When most people think of home siding, they usually immediately think of old school (and old fashioned) vinyl siding: the one-size fits all cookie-cutter siding that adorned homes across America in the 70s and 80s. The truth is, these days, home siding comes in a staggering variety of formats and materials, and, as a home siding company, we like to say that there’s a siding for every budget, aesthetic and preference.
The Washington Post ran a Q&A with Tim Carter back in 2020, and it was intriguing to see his perspective on the wood vs. vinyl debate.
If you’re not already familiar with him, Tim Carter is a pro homebuilder, and he hosts a podcast at AskTheBuilder.com. He comes from a background of once having only championed wood siding for houses. Now, however, he has had a change of mind upon seeing the recent advancements in vinyl siding.
Vinyl Siding vs. Wood Siding – Tips From a Pro
As materials science has improved, and as more people have invested in vinyl siding through the years, the research and development in the realm of home siding have gone through the roof. The modern vinyl updates – particularly the vinyl shakes that go on one-by-one to imitate the look of wood shakes – are remarkably close to wood in terms of look and texture. They come in any color you can imagine, and the maintenance cost and effort are a tiny fraction of what it would be with similar-looking wood shakes.
Carter lists a few ways in which wood is still preferable to vinyl. Wood insulates a bit better than vinyl. And for protection against the elements, it is hard to defeat a set of wood shakes.
However, wood’s disadvantages are manifold. Wood requires maintenance – sometimes a lot of maintenance (it depends on how the wood is treated and installed, and the weather and climate conditions in your area). Wood requires expert installation and stainless-steel nails. Wood shakes are often very pricey, both to purchase and install.
And while the Tim Carter of old would lean toward wood, especially for his own home, he says he would choose vinyl siding for his own home today, without hesitation. The vinyl shakes interlock to make a weatherproof barrier around the home. And that vinyl siding requires no maintenance unless you live in an urban area (in which case you just have to wash off the truck exhaust occasionally).
To get the vinyl looking more like wood, Carter suggests using “a special window, door, and corner trim that has a built-in J channel that hides the open end of the vinyl siding. This trim looks like traditional painted wood trim and gets rid of the traditional bulky J-channel that makes most wince.”
Today’s Vinyl Siding Is a Great Choice for Many Homeowners
These days, there isn’t a look for your home’s exterior that can’t be accomplished with vinyl siding. Whatever you envision as the ideal look for your home, your trusted local vinyl siding company can tell you how to accomplish it. And once that siding is installed, it’s more or less maintenance free except for washing off the dirt from time to time.
There are certain areas in the world that aren’t as well suited to vinyl siding (due to extreme cold or heat or other intense weather conditions) but for most locations, it’s a solid choice for long-term success with low maintenance at a great value.
Here in Cincinnati, vinyl siding is an excellent choice, and Harper Siding & Roofing is a great choice for the installation. Our decades of experience can facilitate an easy, low-stress installation process, and our expertise guarantees that we know how to give you the best advice in terms of the right choice for you and your home. Call us today to learn more about how today’s vinyl siding can give you the outcome you’re hoping for at a fair and reasonable price.