Vinyl siding remains a popular choice for many homeowners and home builders. The main appeal seems to be its low price, but in this article, we’ll give you six good reasons not to use vinyl siding.
1) Vinyl Fades
Vinyl is among the thinnest siding materials. Because of this, its color fades faster than other siding material. Some sources suggest in as little as five years it can fade significantly from its original color.
2) Vinyl Warps
Whether it is direct exposure to sunlight, a reflection, or a fire, vinyl has a greater capacity to warp and melt when compared to other siding materials.
3) Vinyl Cracks
In summer it is possible to warp vinyl siding with the heat, in the winter it can crack on impact. While cracks can be unattractive there are larger issues with moisture penetrating the siding which can lead to rot, mold, and mildew.
4) Vinyl Is Bad for the Environment
These days many builders and homeowners are concerned with sustainability. While there are recycled material vinyl sidings available they are still made of plastic and they don’t last as long as James Hardie fiber cement which means it will require more material to replace them.
5) Vinyl Doesn’t Look as Good
At the end of the day, vinyl siding is a plastic product and it looks like it. It doesn’t have the appearance or texture of real wood. Even nice vinyl, which may look good when first installed, will not last as long and its look will deteriorate with age.
6) Vinyl Doesn’t Have a Great Return on Investment
According to Remodeling’s Cost vs. Value 2020 report, vinyl siding returns are 74.7% of its cost upon sale. This is less than cedar or James Hardie fiber cement siding.
If not vinyl, then what? As we’ve suggested in this article it is good to compare vinyl to cedar siding and to James Hardie fiber cement siding. Both of which are more attractive, don’t risk warping, cracking, are more sustainable, more attractive, and offer a great return on investment. Visit our cedar siding or James Hardie siding pages to see a gallery of before and after photos with these siding. EMA Construction offers siding repair and installation and is based in Liberty Township, Ohio serving the Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Dayton areas.