Siding Your Home With Vinyl Siding
Posted: Monday, July 05, 2010
by Linda Baxter
http://www.home-built4u.com
The importance of siding your home in a protective cover cannot be neglected if you want your house to withstand many years of service.
There are many types of siding. My preference is vinyl siding. Vinyl is a durable plastic that will not rot or flake. It does not need to be painted. We have experienced other types of siding which require upkeep in the form of paint, etc. The ease of upkeep on vinyl siding is remarkable. It is no wonder that vinyl has become so popular a material for siding buildings in the United States and is gaining popularity throughout the world.
If you shop around, you can usually find a vinyl siding outlet where you can purchase the siding direct. Warning: Do not buy from the " door to door " salesman unless you want to get ripped off. Our neighbor paid over $20,000 to have little 2 bedroom, 1000 sq ft, one story home sided with vinyl. We paid less than $5,000 to side an 1800 sq ft, one story home.
Vinyl siding comes in various thickness or guage and the choice of a higher quality can be the difference between a disaster and perfection. You need a high quality vinyl which will withstand the weather and that means the wind in particular.
If the vinyl is too flimsy and isnt installed properly, the wind will get up under the siding and may rip it off of the structure. In our experience, we had a horrific wind shortly after building our home. No damage occurred to our home while many other new homes in the area received loss of an entire side of vinyl.
We could see the need for knowing the type of work our contractor does. We also saw the value of using a thicker guage material. If you look for a contractor who will guarantee his work, you will be better protected.
Before siding your home, a protective moisture barrier will cover the wooden structure. This is often called " wrapping " the house. It is important to tape each of the seams of the wrap and around each opening such as windows, doors, and vents. The wrap will be fastened to the sheathing. This will prevent moisture from being blown in and trapped under the barrier where it can eventually begin rotting the wood. If you get moisture behind the barrier, the wood on the frame work will swell, and rot will set into the wood.
It is always important to examine any structure periodically to look for potentially hidden decay. Inspecting regularly gives you the opportunity to re-caulk the joints between the trim-work and the wood. Roof and gutters are other places where moisture may be detected and should be repaired without delay.
Once rot sets in, the structure is at risk. Its a little like termites, in that it spreads and destroys the stability of your home unless properly tended to.
Siding a home includes the soffit, facia, and trim. The trim should be caulked where it creates a joint, to prevent moisture from getting to the wood.
A good tip for installing vinyl siding is: Dont pound the nails completely down. There needs to be a little " slip " so that the vinyl can move as it heats or contracts with the weather. Then you wont be as likely to get buckling of your siding.
There is a lot to know about siding and youll likely miss many important things if you try to do it yourself. The siding can be installed in only a few days on a single story home. Siding includes the soffit and facia and all the trim work. Prepainted aluminum soffit and facia is often used instead of vinyl, because of durability.
Whatever your choice, whether it be brick, wood, aluminum, or vinyl siding, it is important to use an experienced contractor who will guarantee his work.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)I don't understand what siding is (I'm from South Africa).
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