’s important to take a close look at all the available options.
There are many choices on the market today when it comes to siding. Many of them claim to be low-maintenance, durable and long-lasting, but not all of them truly live up to their claims. Some siding materials, like wood, have a lot of classic appeal and a low upfront cost but end up costing the homeowner thousands in maintenance costs over the years.
That’s why it’s important to take a look at the benefits of using additional siding types, like Vinyl.
Vinyl siding has been around since the 1950s. It was first introduced as an alternative to aluminum siding. Since then, vinyl has become one of the most popular siding materials for homeowners to use to clad their homes.
Benefits of Vinyl Siding
If you’re wondering if it’s right for your home, consider these six reasons why choosing vinyl siding from Exterior Energy Consultants of Kansas City can benefit you.
1. Truly Low Maintenance
Many materials claim to be low-maintenance, but vinyl really comes out on top. While other siding materials have a finish that’s applied to the surface, vinyl’s color penetrates throughout the material. This means the color won’t chip, peel or flake.
Fiber cement, wood and other siding types that rely on a surface finish can’t say the same thing. So no matter how long they claim their finish will last, you will still need to reapply it at least once over its lifetime. Vinyl won’t need it’s finish touched up for chips or flakes, and quality manufacturers. Mastic by PlyGem and Exterior Portfolio by Royal Building products offer a fade-resistant warranty that will last as long as the purchaser owns the home.
If you do happen to have some dirt, algae or other discoloration, it’s easily cleaned from siding. That’s because vinyl isn’t porous; the dirt can’t penetrate its surface and, therefore, remains on top where it’s easy to wash it away. So any maintenance you do need to perform is going to be fast and easy.
2. Water-Resistant
Vinyl is a type of plastic, made of polyvinyl chloride, the names you may be familiar with are PVC or Polymer Siding. Like other plastics, it’s unaffected by moisture or water. This makes it ideal for use in climates that experience a lot of rainfall and snow. While wood siding may swell and warp with humidity, vinyl is completely unaffected by water and humidity. It won’t swell, shrink, warp, rust or rot.
And because it doesn’t absorb water, it also won’t harbor or grow mold either, further cutting down on your maintenance.
3. Pest-Resistant
Vinyl also resists insect activity. Wood siding can be prone to termites, carpenter ants, carpenter bees, wasps and other wood-boring insects. Vinyl isn’t attractive to any of them. You won’t have to worry about wood-boring insects taking up residence in your exterior, or rodents chewing holes in your siding to better access your home.
This helps make vinyl an ideal seamless siding material for homes in rural and semi-rural settings where issues such as insects and rodents, along with mold, moss and algae, can ruin other siding types.
4. Multiple Options
Vinyl siding is a type of plastic, and like other plastics, it can be molded into any shape and infused with any color when it comes to vinyl siding. This means it can be fashioned into the most popular siding colors and styles. This includes horizontal lap siding, shingles and more.
Vinyl siding can be found in a range of colors as well. It doesn’t need painting before or after installation. Simply choose the style and color of siding you want for your home; the vinyl is ready to go. Check out our Before and After photos to see some local homes in the Kansas City area.
The process used to form vinyl gives each piece a deep, cedar-look grain that’s highly realistic. Choose from any number of shades of tan, cream, blue, green or gray and pair it with vinyl or matching aluminum trim to complete the perfect look for your home.
5. Cost of Installation
Vinyl is one of the easiest and least expensive types of siding to install when purchased from a quality manufacturer. For instance, the Craneboard Solid Core Insulated Siding is made with an advanced Solid CoRe® insulation Smart Track™ system that uses moisture management ridges to improve water evacuation. A feature exclusive to Exterior Portfolio that allows it to snap neatly into place, panel after panel.
Each plank is incredibly lightweight, so the crew can quickly cover a home. It cuts easily, and even the shingles are installed in long sections, rather than individually, which makes for much faster installation than wood.
This benefits homeowners through lower installation costs. There’s less labor needed, fewer hours required, and your home can be clad in new vinyl siding in a fraction of the time it would take to install wood or heavy, difficult-to-cut fiber cement.
6. Environmentally Friendly
While vinyl won’t rot or decompose, it can be recycled. Leftover siding and cut pieces can be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner.
Vinyl also doesn’t require painting every few years. This is also a plus for the environment because it means that there are fewer VOCs being released into the air around your home. VOCs from paint off-gas 50% in the first year, then continue releasing into the atmosphere for the next 5 years. Once those 5 years are up, you’re likely to need to repaint your wood siding again.
There are many types of insulation designed to work with vinyl by conforming to the shape of the vinyl being installed on top of it. This shape means that you have fewer air gaps and a better building envelope. Not only does it keep your home more comfortable but also means lower energy usage. Here at Exterior Energy Consultants we are proud to be a preferred contractor for Progressive Foam . Your home will stay more comfortable with less need to heat and cool it when you choose to use an insulated vinyl siding on your home.
Choose the Best Siding for Your Home
With these benefits, many homeowners find seamless vinyl siding is the right choice for their home. With vinyl, there’s no need for regular maintenance. Your home will never lose its curb appeal because there won’t be any peeling, chipping or flaking paint. Vinyl siding lasts for years, giving you maintenance-free beauty to complement any style of architecture.
Whether you’re looking for a more environmentally-friendly siding option for your home, or a siding that’s going to maintain its good looks with minimal help from you, vinyl makes an ideal choice. Consider EEC of KC to install the vinyl siding for your home to capture these benefits for yourself, and clad your home in style.
For more information on how vinyl siding can work for your home, call us at 816-468-8400 or email EEC today to speak with a siding professional.