TYPES OF EXTERIOR SIDING
When selecting a home or having a home built it is very important to select the proper siding. You need to consider looks and weather conditions surrounding the home. If you live in an open area or near a lake when winds exceed 30 MPH having the wrong siding can create serious damage. Another area of concern is saving energy. If you have any question about whick siding to use please call APS Mold Inspection Service and we will help in anyway possible.
The type of siding on your home should accentuate the character and design of your home. For example, you wouldn't install vinyl siding on a Victorian home, but misguided home owners do it. Nor would you expect to find expensive redwood on a home exposed to the elements of the sea, but builders often cater to those with more money than common sense.
When home shopping -- whether you are a first-time home buyer or veteran -- pay attention to the condition of the siding. It's expensive and time consuming to replace or repair siding, costing anywhere from a few dollars to $30 or more per square foot. The lifespan of various types of siding will depend on the climate where you live. Home siding can require periodic painting or restaining and, in the event of wild temperature swings, some types of siding can crack through expansion and contraction.
Here are four good reasons to replace siding:
- Change the appearance.
Little spruces up a home and changes its desirability more than new siding.
- Increase future resale value.
New siding offers a benefit to home buyers because it extends the life of an exterior.
- Lower utility bills.
Adding insulation under siding provides a moisture barrier and prevents outside temperatures from disturbing the balance of interior climates.
- Decrease maintenance costs.
The life expectancy of, say, a new paint job is at least five years, and quality paints are touted by manufacturers to last 10 to 20 years. New siding requires little, if any, maintenance.
Brick Exteriors
Brick can last a century. Because it's made from fired clay, brick doesn't burn and is not susceptible to dry rot. If brick is not part of your original structure, then adding brick is typically accomplished by installing a brick veneer, also known as brick face, which are not full complete brick blocks. Maintenance of actual brick involves repointing, that is replacing mortar in between the bricks. Mortar is a mixture of cement, water, lime and sand.
Stucco Exteriors
Stucco can be applied by a variety of methods, but hand-troweled is considered to be the best. It can be smooth, rough or somewhere in between. Stucco needs to be water tight. If water seeps under the stucco, it will separate the material from the home. In a virgin application, stucco is spread over wire mesh, wood slats, paper and sheathing. Like mudding, drying in between coats is recommended. Re-stuccoing is permissible over original stucco.
Vinyl Siding
Vinyl siding is made of PVC or polyvinyl chloride and comes in a variety of colors. The panels are installed from the bottom row up by nailing galvanized roofing nails through the slots in the panel, exposing the nail head so the panels can move. The vinyl expands and contracts in hot and cold weather and must slide freely from side to side. Two main advantages to vinyl are it's inexpensive and never needs painting.
Aluminum Siding
It's hard to tell the differences between aluminum siding and vinyl without touching it as they look similar to each other. Aluminum siding became popular after World War II; however, the color can fade and, unlike vinyl, aluminum can be dented. It also expands and contracts, depending on temperature. Aluminum siding can be painted, and experts recommend oil-based paint over latex.
Wood Siding
Wood siding is manufactured in a variety of types such as shake, clapboard, singles or lap. Panels are applied vertically or horizontally, and finishes range from stains to paint to sealants. Wood siding should be installed over a moisture barrier and some contractors suggest priming the back of the wood and its sides to prevent water from seeping into the wood. Although wood is beautiful, it requires maintenance and can rot.
Log Siding
Covering the exterior of your home with log siding can make it look like a log home without rebuilding the home. Log siding comes in quarter logs and half logs. The finishes are smooth, knotted or, for that authentic log-home appearance, hand-hewn. Some log siding isn't even wood, but resembles wood and is available in vinyl or steel. Common wood choices for log siding are pine or cedar.
Glass Block Exteriors
Glass block walls are non-load bearing. They are laid by installing panel anchors to the jambs, expansion strips around the opening and panel reinforcing wire stabilizers every third or fourth row. Blocks are set into a special mortar made for glass. The maximum recommended size of a glass block wall is about 20 pounds per square foot or 144 square feet. I have a glass block wall in my home, which lets in light, but it does show interior shadows from the street. Routine exterior caulking is suggested.
Composite Siding
Manufactured siding can be created from almost any material and made to resemble natural wood. Some composite siding is made from shredded wood, binders, glue and Portland cement. James Hardie is a well known manufacturer of fiber-cement products -- built to withstand rain, wind, hail and insects -- and this siding is available in a variety of colors, boasting a limited 50-year warranty. Habitat for Humanity builds many homes with HardiBoard.
Stone Siding
Stone has been used for centuries. Today's stone siding products are natural or simulated. Artificial stone faces are lighter and easier to install. Of all the siding options available, stone siding is the most expensive. Most applications support a first layer, which is wall sheathing, covered by water resistant paper on top of which metal lath is secured. Then the stone is set into mortar and laid.
Seamless Siding
Seamless siding is a unique product that produces a long lasting protective finish to your house in "seamless" sections. Made of steel, the sections of siding are produced right on-site from roll stock in a special machine that cuts the finished product to the exact measurements and contours of your house. Traditional vinyl siding comes in standard sized sections that are attached to the house and then cut to measurement to cover the longitudal sections. With Seamless siding the stock is produced to the exact length of the house wall or section.
Shakes
Shakes are a rough type of wooden shingle, usually redwood, cedar or cypress. They can be either: handsplit, handsplit and sawn on one side, or handsplit and sawn on both sides. They are non-uniform in size and shape and give a rustic look to the exterior of the home. Shakes can be applied in a single course, where all of them are exposed to the elements or a double course in which only the top layer is exposed. Shakes are prone to cupping, a rolling of the shake toward the center, and checking, which is cracking or splitting.
Shingles
Shingles are usually redwood, cedar or cypress. They are smooth sawn and of uniform size and shape. They are applied from the bottom up and overlap each other a bit as the next highest row is applied. Some people prefer to have their shingles overlap in various amounts to give a different look or texture. Shingles can be applied in a single course, where all shingles are exposed to the elements or a double course in which only the top layer of shingles is exposed. Shingles are prone to cupping, a rolling of the shingle toward the center, and checking, which is a cracking or splitting.
Rectangular Plank
Perfectly rectangular wood planks are applied vertically with their ends butted together for a smooth look. The vertical joints of the planks are covered by long, narrow strips of wood called battens to help keep out moisture. The battens help give a vertical "rise and fall" look to the siding.
Clapboard
Clapboard is rectangular planking applied horizontally and overlapped. Clapboard will not look as smooth as rectangular planking applied vertically. However, it can be given a smoother look if the edges of the plank are beveled or tapered.
Composition Board or Hardboard
Planks or sheets of compressed wood fiber and weather resistant adhesive. Hardboard is a good choice in drier areas. The panels can be as long as 16 feet without any gaps. It can be made to look like clapboard if it is cut and applied horizontally.
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Lakewood, OH 44107
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