“Never paint your house again” the ads scream. They tell you that if you put vinyl siding on your house you will never have to paint it again. Sounds good, but wood is better. Here are some reasons why.
Deadhead sinker cypress is rot resistant, strong, and develops a nice patina as it ages. Wood breathes, letting the moisture that comes with humid climates out so it does not build up. Bugs do not like to chew on cypress, either.
TimberSil, a pine/silicon meld, is guaranteed to be rot resistant for at least 40 years. It, too, looks nice and is strong, fire resistant, and bug resistant. A house clad in TimberSil can breathe just as a house clad in cypress can.
Vinyl siding, on the other hand, has problems. Wile it does not need painting and does come in a number of colors, it was not designed to be the primary siding on a house. It was designed to be installed over an existing water tight siding. When installed as the primary wall siding, costly damage can occur.
Because vinyl expands and contracts with temperature fluctuations, it cannot be caulked and sealed like wood. In other words, it leaks. The underlayer is supposed to stop the water but it has been punctured with the nails holding the siding on. This can lead to water getting trapped in places and causing mold and rot problems.
Vinyl also squeaks and creaks in the wind. This is because there has to be some allowance for movement when the vinyl is installed, so it has room to move in the wind. Finally, if your lawnmower throws a rock and hits a vinyl panel, it may break. Then the whole panel must be replaced.
As you can see, vinyl has some significant problems those TV announcers do not tell you about. In contrast, wood is good for at least forty years, looks nice, and is more environmentally friendly than vinyl. Why not call us today for a quote on siding for your home?
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
We bought our first home a few years ago, with wood siding. It was a decision that was important to us, most for the appearance. I wasn’t sure we made the right decision the first 2 years with all the staining I had to do. This article helps reassure me it was the right decision!
Twitter: @dayafterstore
I used to swear by the plastic stuff, which is on my house. Until one day when 30mph winds tossed an object (to this day, I don’t know what that object was) into my outside wall, forming a perfect little hole in it.
I never realized how brittle that exterior cover could be…
Sonny@Kids Craft Videos´s last [type] ..One Cutie Pie- an American Girl Doll Mini-Craft
I had vinyl sliding doors in my last house. I never had any problems with them or either the wooden ones. But i guess wooden sliding doors are more durable.
When all is said and done out side the house is pretty darn quiet the basement is completely underground and when standing outside near the room all you hear is the lowest of lows mainly the siding vibrating a little Mama can be upstairs and watch her TV with only having to add a little volume in order to hear. There are fake materials everywhere laminate flooring vinyl siding plastic wood moldings rugs etc.
Twitter: @MA_real_estate
Personally I don’t care for vinyl siding. Not that it doesn’t last but I try to go with natural products as much as possible. Living in a fiberglass house… just doesn’t work for me. Not a big fan of gas fireplaces either. They just can’t beat the real thing.
randy@Andover real estate´s last [type] ..Andover homes 400k – 500k