Vinyl Siding

• Share
• MAIL
• COMMENTS
• PRINT

Even if you aren't sure you want to to put vinyl siding on your home, you've probably at least considered it. Why? For most homeowners, it means eliminating the hassle and expense of repainting their house every five years or so - or paying someone else to do it.

Besides saving work, vinyl siding can save you money. According to Rod Matthews, business manager/siding for Toledo, Ohio-based Owens Corning, vinyl siding costs about 11 percent less than cedar siding, and 26 percent less than aluminum. Expect to pay $160 to $250 per square (100 sq. ft.) for a quality vinyl product installed over rigid insulation.

For these reasons, vinyl has become the most popular choice in siding. More than one-third of the exterior cladding installed on new and existing homes is vinyl. The balance is wood, aluminum, steel, brick or stucco.

If new siding is in your future, keep these three key considerations in mind when looking at the vinyl option:

1. Vinyl siding isn't for everyone; you have to like the way it looks on your house.

2. Not all vinyl is created equal; you'll need to learn how to pick a quality product.

3. You'll need a competent contractor. Proper installation is at least as important as product quality.

IS VINYL SIDING FOR YOU?
Purists sneer at the idea of wrapping houses - particularly older homes that have significant architectural detail - in "plastic." Other common objections are that vinyl siding can't hold its color without fading or yellowing, that it buckles in the heat and that it can mask serious problems with moisture in the walls. These were worthy concerns in the past, but vast improvements have been made in vinyl siding since it first appeared.

Take a look at some of the new vinyl siding products. Typically they have a low-gloss finish that more closely resembles painted wood. Most manufacturers also offer realistic-looking grain patterns and have improved the look of trim pieces. Fading and yellowing aren't major concerns with better vinyl siding products, nor is their rigidity if they are correctly installed.

If you still aren't sure you like vinyl, see how it looks on other houses in your area. You'll know if it's vinyl by looking at the corners. With vinyl, cap strips on the inside and outside corners cover the edges of the panels; clapboard and shingles usually have mitered edges at the corners or a trim piece installed flush with the siding.

Then ask a local realtor how vinyl affects home values in your area. It will probably have a positive effect on most houses. But, John Leeke, a home-restoration consultant in Portland, Maine, warns against installing vinyl on homes in historic neighborhoods. "If there are 10 restored Victorians on a street and one has vinyl siding, the value of the one sided in vinyl will suffer," he says. That doesn't mean older houses can't be sided with vinyl. Manufacturers now offer period patterns, including details like fish-scale shingles that are found on older homes. Again, look at other houses in your area. If others have vinyl siding, it's far less likely to diminish the value of your home.

Another caveat is vinyl's dubious ability to mask trouble beneath. Painted wood often peels or chips when there's a problem, but vinyl offers no such clues. Be sure leaks, moisture condensation problems and any structural defects have been addressed before the siding goes on.

JUDGING QUALITY SIDING
Technically polyvinyl chloride (PVC), the vinyl that's used in siding includes a number of additives that help it resist fading, protect it against ultraviolet rays and provide dozens of color choices. (The color goes all the way through the material, so it can't flake off.)

What you see. Vinyl siding comes in textured or smooth panels. Those with a simulated wood grain are meant to imitate rough-sawn wood that's been stained. Panels are available in horizontal and vertical configurations. Horizontal siding tends to look best on traditional houses, while vertical panels fit well with many contemporary designs.

There are also a number of widths. You'll find 8-in.-wide panels or panels that look like two 5-in. or three 3-in. courses of siding. Panels are complemented by vinyl soffit, window trim and other accessories.

Below the surface. Vinyl siding standards are covered by the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard 3679. Any vinyl siding you buy should have this designation on product fact sheets and packaging. This is a minimum standard, however. To pick a product that exceeds the minimum standard, follow these guidelines: