The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Different Types Of Pvc Vinyl Siding

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It’s no secret that vinyl siding is the most popular choice for exterior cladding in Edmonton, at least for the past 25 years. Although the product is very popular,PVC Vinyl siding sometimes has a bad reputation.

 

It’s no secret that vinyl siding is the most popular choice for exterior cladding in Edmonton, at least for the past 25 years. Although the product is very popular,PVC Vinyl siding sometimes has a bad reputation.

Advantages: price point
When you start siding research, the first thing you may know is that vinyl is the most economical choice for siding. Vinyl siding is made of PVC sheets that can be locked together, which means you can get a lot of wall covering without spending too much money. And because the weight of the panel is relatively small, the installation speed is faster than any other siding product.

On average, you can expect vinyl siding renovations to be 25% to 50% cheaper than fiber cement or wood siding projects, depending on the design of the house.

 

Advantages: color options
No matter how you look at it, if you use vinyl siding, there will be plenty of color options. We installed a variety of shades of red, green, gray, and blue, as well as the more neutral whites, taupe, and browns that you may be more accustomed to seeing.

 

Disadvantage: Fading
Will vinyl siding fade?
Yes, when vinyl siding is installed on the exterior of your home, you can expect it to fade. The degree of fading depends on two factors:

Color: Generally speaking, darker siding is easier to fade than lighter ones.

Exposure: The biggest environmental factor affecting fading is exposure to sunlight. (Since Edmonton is located so far to the north, we do not have as much direct sunlight throughout the year as in some cities in the United States.)

To give you an idea of ​​the degree of fading of Edmonton vinyl siding, please take a look at some of our siding projects completed in 2020:

Is the vinyl siding faded.jpg Is the vinyl siding faded before.jpg
The customer asked us to replace their wooden back aluminum window trim with HardieTrim panels with the correct flashing details. As part of this project, we had to replace several existing wall panels, which were originally installed in 2005. As you can see, the original siding has faded a bit, but it may not be as obvious as you think!

(If you are wondering, both the new and original siding of this home are located at Mitten Oregon Pride Siding in Brownstone)

 

Disadvantages: difficult (impossible?) to paint
Once your vinyl siding starts to look a little faded, you will most likely look for a complete replacement. There are some companies that can provide you with painting your vinyl siding, but painting vinyl siding is not as simple as painting wood or fiber cement siding.

First, the paint and labor for vinyl siding will be more expensive than traditional paint projects. Repainting vinyl siding is also a bit risky: we have seen varnished vinyl siding warping (because the paint can absorb heat), bending (because excess paint does not allow the siding to move freely) and peeling (because of The paint is not properly adhered to the PVC substrate).

Did we mention that vinyl siding needs to move freely? That's because it grows and shrinks with temperature changes throughout the year. In the cold winter, a 12-foot vinyl siding will shrink by more than ½". Since exterior paint must be used in the warm summer, this means that the beautiful new paint layer of your siding may shrink every winter. Strange vertical streaks appear at the seams.

If you are considering hiring a contractor to paint your vinyl siding, it is best to check out some of their work before the winter (when vinyl siding shrinks the most).


So, can you paint vinyl siding? Some paints will work, but we don't think it is a good idea to paint vinyl siding in colder climates.

 

Advantages: waterproof
Since the vinyl siding is made of plastic, the material itself is very waterproof. You can make vinyl siding closer to the grade than other products without worrying about swelling or peeling paint. Some products such as siding wood and fiber cement siding require more care to ensure that they stay away from stagnant and running water.

Since vinyl siding is very waterproof, it is also a more suitable DIY siding compared to some other options on the market.


Disadvantages and advantages: moisture management
When we talk about moisture management, we are referring to the ability of vinyl siding to prevent water from entering the wall it is supposed to protect.

The disadvantage here is that when vinyl siding is installed, it is by no means waterproof on the wall. Because the siding is designed to be tucked into the open pocket trim, any wind-driven rainwater will flow from behind the siding onto the surface of the house packaging. This is why it is so important to install the envelope correctly under the vinyl siding! If your installer messes up the flashing details, your walls will definitely get wet.

Fortunately, water can easily enter the vinyl siding, but it is easier to escape! Because vinyl siding is so light and open, the moisture that flows to the properly installed house packaging will only drip at the nearest drip. And because the vinyl siding allows so much air flow behind it, even if the house packaging is not installed correctly, rot damage is impossible.

For 28 years, the corners of vinyl siding have allowed water to pour on this poorly installed tar paper. Although it looks terrible, the plywood is only stained. It is completely dry and still solid.
For 28 years, the corners of vinyl siding have allowed water to pour on this poorly installed tar paper. Although it looks terrible, the plywood is only stained. It is completely dry and still solid.

In Edmonton, our climate is dry enough, and the wet wall behind the vinyl siding can usually be completely dry, limiting damage. We rarely need to make major repairs to the structure under the old vinyl siding.

 

Advantages: low maintenance
As homeowners, we have had enough time to keep up with the situation around the house. Cleaning, dusting, shoveling, mowing, painting, dyeing, etc. The last thing most people want to do is to add another maintenance item to their list by choosing an exterior siding product that requires a lot of maintenance.

Maintenance factor is another highlight of vinyl siding. Since vinyl siding is made of a special type of exterior grade plastic, homeowners have needed almost nothing for decades to continue to be in top condition. All you really need to do is rinse it off from time to time, nothing more! There is nothing to repaint, and no caulking joints to pay attention to.

 

Disadvantages: broken
One of the main disadvantages of vinyl siding is that it is more fragile than other materials. Over time, these elements will have an impact on your vinyl siding. Wind, rain, sun, and freeze-thaw cycles all have their effects. After 25 to 30 years, vinyl siding will start to become more fragile. This means that a football that deviates from the goal may break a siding rather than bounce immediately. The strong wind may be enough to break a few panels from the wall, because the hem of the nail is not as strong as before.

In hail storms, even brand new vinyl siding is often torn apart by falling ice, while fiber cement siding is almost undamaged (check this case study to see the difference). You may think that hail damage is not a problem because your insurance company will pay for the new siding. This is true, but over time (and claims continue to increase), insurance companies are doing everything they can to limit their risks.

In the past 5 years, we have seen insurance companies increase the siding deductible and begin to depreciate alternative vinyl siding in southern Alberta. This makes sense, because hail damage has been the killer of insurance companies' profit margins for some time, and vinyl siding is an important part of it. Don't be surprised if vinyl siding is completely excluded from certain insurance policies after 10 to 20 years!


Disadvantages: heat resistance
Will vinyl siding melt?
Unfortunately, vinyl siding can warp or melt even when exposed to moderate heat. If you place the grill too close to the wall, you can almost kiss goodbye to the vinyl siding.

Advantages: easy to repair
Although vinyl siding is indeed more fragile than some other materials, it is also one of the easiest materials to repair!

To repair a broken wall panel, the installer will use a special tool to unlock the broken panel and other parts. The new siding can then be connected to the wall, and the original siding above can be locked to the new siding.


judgment
Vinyl siding really began to take over the Edmonton market from aluminum and wood siding in the early 1990s. Homeowners are attracted by the fact that vinyl siding provides an extremely low-maintenance appearance at a more budget-friendly price.

When reviewing this list of pros and cons, it is clear why vinyl siding is still the most popular choice for siding in Edmonton. Since we have less sunlight and a lower risk of severe hail, vinyl siding is very suitable for our community.

In the end, only you can decide whether vinyl siding is right for you.
In addition to vinyl siding, we also have WPC wall cladding for your reference, which is another good choice.

 

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