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There are many wonderful choices for making our homes look
like they belong in the mainstream of popular home styles. Many of the new siding products have gone
through a process of evolution that has made them superior choices.
What I mean by this is that the housing market has been
inundated with new products over the years. However, not all products have been
all-star performers and they have gone away. I recall working for Louisiana
Pacific during the 80's when they produced several new building products. They
were the creators of wafer board or more correctly named Oriented-Strand-Board.
Wafer board was and still is an all-star seller. We also
created several kinds of wood siding products, but many of them had to be
recalled and the company took some huge losses that they still haven't been
able to recover from.
In the course of learning about exterior products, the
housing market made a big shift from the uncertain future of wood siding
products to vinyl and aluminum siding. There needed to be a siding product that
would work in all kinds of weather and climates.
The initial problem with vinyl siding is that it would crack
and distort from extreme temperature fluctuations. The problem with aluminum
siding is that it would dent and sometimes crease during installation.
It seems that we as homeowners had to make a choice, between
aesthetically pleasing siding products with an uncertain future or reliable
building components with mediocre luster. In the end, most homeowners finally
decided that the benefits of vinyl siding definitely out-performed wood siding.
The choice we face now is whether we should buy vinyl or aluminum siding.
Both products have become very reliable and strong. As a
homebuilder, I prefer the ease of use that comes with vinyl siding. I have used
aluminum siding and it is fairly easy to use and quite economical, but it's
fails in most cases compared to vinyl. For me, vinyl siding wins hands-down in
almost every situation.
The J-channel that wraps around windows and doors to hold the
vinyl siding strips is a breeze to install. The starter strip at the bottom and
the under sill strips at the top make hanging the vinyl strips the easiest part
of the entire construction process.
I love working with vinyl siding. The best part is that you
can turn your ugly duckling house into a beautiful swan in just a day or two.
Exterior coverings have come a long way. Most vinyl sidings
will last up to two decades without fading. The plastic resin has been
strengthened to remain fairly strong even in the dead of winter. It will still
crack if you hit it hard enough, but hey, just don't do that and it will be
fine.
Most contractors prefer the versatility and the economical
price of vinyl siding. That's really where the majority of consumers have made
the choice to use vinyl instead of anything else.
It is still a matter of choice. Any homeowner can have
whatever he or she wants as long as it stays within code guidelines. But when
the majority of homeowners make a statement like they've done with vinyl
siding, it's a good idea to pay attention.
Larry Angell
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