Residing your home with vinyl siding is a smart investment. Compared to all other cladding, it has the lowest installed cost (both materials and labor) and unlike other cladding, vinyl siding does not need additional investment over the life of the product. There’s no cost to paint, caulk, or refinish every few years like you have to do with wood, fiber cement, or other prefabricated products. Vinyl siding certified for color retention is warranted to resist fading so the beauty and durability you get on day one will last a lifetime.
In addition to making your house look great, siding has a vital job to perform — protecting your home from the elements. When properly installed, certified vinyl siding can withstand winds of 110 miles per hour. Plus, certified vinyl and other polymeric siding, will never crack, chip, flake, pit peel or fade. And with the most comprehensive warranties of any siding, you know your investment is safe when you build or remodel with America’s number one choice — vinyl siding.
Home builder, author, and VSI consultant Fernando Pages Ruiz talks about why he thinks vinyl siding is a better choice than fiber cement.
The Truth About Vinyl Siding vs. Brick
Vinyl siding is the number one choice of remodelers, builders and homeowners. Used alone or in combination with other exterior cladding, vinyl and other polymeric siding deliver undeniable curb appeal at the most affordable price. An impressive list of benefits includes lasting beauty, durability, extremely low maintenance, sustainability and great value.
Some competitors continue to make claims that simply are not true. In this brochure, we present the facts about vinyl siding and important things to consider about brick.
Facts:
Beauty
- Vinyl siding offers an impressive variety of profiles and shapes, with ideal choices to suit virtually any architectural style; an ever-increasing spectrum of colors, including darker options and period colors; and comprehensive architectural trim options and accessories in matching and complementary colors.
- While recognized for its attractive appearance, brick’s limited variations and color options are not suited for popular architectural styles, including Queen Anne and Craftsman. Because accessories are not available in brick, many brick homes rely on high-maintenance trim (e.g., wood) to complete the look.
Installation
- Vinyl siding has the lowest total installed cost of any exterior cladding. An independent agency ensures that certified vinyl siding installers are trained and tested on ASTM-accepted application techniques.
- Brick’s labor-intensive process equates to higher installation cost; about 420 percent more expensive than vinyl siding. Due to weight, it is more expensive to ship to job site.
Environmental Impact
- Vinyl Siding qualifies as an environmentally preferred product. Per BEES software analysis, has lower environmental impact than brick in total embodied energy, global warming potential and criteria air pollutants
- Per BEES software analysis, brick’s effects on global warming are three times greater than those of vinyl siding
Value
- Vinyl siding is has the lowest total installed cost of any exterior cladding; has no long-term maintenance costs; no evidence of different appreciation rate of property value compared to other types of exterior cladding; and lifetime, transferable warranties are available
- Brick is nearly 400 percent more expensive material cost than vinyl siding and maintenance to re-point joints adds to life cycle cost of the home
Insulated siding can improve a home’s energy efficiency. Most exterior walls have insulation in between the wall studs, but allow significant energy loss through the studs themselves. Wall studs, both wood and metal, are poor insulators — when they come in contact with the exterior cladding, they allow heat to pass through them (which is called a thermal bridge). Since these studs represent up to 25 percent of the wall surface of an average home, it’s like having an entire exterior wall with no insulation at all.
Learn more about how vinyl siding can help you side with safety – and do it beautifully.
