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Siding is available in grades ranging from thin builder grade to superthick grade. Higher-quality, thicker vinyl is more expensive, as is insulated vinyl or specially profiled vinyl molded to look like wood shakes, rounded Victorian scallops, brick, stone, or logs. Vinyl siding offers many benefits, including its affordability and the minimal maintenance required compared to most other siding materials.
Wood: Clapboard
This affordable siding type is high-maintenance and prone to rotting, warping, and water damage. However, even an easy material like vinyl needs careful attention to be installed properly. Every nail or screw you put into your siding creates a possible entry for rain and moisture to make its way inside. We have an entire blog post on why proper nailing is so important for vinyl siding.
Is a moisture or vapor barrier necessary?
Vinyl is versatile and can be produced in various colors and shapes; it can even mimic expensive materials such as wood, brick, and stone. Traditional vinyl siding has a light wood grain appearance, but more expensive styles can look like wood shake siding, shingles, and even logs. You can more accurately approximate cost if you know the surface area of your exterior walls. Materials for vinyl siding cost $2–$10 per square foot, and labor adds about $2.15–$5.25.
How do you maintain vinyl siding?
Vinyl will fade and possibly warp, and wood siding needs regular maintenance to prevent rotting. The upkeep on shake and shingles wood siding is considerable, requiring periodic painting and caulking. The siding of choice for many homeowners in warmer climates, stucco is made of cement, sand, lime, and water, and it's applied in layers.
A Buyer's Guide to Home Siding - Earth911.com
A Buyer's Guide to Home Siding.
Posted: Thu, 26 May 2022 07:00:00 GMT [source]
The color will hold, so homeowners won’t need to touch up paint or maintain it. This doesn’t mean that they are stuck with the color they choose, however. If the homeowner gets tired of the color before the siding has started to wear or they purchase a home with siding they dislike, it can be painted. Consider replacing vinyl siding if there are cracks, holes, warped boards, or if the color is significantly fading. Fiber cement siding is the most durable material for homes in most areas.
Here's a look at siding options you've never considered or maybe aren't sure about. You can also use an easy DIY cleaning solution on vinyl throughout the year. The combination of 70% water and 30% white vinegar makes a great all-purpose cleaner that removes light mold and mildew stains. Use a soft brush to clean siding and avoid using anything harsh such as steel wool or other highly-abrasive scrubbers. Be sure to cover all vegetation around the house, as white vinegar will damage and/or kill many types of plants.
Pros of Vinyl Siding
Beyond that, homeowners can seek out recommendations from friends and neighbors or check online home professional recommendation services. Once they have selected a few contractors to ask for quotes, homeowners may need answers to a few questions before deciding which one to hire, such as the following. To enjoy all those benefits, hiring a professional siding company is the way to go.
Utility trim, sometimes called undersill trim, is installed on a horizontal surface to cover the exposed top edge of vinyl siding. This is often installed under window sills and the top of a wall where it meets the soffit. Multiply the length and height of each wall to find the square footage, then add them together to find the total square footage of the exterior. To find the number of squares of siding you’ll need, measure the square footage of the area you will be installing the vinyl on, then divide that by 100. Start by measuring the height and width of each wall of the building.
There’s no need for regular scraping and painting, repainting, recoating, or insect treatment with vinyl. Homeowners who prefer not to use rigid foam insulation boards underneath the siding can opt for insulated siding, which has insulation attached directly to the vinyl. This gives the siding a more solid structure and a flat back, making installation easier and adding more heft to the siding. Most siding styles are available with insulation affixed, and the style will determine where in the range of $4 to $12 per square foot homeowners can expect to pay for this option. This vinyl siding gives the appearance of wood or cedar shakes and is available in rows and also hand-split styles.
Ideally, you should remove the old siding before installing the new material. Its removal allows you to check the underlying material’s condition to confirm that there’s no rot or damage. Removing the existing siding also allows for a cleaner installation.
Then multiply the width and height, just like you would to find the area of a rectangle. Finally, divide the area in half to get the final square footage. If your walls are in a mixture of partial and total feet, round up to the nearest whole foot. For example, if one wall is 12.4 feet and one is 20.8 feet, round to 13 and 21 feet, respectively, before multiplying. The calculator above will also estimate the amount of trim pieces needed based on the number of doors and windows and the size of the project. Trim is the material that surrounds windows and doors, finishes the edges of a wall, or helps protect areas like the underside of your eaves.
Subtract 21 sq ft from the total square footage to account for a door. Windows vary in size, and the square footage can be found by multiplying the length and the width. A wall with doors and windows may require fewer squares of material to cover than a wall with no openings. To account for this overage in material, find the square footage of space that will not be covered in siding for the doors and windows and subtract that from the total square footage of the wall. For the gable itself, you want the height from the lowest point of the roof to the highest, as well as the total width. Take the total width and divide it in half, then multiply by the height to get the square footage of the gable.
The most durable types of siding are steel, stucco, brick, stone, fiber cement, and engineered wood. These materials have the longest lifespans and withstand harsh weather in extreme temperatures. Natural stone siding costs $15 to $45 per square foot installed, while cultured stone siding costs $10 to $35 per square foot installed. Due to its higher cost, stone siding is typically for accenting architectural features on the front of the home instead of covering the entire house. Steel siding costs $7 to $16 per square foot installed or $17,500 to $40,000 for an average 2,500-square-foot house, depending on the thickness, finish, and fastener-panel design.
Another low-cost option, aluminum siding costs $3 to $6 per square foot. This material helps with temperature control and is resistant to temperature changes, rust, and pests. However, it can produce loud sounds during storms and can develop scrapes and discoloration. As with the previous options, aluminum siding lasts 20 to 40 years. Estimate the cost of vinyl siding by measuring the square footage of your home’s exterior walls. Multiply this figure by $2 to $10 per square foot for materials or $4.15 to $15.25 per square foot for materials and installation.
The wood will need to be sealed or painted every 3 to 5 years, with weather treatments every 4 to 6. This is easy to address if caught easily, but it’s another ongoing maintenance issue. Other factors, such as the time of year and the need for permits, may also affect the expenses. Some types of siding are DIY-friendly, especially for someone with a little know-how and the right equipment and a lot of extra time.
