Vinyl Siding: What Every Homeowner Should Know
Because vinyl siding has such a high amount of expansion, proper installation is crucial. A 12 foot length of vinyl siding can expand 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch going from winter to summer. If your installers don’t allow for this type of expansion, serious problems will result. One mistake many installers make is driving the nails in to tight, which will not allow the siding to expand. Vinyl siding that cannot expand and move freely will crack, warp and eventually completely fall off the house. So it is very important that vinyl siding is installed per manufacturers instructions. The biggest reason homeowners choose to install vinyl siding on their house is to relieve their maintenance requirements.
The beauty of vinyl siding is that it does not need to be painted and has very low maintenance requirements. You basically choose your favorite color and you’re stuck with it for the rest of your life. Now some people might look at this as a positive aspect, others will look at it as a negative aspect. Some companies claim that you can paint vinyl siding and maybe this is the case but there have been many reports that say do not attempt to do this. Basically the only thing that has to be done to vinyl siding is that when he gets dirty or if you see that it starts chalking, you pressure wash it. It’s important not to use too high of pressure when washing vinyl siding. Too high of pressure while washing vinyl siding can result in pieces coming loose from the house and also too much water getting behind the siding will eventually cause damage to the subsurface. All in all vinyl siding is very durable.
Although for the most part vinyl siding is very durable, under certain conditions cracking can occur. For instance, in the winter months when is very cold the vinyl is going to get brittle and cold vinyl siding can crack if it is struck hard with something. Another problem you may be faced with is the vinyl siding blowing off the house. Although manufacturers are working hard at solving these problems, they still exist and must be considered.
So these are some of the positives and negatives of installing vinyl siding on your home. If you decide to install vinyl siding, remember to make proper installation a priority. As long as the vinyl siding is installed properly and maintenance requirements are met, it will last a very long time.
