Life has its immutable rules. For instance, we need oxygen to breathe and nourishment to sustain ourselves. Also, almost everything in existence has pros and cons.
We’re focusing on the last rule. Everything has its pluses and minuses.
At the same time, one person’s least preferable siding material is another’s treasure, and vice versa. It depends on your lifestyle, budget, aesthetic tastes, and much more.
Yes–something like vinyl siding has its issues. Yet, for many homeowners, the pros vastly outweigh the cons, which is why it’s so popular.
Your decision will rely on how you believe such siding will impact your home’s resell value/curb appeal. It also depends on how much you value durability. Plus, your unique visual tastes will significantly affect your choice of siding for your home.
Pro: The Price Makes Sense
Vinyl’s popularity stems from its cost-efficiency compared to other siding options.
Homeowners investing in vinyl siding enjoy highly economical wall coverage per money spent ratios. The thin sheets of PVC used to construct the panels lock together so they spread favorably.
Moreover, the panels are lightweight, making installation more of a breeze than any other siding material.
Professional installers won’t charge you as much for their labor. Even better for some–who enjoy DIYing to save cash–vinyl siding installations are more conducive to doing it on your own as a homeowner (as long as you can do so safely).
Generally, vinyl siding installations will be up to 50% less costly than a wood siding or fiber cement project. Your home’s design will factor into the final cost, though.
Con: Vinyl Siding Can Be Prone To Fading
Vinyl siding can fade, although it’s not a cut-and-dry issue. External elements will have their role in this.
The following two factors will dictate how much fading impacts the material:
● Sunlight exposure is the most significant environmental factor that causes your vinyl siding to fade.
● Lighter shades of vinyl siding don’t fade as much as darker ones.
Pro: A Diversity Of Color Choices
You aren’t hampered by limited color choices when you purchase vinyl siding for your home. The options are plentiful, giving you wiggle room with how you wish to express your aesthetic flair.
Sure–you can keep things straightforward, sleek, and neutral with shades of taupe, white, and brown. Or, you can get vibrant with splashes of red, gray, green, and blue–all in varying levels of brightness.
Better yet? You aren’t saddled with one manufacturer’s palette. You have the luxury of shopping around and seeing a vast sea of colors and shades.
Con: Difficult To Repaint
You know when you buy an article of clothing at a store that looks magnificent on you for a few months? Then, after about the twentieth run through the washer/dryer, said piece of clothing is a shadow of its once glorious self, and you wonder what you were thinking when you bought it.
We’ve all been there. And your vinyl siding can present a similar–far more expensive–setback.
For some homeowners, this isn’t a big deal. After all, what’s the issue if you don’t mind a bit of fading–some character–and you aren’t moving any time soon?
However, fading won’t do for many homeowners. Your aesthetic tastes might be too discerning to want to deal with degrading vinyl.
Or, you might be looking to sell soon, and your fading vinyl could repel potential buyers.
Unfortunately, vinyl siding isn’t easy to paint–it often necessitates a total replacement when it fades. Some companies can repaint for you, but it’s a rigorous project that’ll cost more than a typical repainting project.
Repainted vinyl is also prone to warping since the paint absorbs heat.
Plus, it can buckle due to an excess buildup of paint that hampers the vinyl’s freedom of movement. Peeling is another issue with repainting since it often doesn’t adhere properly to the PVC substrate.
Let’s focus on one particular point in the previous paragraph: Freedom of movement–a pressing need for vinyl siding. It shrinks in the winter and grows in the summer as the temperature fluctuates throughout the year.
Paint must be applied to vinyl siding during the summer, causing vertical shapes to form come winter after it shrinks.
Pro: Resistant To Water
The plastic composition of vinyl siding means the material is waterproof for all intents and purposes. It can be placed nearer to grade than other sidings without combatting paint loss or swelling.
Fiber cement, wood siding, and other materials demand more maintenance care to remove and prevent collections of running and standing water.
Conversely, the water resistance of vinyl siding makes its maintenance tasks much more DIY-friendly than those of other siding materials.
Con: Prone To Breaks
Vinyl siding is likelier to break than other materials. Sun, wind, rain, and freeze-to-thaw cycles take their toll on the material.
Furthermore, as vinyl enters its third decade, you’ll notice it’ll get brittle. An errantly thrown football could crack a panel at this point, which can be as frustrating as it is costly. A stiff gust of wind could wreak havoc on your panels, breaking multiple off the wall since the nailing hems will have dwindled in strength over time.
Hail storms can even shred brand-new vinyl, whereas other options can handle these rigors handily. In fact, some insurance policies apply depreciating values to vinyl siding.
Pro: Seamless Maintenance
You’ve got a busy life already. You likely work full-time and have plenty of chores around the house to manage before dealing with siding maintenance.
Since vinyl siding consists of specialized exterior grade plastic, homeowners don’t need to do much to keep it looking as good as possible for several decades. Just be sure to rinse it down occasionally, and it’ll be alright.
Furthermore, you don’t need to inspect caulked joints or worry about repainting, a significant selling point of vinyl siding.
Want To Install Vinyl Siding?
Have you weighed the pros and cons of vinyl siding and decided it makes the most sense for your home, budget, and aesthetic tastes? If so, contact Canopy! If you want, we’ll delve further into the pros and cons to see if it’s the correct choice for your needs.
