How To Choose The Right Siding For Your Home — Siding is a stylish, fast-to-install choice for those homeowners seeking to transform the exterior of their home at an affordable cost. It also has numerous other benefits including easy maintenance, moisture resistance, and insulating your home which can cut down on your energy bill.
There are a variety of different siding materials that you can select for your project so how do you choose the right one? We’re going to walk you through all the most popular siding options available and outline the benefits of each one so you can select the best fit for your home.
Choosing The Right Siding For Your Home
Since siding covers most of your home’s exterior you want to make sure you get it right with the material, style, and coloring so that it’s not only functional but also creates a look that you’ll love to come home to every day. Let’s get started!
Which Siding Material Should You Choose?
Steel
Steel siding is not the cheapest choice available; however, it offers a great return on your investment. You can get it in various styles and colors, it is durable and can withstand weather, fire and water damage, and it needs minimal maintenance, apart from the usual cleaning.
Fiber cement
It is a pretty new material in the field of home improvement, and it is also high impact resistance due to its highly durable material. Fiber cement can provide the appearance of wood without the expense of installation and a decreased risk of fire or rot. In regard to cost, the material is not as costly as brick or stone.
Aluminum
This is another widely used siding option. Similar to vinyl, it’s durable and simple to install, and it can provide better energy efficiency compared to vinyl. Aluminum will not break or crack, but scratches can show because the color is applied to the surface rather than embedded in the siding material.
Vinyl
This is perhaps one of the most popular siding materials on the market. It is available in various colors, durable and inexpensive. Vinyl siding has solid color all the way through, meaning that scratches will not show and it will not require painting. It is also easy to install making it a preferred option for do-it-yourselfers. Vinyl also contracts and expands with changes in temperature, making it an excellent option for colds winters, especially the ones we have in Alberta!
Stone
Stone is gorgeous, durable and provides long-lasting appeal. It also plays the role of an insulator and reduces noise penetration. It can be costly, and it needs expert installation. If you need the look of stone without the exorbitant price tag, another possibility is an imitation stone veneer.
Brick
Brick provides most of the same pros and cons as stone siding. It’s insulating, appealing and durable can be costly to install however. The weather resistance that brick provides will last for years to come.
Wood
Wood is a preferred choice for cottages, bungalows, and Cape Cod style homes due to its rich wood look. It needs more maintenance compared to vinyl; however, not so much that it removes it from the list. Wood siding comes in shingles, clapboard, and shakes. Clapboard entails installing planks of wood horizontally where the upper piece overlaps the lower piece. Shingles and shakes offer you a look that is uniform and smooth.
Stucco
This is a preferred option for warm, dry climates. It insulates, minimizes sound penetration into your home, it provides a neat, smooth look and it is fire resistant. It might need some maintenance; however, it is easy to patch if cracks show up. But the original application and cleaning can be messy, so it is often not a preferred option if you intend to do it yourself.
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Conclusion
As you can see there’s a lot of great options to make your home look more beautiful than ever with the right siding. Your budget, climate, and style all play a role in finding the best fit for your project and we hope this article gave you enough insight to make a more informed decision. Which type of siding are you contemplating for your next renovation? Are you going to use a siding contractor or do the job yourself? Let us know in the comments or leave a photo from your completed project. We’d love to hear from you!
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