How To Choose the Best Siding for a House
What Siding Material Types Are Available?
The right siding can complement your home’s architectural style and boost its value. Each material has pros and cons that can significantly affect your home’s durability and look.
Vinyl Siding
Vinyl siding has become popular because it’s affordable, durable, and low-maintenance. It comes in various styles and colors, including options that mimic the appearance of wood grain or stone.
Standard vinyl siding is known for being resilient and easy to install. It’s resistant to dents and scratches, and because the color is part of the material, minor damage is less noticeable. Maintenance is simple, requiring only occasional cleaning with a brush and hose.
Insulated vinyl siding is a little more expensive, but offers better energy efficiency. This type of siding includes a layer of rigid foam insulation.
Fiber Cement Siding
Fiber cement siding offers an excellent balance of durability, appearance, and versatility. It uses a mixture of cement, sand, and cellulose fibers, mimicking the look of wood, stucco, or masonry while offering superior resistance to weather, pests, and fire.
Fiber cement siding is highly resistant to moisture, rot, and pests, making it an excellent choice for coastal areas or regions with extreme weather. Because it’s noncombustible, it may even earn you insurance discounts in some areas. It also lasts decades with proper installation and care.
On the downside, installing fiber cement siding requires special tools and expertise. The heavy material can produce harmful dust when cut, necessitating proper safety precautions. For these reasons, fiber cement installation is typically best left to professionals.
Metal Siding
Metal siding offers a contemporary look and exceptional durability. It’s resistant to fire, insects, and rot, making it a low-maintenance option. Metal siding typically falls into one of two buckets: aluminum or steel.
Aluminum siding, primarily available in clapboard style, offers many of the same benefits as vinyl siding. One notable advantage is that you can paint it, allowing color changes over time. However, aluminum is prone to denting and has limited style options compared to other materials.
Steel siding provides superior strength and impact resistance compared to aluminum. It’s available in various styles and finishes, including those that mimic wood grain. While more expensive than aluminum, steel siding offers excellent longevity and can withstand harsh weather conditions.
Stone Veneer Siding
Stone veneer siding provides the luxurious appearance of natural stone without the weight and installation complexities of full masonry. It’s an excellent way to add visual interest to specific areas of your home’s exterior.
Natural stone veneer uses thin slices of actual stone atop a wooden backing. It offers authentic texture and color variations but is more expensive and challenging to install than manufactured options.
Manufactured stone veneer is similar but uses cement, aggregates, and pigments molded to resemble natural stone. It’s lighter and easier to install than natural stone while still providing a realistic appearance. This option requires little maintenance beyond occasional cleaning and checking for mortar cracks.
Brick Siding
Brick siding offers a classic, timeless look and exceptional durability. It’s fire-resistant, low-maintenance, and can last centuries with proper care. While the initial cost is higher than many other siding options, brick’s longevity and minimal upkeep requirements can make it cost-effective in the long run.
Stucco Siding
Stucco siding has a distinctive texture and is particularly popular in Southwestern and Mediterranean-style homes. It’s durable, fire-resistant, and can last decades with proper maintenance. Stucco can be tinted to almost any color, eliminating the need for painting, and its thickness provides additional insulation to your home.
Wood Siding
Wood siding offers a timeless, natural beauty that many homeowners find appealing. It comes in various styles, including board and batten, shakes, shingles, and clapboards.
Manufacturers mainly use pine and cedar for exterior siding. Cedar, including eastern white, red, and Alaskan yellow varieties, is naturally resistant to rot and insects, making it a popular choice. While pine can be more affordable, it lacks cedar’s natural resistance to decay and pests.
Wood siding requires regular maintenance to preserve its appearance and integrity. Inspect it for cracks or damage annually and plan to refinish every four to six years. Solid-color stain offers the best protection against weather and UV damage. Clear exterior finishes with UV protection are available for those preferring a natural wood grain look.