Viny Siding Brands, which is best

[Expires in 27 days]

I have received two quotes on putting vinyl siding on the gables of my home and also on the soffit and fascia, both companies have proposed using a siding brand that I am not familiar with nor does it show up on the consumer reports site as being tested by them. The brand name of the siding is Kaycan.

My questions are

1. is Kaycan brand siding comparable to other brands of siding..ie alco, certainteed, Royal

1. anyone have their home sided with Kaycan siding and if so, how long have you had it and are you happy with it? , is it holding up well,,,etc etc

2. if I have the choice, should I pick another brand of siding over Kaycan?.....Money is not the object, but I want a siding that will last , looks good now and years to come,,,etc etc

Thanks

R. Scott

PS if anyone has any helpful hints don't hesitate to let me have em.... :)

[Joe Bobst]

Certainteed is likely the best choice if long life and future customer support are important to you. To learn more about their products, application methods and general overview , get the manual and sample folders from their customer service people. Many lumber yards handle their line of builders materials, so check your local ones forthat source of info as well. Good luck.

Joe

[Don Phillipson]

Vinyl siding is normally used outside the house. People caught in house fires are inside the house, where they have more immediate concerns than fumes from exterior siding.

-- Don Phillipson Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada)

[Joseph Meehan]

Which is a very good reason not to use it inside. ;-)

[ted harris]

Are you familiar with how poisonus vinyl siding is if you are caught in a house fire, not to mention the manufacturing process?

[Greg]

It is all junk. It looks bad and will rot your house. Don't use it.

Greg

[Joseph Meehan]

I take it you don't like vinyl. Frankly it does have some problems, but rotting is not one of them that I have seen. I have seen wood rot however. Mostly I have seen poor installations.

[New & Improved - N/F John]

What kind of problems have you seen or heard of if properly installed?

[Joseph Meehan]

The first one that comes to mind involves the back yard barbeque. Lucky for me they were still working on homes in my area and a few $$$ to one of the contractors fixed the problem in a few minutes, they even had the exact same color on their truck. They also tend to be noisy in the wind (bigger problem if they are not installed properly) and as I found out they are not even remotely squirrel resistant.

However I still recommend them for many people, and while I would prefer natural stone, if I had to do it over, money would still dictate vinyl as my first choice overall.

[Joseph Meehan]

Ted, by that time you have a lot more to worry about than the vinyl.

I have yet to see any major safety group call attention to this as a problem. I really don't think it is a problem. In theory, yes, in practice, not really.

[ted harris]

Vinyl is used in windows, in furniture, and recently in walls. It is used in may places that people don't even take into consideration, and is one of the most deadly man made items available in the market today. In any event, it does't matter if the vinyl is on the outside of the house, the smoke still gets inside the house. As the fire grows inside the house, it sucks air in from the outside.

[plugnickle]

As a firefighter we were taught that a crew died from a closet fire where a pair of vinyl heels were producing the smoke. We are to use air packs for every occurrence. There are "many" chemicals in a home that produce harmful smoke. When a fire develops, "always" evacuate then call the fire dept.

[Joseph Meehan]

I agree. It is a lot safer.

[ted harris]

for the HBO documentary America Undercover called Blue Vinyl.

will give you penty of reasons to look into the dangers of vinyl use and manufacture.

[Joseph Meehan]

As I said " have yet to see any major safety group call attention to this as a problem. I really don't think it is a problem. In theory, yes, in practice, not really."

[ted harris]

Did you see the movie Blu Vinyl? If you did see it, why would a "major safety group" have to call attention to this as a problem. Can't you figure it out on your own?

[Joseph Meehan]

Maybe because it is not the problem you think it is. What makes you think Blu Vinyl is a valid source of data?

And to answer your question, I did not bother watching their movie.

I suggest you check with your local fire department and see if they have any evidence of this major problem that only you seem to know about.

[ted harris]

[Joseph Meehan]

In other words you did not find well known agency that has bothered with this great problem. If it were a problem, the insurance industry would be all over the place about it.

They are very interested and knowledgeable about safety as it relates to fires. They spend a great deal of time in training on the subject.

[ted harris]

Thanks anyway, but I don't need a "well known agency" to tell me about any problem. Do you? ...and I don't think I will wait around for the insurance company to tell me about a problem either, since their actions would based on their interests.

Exactly. Why do you suppose they spend so much time training? Maybe to learn more?