Choosing the Right Siding for Your Home
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all is here, and it’s time to make a decision about exterior walls: do you want to upgrade your older aluminum to vinyl siding, or renovate your look entirely with the newest cement fiber? Do you need to replace all of your siding, or will some repairs and TLC suffice? Choosing from aluminum, wood, cement fiber or vinyl siding can be tough if you don’t know much about the differences. We wanted to give you a definitive breakdown on purchasing and installing siding, so that you could choose the best products for your needs.
Vinyl Siding. Vinyl siding is king, and it has been for a long time. It comes in a wide variety of colors which can usually be matched exactly to shutters or roofing materials, depending on which brand name you
choose. It’s relatively inexpensive but incredibly durable, so it holds up to the elements in almost every area. If you have a slightly larger budget, you can have vinyl shake siding installed: it gives you the look of wood shingles with the easy care and durability of vinyl. Aluminum siding. Aluminum siding is a staple in more traditional homes, and also comes in a wide variety of colors and sizes at a reasonable price. If you have some extra money in your siding budget, you can purchase it with vinyl or plastic coverings, which eliminates the need to paint it. Aluminum siding can be a bit noisy, though, and it’s prone to denting, so it’s not the ideal choice if you live in a heavily wooded area or in a place with a lot of wind activity. Cedar shake and wood shingles. A more traditional and rustic look, cedar shake is the Cadillac of shake shingles: it’s beautiful and long lasting, and gives a look of distinction. Cedar shake is can be expensive, however, and there’s much more maintenance with wood then there is with other materials. Wood siding can be damaged by heavy rains and by wood destroying insects, so you’ll need to be vigilant. Cement fiber siding. Cement fiber siding looks so much like wood it’s sometimes hard