As the weather turns warmer, homeowners begin the annual ritual of sprucing up their homes. Grass is fertilized, flower beds are cleared of leaves, and deck furniture is hauled out of the garage. For those with painted homes, the chore of deciding whether to paint the exterior of their homes or hire it done also begins.
Costs for exterior paint and exterior painting services have risen in the past years as have costs for most building products. While the cost of painting a home’s exterior is often less than other siding options, homeowners must consider that residential wood siding has to be repainted approximately every five years.1
If you have vinyl siding, repainting every 5 years isn’t necessary, which is a huge plus.
The investment in paint over the life of a home can often exceed the cost of other siding options, so it is important for homeowners to explore those other options which may help them save money, require less maintenance and increase a home’s curb appeal and value.
There are about 18 different exterior siding options. According to the National Association of Home Builders, the top three exterior options in the East North Central Region of the U.S., which includes Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin, are vinyl (68%), brick (10%) and wood (10%).2 A popular trend is to mix and match siding, using different colors, styles and sizes of materials to highlight different parts of a home.
For example, the majority of a home may be done in traditional lap vinyl siding, with the peak area of a garage done in cedar-shake looking vinyl or the porch area done in decorative brick veneer siding. The options are numerous in terms of design.
Vinyl Exterior Siding
Vinyl siding is the most economical type of siding. Vinyl siding comes in over 10 styles including traditional lap, smooth, beaded, Dutch lap, clapboard, board and batten, vinyl shake, scalloped, log-look, brick-look, and stone-look.3
There are also three different grades of siding – hollow, premium, and insulated with the insulated being the most durable, but also costing the most.
Vinyl is easy to install and can be installed over other exterior materials, such as wood siding. Vinyl also comes in a large variety of colors, with darker colors such as dark gray and dark blue currently trending. Pairing dark colored siding with bright white accents produces a bold visual appearance. Red siding is also a striking exterior color option. With today’s ultraviolet light blocking technology and anti-fade protection dark colored siding will last longer than vinyl siding produced a decade ago. Vinyl siding does accumulate dirt and mold and mildew over time and needs to be cleaned as needed using a soft cloth or an long-handled, soft-bristle brush.4
Brick Veneer Exterior Siding
Traditional brick siding is done with full-sized bricks stacked on top of one another with mortar between the bricks and metal hangers that attached the bricks to the frame of the home. Traditional brick siding is more expensive than brick veneer siding so most homes today are clad in brick veneer.
While brick veneer exterior siding costs more than vinyl or wood, it is resistant to fires and weather and requires little to no maintenance for years.5 Composed of clay, cement and gravel, brick is extremely durable.
Wood Exterior Siding
Natural wood siding has an earthy look and is extremely durable if maintained properly. Wood siding costs vary by species and type. Wood is generally more expensive than vinyl, but less costly than brick. Plywood/T-111 is the most common type of wood siding but there are a host of other wood types used for exterior siding including pine, fir, Douglas fir, cedar, engineered wood, redwood and even teak and cypress.6
Wood siding is prone to some destructive forces such as wood rot and mildew from rain, and damage from insects and birds such as termites, carpenter ants and wood peckers. You will have to paint or stain your wood siding frequently to preserve it and keep it looking good.
Vinyl siding seems to be the biggest bang for your buck with good reason. It’s not only easy to maintain, it’s durable and comes in a variety of styles, thickness and color allowing for a custom look to your home’s exterior.
Excel Home Improvement in Romulus we pride ourselves on being experts in the field of siding and our installers see every siding installation job through with success. Our home improvement services include roof installation and repair, gutter systems, soffits, trim and more.
So, if you are in need of siding repair or replacement, are experiencing roofing issues or have gutters that are barely functioning, our dedicated team at Excel Home Improvement can help make the exterior of your home safe, secure and look amazing. Contact one of our home improvement specialists for a Free Estimate.
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1 Caring for Wood Siding
Link: https://www.houselogic.com/organize-maintain/home-maintenance-tips/wood-siding-care-and-maintenance/
2 Most Common Exteriors on New Homes are Stucco and Vinyl in 2020, by Ashok Chaluvadi, 7.22.2021
Link: https://eyeonhousing.org/2021/07/most-common-sidings-on-new-homes-are-stucco-and-vinyl-in-2020/?_ga=2.231852058.448963072.1681926191-881857443.1681926191
3, 5, 6 Home Siding Types & Installation Costs 2023, by Hubert Miles, 2/19/2023
Link: https://homeinspectioninsider.com/home-siding-costs/
4 How to Clean Vinyl Siding, by Donna Boyle Schwartz and Bob Vila, 9/29/2020
Link: https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-clean-vinyl-siding/