Many manufacturers provide color design tools and services that allow you to get an idea how your home will look with fresh, new cladding. You can have your pick of colors, ranging from an icy white to a festive fuchsia, and checking out before-and-after views can be an exciting part of selecting your vinyl cedar siding. But what you really need to know is whether the product will stand the test of time.
Vinyl cedar siding: beauty and brains
The Vinyl Siding Institute (VSI) gives consumers a way to discriminate between color choices beyond an initial infatuation with a flashy color sample. VSI has certified 324 colors as part of their Product Certification Program.
VSI maintains the rigor of the certification program with these three main strategies:
- Unannounced inspections
- Third-party verification by an accredited agency to meet or exceed ASTM D3679, the accepted industry standard
- On-going technical clarifications and adjustments
To become certified, each color must demonstrate the following:
- Resist fading and discoloration in a variety of climates
- Survive a two-year, outdoor weathering study
To determine if the colors you are considering have certification, take any of these actions:
- Ask your dealer
- Look for the black-and-white logo that verifies the color has been certified
- Check the online VSI list of certified colors
Quality vinyl cedar siding typically comes with a limited lifetime guarantee. In order for this promise to involve a real long-term commitment, however, the color must have proven staying power. A certified color does, and 20 years on, it should still catch your eye for all the right reasons.
