What is the Best Siding for a Home?

Most people spend a lot of time designing and maintaining the interior of their homes. But, the exterior is also equally important – if not more.

First of all, it is your family’s first line of defense against nature. Second, it serves as an attractive invitation to outsiders who are coming for visits. One way of improving your home’s exterior is through choosing the right siding. In the article below, we will discuss which kind of siding will best suit the exterior façade of your house.

Wood Siding

There is a wide variety available in the wood siding genre. Common ones include shakes, shingles and boards. They offer your house a warm and cozy appearance. Their beauty is timeless. That is the reason why most people choose wood sidings when they are seeking to renovate exteriors.

Wood siding can be further diversified as follows:

Shingles

These types of wood sidings can easily be used over any kind of existing siding. You can easily install shingles over clapboards. But, it is better to get rid of the old ones before setting up new ones.

Before installing new sidings make sure that any damaged trims are properly repaired. Using house wrap will also be beneficial when it comes to overall insulation.

It is not enough to simply install your shingles and forget about them. You need to carry out annual inspection so that any kind of damage or crack could be dealt with. Proper maintenance will add life to your shingles and make them last longer

Pine and Cedar

Pine and Cedar are generally used for making sidings. Pine is very economical but it has a low tendency to resist weather conditions and creepy creatures. Cedar is much more stubborn. Moreover, its dimension remains stable in any kind of weather. This means that it wouldn’t expand or contract in hot and cold weather. Cedar is available in many different colors like white, red and yellow.

Regardless of whether you are using Pine or Cedar, you can add extra life to it by simply using a good finish. A good paint will offer protection against ultra-violet rays. Paints specially made for wood sidings are easily available in the market.

Apart from wood sidings, there are some other types of sidings also available.

Vinyl

Vinyl sidings are economical, long-lasting and very reliable. They are available in diverse styles and colors. You can choose a vinyl siding that looks exactly like a wood shingle. You can even choose one that looks exactly like stone.

Vinyl sidings are resistant to scratch. Simply cleaning with a cloth will render it as good a new every time. These sidings can be installed over existing ones or made part of a newly built house. Insulated vinyl sidings are also available. 

Fiber Cement

Many people think that fiber cement is perhaps the best choice for house sidings. It is a compound of cellulose and cement. Both are compressed into siding products including boards, panels and trims.

Fiber cement sidings are affordable and highly stable. By applying protective paint, the life of vinyl sidings can be extended several years.

The Final Word

There are many different types of sidings available for a home. Before you choose one for your home, make sure that it suits the overall façade of your dwelling. Moreover, you will also need to consider the trimming requirements before installation. At the end of the day, the siding should completely blend in with other aspects of your home so that it remains attractive and inviting to all.