You're probably thinking it would take a miracle for the exterior of your house not to lose its paint. Whether you're a handyman who does the work, or someone who takes on the hunt for a painter every few years, making the move to vinyl siding can put an end to that headache.
Vinyl siding products durability can reach from 10 to 15 years and they are incredibly easy to maintain, requiring only a pressure washing to be done occasionally to make them look like they were recently bought from the store.
Vinyl siding is made mostly of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) resin and can be engineered in a variety of shapes, textures and colors. The only problem with using vinyl siding for your home as opposed to painting, is that you can't change colors whenever you want so you need to be very sure that you'll be comfortable with the color you choose for the next two decades. There is, of course, the paintable vinyl siding, which although more durable than wood, still requires you to perform at least part of the maintenance normally done for painting.
When it comes to texture, you have a variety of choices to match wood grains or particular finishes like cedar or redwood. There are standard styles with visible seams where the pieces overlap, and seamless styles that have no seams for 40 feet, much like seamless guttering. In some cases, to match the style of the house, the panels can be installed either horizontally as they commonly are, or vertically.
You will also want to consider the thickness of the siding, as that affects both how durable it is and the cost. The panels that you can normally find in home improvement centers are the standard type - 0.040- to 0.045-inch thick, and the premium type 0.055-inch thick. The premium grade sidings are mostly recommendable for houses in typically cold-weather areas or located in the vicinity of water.
If you have the standard rectangle-shaped home with average-height walls, with some hard work you can install the siding on your own. Corners, window and door tracks, J-channel and other items will have to be installed, as well as the cutting and installation of the siding. Now, even if it's cheaper this way, you should only do this if you have a lot of spare time on your hands.
If you have decided to enlist the services of a professional to do the installation, try not to get carried away if he presents you with an estimate that is lower than you expected. Be sure to get and check references, not just recent ones, but those they may have done several years ago. Try to get in touch with the owners of those houses and if possible pay them a visit to see how the siding on their homes is doing. You can't have a long-lasting vinyl siding if it is not properly installed, and while you are trying to get away from the maintenance of exterior painting, if the job isn't done right, you may have yet another problem on your hands.
Vinyl siding products durability can reach from 10 to 15 years and they are incredibly easy to maintain, requiring only a pressure washing to be done occasionally to make them look like they were recently bought from the store.
Vinyl siding is made mostly of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) resin and can be engineered in a variety of shapes, textures and colors. The only problem with using vinyl siding for your home as opposed to painting, is that you can't change colors whenever you want so you need to be very sure that you'll be comfortable with the color you choose for the next two decades. There is, of course, the paintable vinyl siding, which although more durable than wood, still requires you to perform at least part of the maintenance normally done for painting.
When it comes to texture, you have a variety of choices to match wood grains or particular finishes like cedar or redwood. There are standard styles with visible seams where the pieces overlap, and seamless styles that have no seams for 40 feet, much like seamless guttering. In some cases, to match the style of the house, the panels can be installed either horizontally as they commonly are, or vertically.
You will also want to consider the thickness of the siding, as that affects both how durable it is and the cost. The panels that you can normally find in home improvement centers are the standard type - 0.040- to 0.045-inch thick, and the premium type 0.055-inch thick. The premium grade sidings are mostly recommendable for houses in typically cold-weather areas or located in the vicinity of water.
If you have the standard rectangle-shaped home with average-height walls, with some hard work you can install the siding on your own. Corners, window and door tracks, J-channel and other items will have to be installed, as well as the cutting and installation of the siding. Now, even if it's cheaper this way, you should only do this if you have a lot of spare time on your hands.
If you have decided to enlist the services of a professional to do the installation, try not to get carried away if he presents you with an estimate that is lower than you expected. Be sure to get and check references, not just recent ones, but those they may have done several years ago. Try to get in touch with the owners of those houses and if possible pay them a visit to see how the siding on their homes is doing. You can't have a long-lasting vinyl siding if it is not properly installed, and while you are trying to get away from the maintenance of exterior painting, if the job isn't done right, you may have yet another problem on your hands.
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