Your home's color might seem like a purely taste-based choice, but the shade of your vinyl siding can have a big effect on how many years the siding stays beautiful.
Thermal expansion is a fancy way of expressing how a material changes in extreme temperatures. Leave a piece of untreated wood outside all year and you'll see the result of hot and warm temperatures first-hand. Vinyl siding is no stranger to thermal expansion, though the extreme temperatures tend to be higher than wood.
Darker Vinyl Siding Colors Lead to Expansion and Warping
Vinyl siding is more likely to experience thermal expansion at temperatures above 145 degrees Fahrenheit. That's a fairly warm wall, but things can heat up faster than you might think.
Darker colors speed up the process, since they tend to absorb a greater amount of solar heat.
Distortion and warping happen when the high temperature is reached, and if every hot day causes your home's siding to heat up over 145 degrees, you'll have a warped exterior on your hands in no time.
Choose the Best Vinyl Siding Colors for Your Home
Whether you're putting up vinyl siding for the first time or repainting old siding, choose a lighter color that won't warm up as quickly as heat-absorbing dark colors. Keeping your home's exterior cool can also lead to better energy efficiency on the interior, making it a win-win situation for you and your utility bill.
