This practical resource helps new homeowners and home builders understand the benefits of polymeric exterior products, including vinyl siding and polymeric roofing. The post highlights:
- Extensive design options, like colors and architectural styles
- Proven performance benefits, such as energy efficiency, durability and weather resistance
- Industry-leading sustainability, from manufacturing through recycling into next-generation products
- Easy installation and low maintenance ownership
From the roof to the backyard, polymeric exterior building products are a whole-house solution. Made from advanced engineered polymers, they deliver a unique combination of durability, low maintenance and design flexibility.
Today, these materials are used throughout the home, from fencing, decking, railings and trim to windows, doors, siding and roofing, giving homeowners and builders a wide range of exterior solutions that stand up to the elements while maintaining their beauty for years to come.
Whether you're building a new home or renovating an existing one, the Polymeric Exterior Products Association (PEPA) wants you to understand why polymeric materials have become a trusted choice for exterior building products. In this post, we focus on two categories – vinyl siding and polymeric roofing – and explain why they continue to gain popularity among homeowners, builders and designers.
Vinyl siding was the most popular siding on new homes in 2025 and is now found on more than two out of every five homes. Polymeric roof tiles are also becoming an increasingly popular roofing option thanks to their durability, beautiful aesthetics and lightweight performance. If you’re new to homebuilding or renovation, consider this your practical guide to understanding the benefits of vinyl siding and polymeric roofing.
A World of Design Options
Curb appeal may be one of the most important factors when building or renovating your house. Vinyl siding has an impressive array of color profiles and architectural styles. If a classic or historic look is what you crave, vinyl siding and polymeric roofing are available in styles that realistically replicate cedar shake, slate, stone and other premium materials to provide the necessary accents for your dream home.
Explore PEPA’s Inspiration Gallery to get your creative juices flowing.
Performance, Performance, Performance
Like the age-old saying in real estate – location, location, location – performance is what ultimately determines the long-term value of your home’s exterior. You can have the most attractive home in the neighborhood, but appearance alone isn’t enough if your exterior requires frequent repairs or replacement. With vinyl siding, all you need is a quick rinse with a garden hose – the product does the rest and can stay on your house for the next 30 to 50 years, maintaining its look and durability.
Polymeric exteriors can help improve energy efficiency, and vinyl siding is well-suited for home projects that incorporate continuous insulation.
For more than 25 years, vinyl siding has been the No. 1 choice for new single-family homes. Polymeric exterior products are valued for their durability in extreme climates, including strong wind resistance. effective moisture management, color retention, minimizing fire risk, reduced risk of water intrusion and color retention.
Polymeric roof materials made by PEPA members have a Class 4 Impact rating (the highest) for resistance, which has proven ideal for coastal and other high-wind, storm-ridden areas. They can expand and contract with changes in the weather, providing the best wind resistance among all other claddings.
Additionally, vinyl siding is well-engineered for high-quality installation that takes half the time to complete compared to other claddings. Because polymeric roof tiles are lightweight, installation is much simpler than with heavier, bulkier roof materials, requiring less time and labor.
To maximize performance excellence, make sure you are using VSI Certified Installers to install your polymeric claddings.
Go Green: Polymeric Exteriors Are the Sustainable Solution
When it comes to sustainability, research shows that polymeric exteriors rank highest among all other categories for a lower carbon footprint, recyclability and lifespan. While other cladding producers boast the sustainability of their products, vinyl siding and other polymeric exteriors adhere to the highest standards of energy efficiency and sustainability. These EPDs (Environmental Product Declarations) help demonstrate that performance.
PEPA launched a vinyl siding recycling initiative a few years ago, the Revinylize Recycling Collaborative, that diverts millions of post-consumer rigid vinyl away from the landfills (and in some cases, to create new products for tomorrow’s homes). Revinylize recycled 30 million pounds of post-consumer vinyl siding in 2025.
Endless Options to Match Your Style
Beautiful, durable, sustainable and cost-effective – polymeric exteriors offer a whole-house solution.
There are numerous types of polymeric exteriors available to match your specific project needs – vinyl siding, insulated vinyl siding, polypropylene siding and backed vinyl siding. And polymeric roofing combines the latest engineering innovations with time-tested, reliable attributes for eco-friendly durability and curb appeal.
In fact, top designers from the New Urbanism movement, including founder and architect, Andrés Duany, specify vinyl siding and polymeric exterior products for many of their projects. These leading designers – Korkut Onaran, Fernando Pagés Ruiz, Ronnie Pelusio and Tom Lyon – wrote “the book” on Architectural Design for Traditional Neighborhoods, which explains how to use polymeric exteriors in traditional home designs.
Ready to Get Started?
Whether you're replacing your roof, updating your siding or building a new home, polymeric exterior building products deliver lasting beauty, dependable performance and low-maintenance value.
From siding and roofing to fencing, decking, windows, doors and other exterior components, polymeric products offer homeowners and builders a durable, cohesive solution for the entire home.
When you're ready to get started, find a VSI Certified Installer near you.