| Siding |
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Old worn and deteriorated vinyl or wood siding is devaluing your home.
Vinyl siding needs replacement if the vinyl is wavy, sagging and or faded. Wood siding that is rotted attracts termites and does not hold paint well and needs replacement. The appearance of your home shows your pride of ownership. |
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| The siding on your home represents your personal taste, gives the home “curb appeal” and dictates much of the home's architectural aesthetics, maintenance schedule, and resale value. And, as with so many other elements of remodeling today, you have more choices in siding materials and styles than ever before. So, if you're building new or about to undertake a remodeling that will involve residing, here are just a few of the many products on the market that are worth taking a closer look at: |
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| HardiPlank and HardiPanel |
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| HardiPlank and HardiPanel, manufactured by James Hardie Building Products, are cement fiber siding products that have grown immensely in popularity in recent years. They are manufactured from a blend of portland cement, ground sand and cellulose fiber, then mixed with water and other additives. The mixture is formed into a variety of siding products that are hard, durable, extremely fire resistant and very dimensionally stable, as well as very attractive. Hardie products are available as individual lap siding boards in both smooth and wood-textured finishes, as beaded or grooved lap siding, as wood-textured siding panels (similar to plywood siding panels), in stucco-look panels and in siding shingles. Many upscale neighborhoods in Indianapolis have forbidden the use of vinyl siding and James Hardie has filled the void. |
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| Vinyl |
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| Vinyl siding use has grown tremendously in recent years on houses of all types and all price ranges. Advancements in the construction and rigidity of many of the upper lines of vinyl siding now offered by several manufacturers have created a siding that hugs the wall tighter and has a straighter configuration than previous generations of vinyl, which tended to sag and develop a concave configuration after installation. And of course, you have the added advantage of never having to paint it (not necessarily so). There are, however, drawbacks. Vinyl can crack, fade, or grow dingy over time. Vinyl is also controversial because of environmental concerns. |
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| Composite Wood Siding |
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| Composite woods are part of the growing collection of "engineered" lumber products now on the market. Wood chips, processed from second- and third-growth trees and even recycled wood products, are mixed with resin and formed into individual boards and panels, then surfaced with a very hard and durable resin face that can be either smooth or textured to perfectly match natural wood species such as cedar. |
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| Some of the early generations of composite wood products suffered from problems with durability under extreme weather conditions, but many of those drawbacks have been eliminated in subsequent product lines. These siding materials offer an excellent alternative to natural wood siding. Composite wood siding is available as lap siding boards, or as grooved or un-grooved siding panels. |
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| Wood Siding |
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| Wood Plank and Beveled Wood Siding |
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| Wood clapboard siding is among the oldest types of home siding. You can see its beauty on older and historic homes. Its disadvantage is that it is not low maintenance, requiring painting and caulking and is often replaced with aluminum or vinyl siding. Frequently when that happens, a lot of the charm and detail of the wood home is lost. |
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| So if you own a wood clapboard home you probably own a beautiful home, and as you know keeping it looking good requires taking care of paint problems and regular exterior paint maintenance. And there are often special considerations for painting historic homes. |
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| Aesthetics |
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- Wide variety of styles, textures and finishes.
- Wood clapboard or beveled siding is horizontal and has overlapping joints.
- Wood plank or board siding is vertical and comes in board and batten, board on board or channel-groove or tongue and groove styles.
- Board siding also comes in a plywood version often called T-111® which is just exterior plywood with different face treatments and groove patterns to emulate a traditional board and batten design.
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| Characteristics |
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- Fairly easy to repair but difficult to install over existing siding.
- Requires an exterior finish such as paint or stain.
- Can be damaged by rot, insects, warping or splitting.
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| Cost |
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- Cost varies widely by type of wood species and style of siding and exterior finish.
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