Vinyl siding, what can I say? It installs fast, looks cheap, and it fades in a few years. Not to mention the fact that manufacturers stop making it every few years, so it can’t easily be replaced. Plus, repairs aren’t always an option, and if they are, it is faded so badly that you don’t want to repair it anyway. Do you get the drift that I don’t like it? Especially in Billings, Montana where it hails every year.
I will repair damaged vinyl siding, because it isn’t always cost effective to replace the whole house with new siding, or the owner may not be able to afford it, but for a whole house re-side, or a new construction house, the material doesn’t even exist to me. I don’t know why builders are still using it in the first place.
Sure, it is less expensive up front, and it comes pre-finished so a painter isn’t required to paint it after install. However, there are many pre-finished products that are much better on the market. Two that come to mind are LP SmartSide, and James Hardi. I’ve installed a lot of Hardi, and it’s a good product; the downfall is cutting it creates Silica dust which can be harmful in large quantities. It can also be damaged from objects such as baseballs striking it. It seems to be able to withstand hail; I haven’t seen any damage from hail, but I have seen damage in person from objects striking it as well as online from baseballs striking it. If you’re interested in seeing these videos here is the link to the LP SmartSide website where they are located http://www.lpcorp.com/smartside/
Here is a picture to show the fading of vinyl siding. Believe it or not, this is the exact same color. They print the color on the siding, and I got the exact same color it said.
I never really cared for the look of vinyl siding before. I think it looks cheap, but lately I’ve had to deal with it more then I ever have before because of The Hailstorm, and the more I deal with it, the more I hate it. Just look what hail does to it.
I pride myself on quality, and part of doing a quality job is using quality materials. And vinyl siding is not a quality material no matter who tells you. The pictures here are proof. Choose a quality material: LP Smartside, Hardi, even Masonite would be a better option. Also an EIFS system (Exterior Insulated Finishing System) or brick, cedar siding, and metal. But I would never recommend vinyl.
Even after using old siding from another side hoping that is was faded enough to blend in this is still how it looked.
