Vinyl Siding

[Mike L.]

I am getting ready to put up vinyl siding.

Any recommendations on the better brands? thickness?

I have talked to a number of vendors and they all seem to have comparable products but the range of quotes is exceedingly great.

Any suggestions on what to look for?

If you know of material I could read, that would be appreciated as well.

Any word on the quality of Alcoa?

Thanks

Mike

[Todd H.]

Hi Mike,

Vinyl siding can look very snappy. It can also look like cheap crap. My place was dark brown 70's cedar and I recently had it sided and holy crap what a difference. It looks like a brand new home and woodpeckers don't wake me up anymore.

Now, I don't know brands, but I have Alside Charter Oak series and have been very happy with its look and weight. Alcoa I know is a very popular manufacturer.

Things that differentiate good looking and cheap siding (to me) seem to be: 1) corner post thickness. I got some really thick ones and they make the place look very sturdy vs the cheaper stuff. I think I have the Charter Oak Trimworks beaded posts here:

The second thing that catches my eye is siding profile. I greatly prefer Dutch Lap versus the standard style. The Dutch lap gives an additional bend in the siding (sloping out then bending to be parallel to the wall) versus the standard clapboard profile, and gives the siding much more texture. Take a drive around and pick out houses you like the look of and get up close and look at the siding. You'll soon be able to pick out dutch lap vs clapboard from a distance, especially in late afternoon sunlight.

Third is the texture of the vinyl itself. The Charter Oak that I have has a grain effect in it that makes it look richer than flatter cheaper siding I see in so much new construction.

Consider specifying board insulation going up behind your siding. Make sure they use J channel around the windows--this keeps you out of water infiltration trouble. Some companies cheap out and side right up to the windows and try to caulk, without using j channel. Doesn't look all that great, and if the caulk isn't maintained, there can be infiltration problems.

Finally, window wrapping makes a huge difference.

Don't choose a blue color as it supposedly take longer to sell blue houses, and darker sidings tend to fade in the sun. Neutrals are good. Consider 2 or 3 colors and get some contrast in there. I really like my Monterey Sand siding, J channel, and corner posts then using white soffit, gutter, fascia, and white alumimum wrapping the white vinyl windows. As a trim color, I used an Autumn Red for the shutters on the front windows.

Have fun! I think you'll love seeing your house with new siding.

Best Regards,

-- Todd H.

[willshak]

On 8/21/2005 9:19 AM US(ET), Mike L. took fingers to keys, and typed the following:

I have Certainteed. Been on the house for 20 years. Still looks good.

[Rick]

comparable

Certainteed is a good product-they also own Wolverine and Ashland Davis

Alcoa has just come out with "DreamColor" siding, available in over

700 colors. Can't say what the minimum order is, but it costs 10 to 30 % more than their standard line..

[Edwin Pawlowski]

All good points. I just changed the appearance of my house by painting just the window trim and the shutters. The house is white siding so it is easy to match two other colors. . I like 3 colors. Basic house, window trip, shutters. My neighbor down the street painted his house. The windows and shutters are the same color and it looks bland.

If you ever do tire of the color of the siding you can paint it. Problem is, one painted, you will have to continue painting every 5 to 10 years. My wife suggested that we paint our house. I can do it, but I'm almost 60 now. I don't want to have to re-paint when I'm 68 or so.

[TP]

===================

I was going to go with vinyl? had it on other houses. Like it and dislike it. It?s cheap price per square. Then add in all the F, J, channel and other trim pieces. Easy to install and clean. I don?t like the loose fit it has, expansion clearance. Bugs make homes behind it. Easy to repair if you have extra pieces, faded the same. Cracks in cold weather and could distort in the sun.

I just finished installing hardi-plank fiber cement siding. I highly recommended this product. Price per square is not much more than vinyl. Installs easy and doesn?t use all the extra trim pieces. Nails tight with no floating. Very durable. Come factory finished, half dozen colors. I bought the primed material. Takes paint very well. I can even two-tone the color if I like. You can choose from many sizes for different exposure.

TP

[Mike L.]

Thanks. It is very helpful