Choosing the right siding materials can enhance the appearance and value of your home, but all the different options on the market can make it hard to choose. Depending on your location and climate conditions, wood, vinyl, cement fiber, aluminum, or another variety might be most appropriate for your home. Let's take a quick look at each.
Wood Siding
As one of the oldest forms of siding materials, wood siding is usually the best choice for older homes or homes with historic architecture. Wood siding is moderately priced and relatively easy to repair compared to other siding types.
Wood siding does require that you coat it in paint, stain, or another type of exterior finish, and it can suffer from insect damage, rot, and other common ailments of porous material.
Vinyl Siding
Vinyl siding is an affordable, low-maintenance alternative to wood. It comes in a broad range of colors and styles, as well as in both vertical and horizontal panels. One downside of vinyl siding is its tendency to crack under impact in cold weather, but its resistance to rot and insects make it a worthy choice.
Aluminum Siding
A precursor to vinyl siding, aluminum siding is comparably low-maintenance and also comes in a large number of colors. While it won't crack in the cold like vinyl siding, materials like aluminum will dent if a hard enough impact occurs. Vinyl-coated aluminum siding is also available, and often comes with a very long warranty, but it is a bit on the pricey side.
Cement Fiber Siding
Cement fiber is the newest development in siding technology. It isn't cheap, but its durability and ease of installation can be worth the extra cost. Cement fiber siding looks remarkably similar to wood siding and needs almost zero maintenance, although it does normally come with a warranty of up to 50 years.
Choosing the right siding materials for your home is an important decision. Take the time to weigh your options and carefully consider the demands and conditions of your environment, and your siding decision will keep your home's exterior beautiful for decades to come.
