Your Choices In Siding
Whether you are doing new construction or planning a major face-lift for your existing home, you should choose siding with all the care and consideration you give to the interior of your home.
Factors to consider are: your own taste, the style of your house, the prevailing style of homes in the neighborhood, durability, cost, and ease of installation.
Most sidings are versatile enough to fit many different kinds of architecture, although some traditional styles almost dictate a choice -- a salt box seems to demand shiplap, a ranch house may call for vertical siding with a stone veneer, and a restrained Georgian facade seems to resist natural cedar shakes.
Factors to consider are: your own taste, the style of your house, the prevailing style of homes in the neighborhood, durability, cost, and ease of installation.
Most sidings are versatile enough to fit many different kinds of architecture, although some traditional styles almost dictate a choice -- a salt box seems to demand shiplap, a ranch house may call for vertical siding with a stone veneer, and a restrained Georgian facade seems to resist natural cedar shakes.
The choice you make in siding should blend in with the other houses around yours.
The roofing material is another factor to consider. The safest choice is to install siding that contrasts with the roof in both texture and color, although sometimes a pleasing affect is to make them similar.
Shingles, board siding, and panel siding are easy to apply. Other sidings, such as stucco, brick, vinyl, and aluminum, are more difficult to work with. In all cases new siding is expensive. For that reason alone, it is best to choose a material that will stay attractive for a long time and not require any maintenance.
The roofing material is another factor to consider. The safest choice is to install siding that contrasts with the roof in both texture and color, although sometimes a pleasing affect is to make them similar.
Shingles, board siding, and panel siding are easy to apply. Other sidings, such as stucco, brick, vinyl, and aluminum, are more difficult to work with. In all cases new siding is expensive. For that reason alone, it is best to choose a material that will stay attractive for a long time and not require any maintenance.
Material
Wood,
Plywood
Hardboard
Fiberglass
Aluminum
Vinyl
Wood,
Plywood
Hardboard
Fiberglass
Aluminum
Vinyl
Appearance
Widest range of styles, textures and finishes; available preprimed, presealed, or vinyl clad.
Lap and vertical panel styles with a variety of textures and prefinished colors; also available in preprimed form.
Shingles, shakes, and a few lap designs; usually textured.
Wide range of lap, vertical, shingle, and shake styles; broad selection of prefinished colors.
Unlimited choices of lap and vertical styles and colors; durable.
Widest range of styles, textures and finishes; available preprimed, presealed, or vinyl clad.
Lap and vertical panel styles with a variety of textures and prefinished colors; also available in preprimed form.
Shingles, shakes, and a few lap designs; usually textured.
Wide range of lap, vertical, shingle, and shake styles; broad selection of prefinished colors.
Unlimited choices of lap and vertical styles and colors; durable.
In A Hour.com
Choosing A Type Of Siding
Features/Price
Difficult to apply over existing siding; prices vary from low (yellow pine, fir) to high (redwood, cedar, plywoods)
No problem with graining, splitting, or knots; large panels mean fewer joints for easier installation and greater weather resistance; color selection limited; moderate price.
Of some insulation value; resistant to fire and termites; prone to splitting; low price.
Lightweight, unaffected by fire and termites; drawbacks include dents easily, noisy, conducts electricity.
Impervious to most problems; color is impregnated all the way through; higher rate of expansion and contraction makes application critical; reasonably priced.
Difficult to apply over existing siding; prices vary from low (yellow pine, fir) to high (redwood, cedar, plywoods)
No problem with graining, splitting, or knots; large panels mean fewer joints for easier installation and greater weather resistance; color selection limited; moderate price.
Of some insulation value; resistant to fire and termites; prone to splitting; low price.
Lightweight, unaffected by fire and termites; drawbacks include dents easily, noisy, conducts electricity.
Impervious to most problems; color is impregnated all the way through; higher rate of expansion and contraction makes application critical; reasonably priced.
Durability
Depends on species and pretreatment
Vinyl-clad types guaranteed up to 30 years; preprimed types must be repainted periodically.
Guaranteed up to 20 years, but appearance deteriorates
Guaranteed up to 35 years for plastic-clad types; easily cleaned; needn't be repainted.
Lifetime guarantees; cannot be repainted
Depends on species and pretreatment
Vinyl-clad types guaranteed up to 30 years; preprimed types must be repainted periodically.
Guaranteed up to 20 years, but appearance deteriorates
Guaranteed up to 35 years for plastic-clad types; easily cleaned; needn't be repainted.
Lifetime guarantees; cannot be repainted
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