![]() ![]() These five tips will help you keep costs down.Ĭompare apples to apples. Installers might encourage you to switch to a more expensive product than the one you're considering or suggest unnecessary extras to bolster their bottom line. Home Depot no longer offers siding installation services.) (Lowe's says all of its third-party installers meet insurance and licensing guidelines. "These businesses sell to local contractors and know who does quality work," McArdle says.Īs with any contractor, check local and state licenses, Better Business Bureau ratings, and certificates of insurance. Ray McArdle, general manager of Norandex, a siding maker in Beloit, Wis., suggests going to local siding distributors to ask for installer recommendations. The websites of some vinyl siding manufacturers also have search engines to help you find reputable local installers. To increase the chances of finding a capable contractor who will do the job right-and be available to fix any problems that might arise-look for siding installers who have been working in your area for at least five years, and check their references.Ĭontractors certified by the Vinyl Siding Institute (VSI) have been trained in the best installation practices and can be found through VSI's website. Even worse, shoddy installation can allow moisture to find its way to the bones of the home, where it could cause mold or rot, compromising the house's structural integrity. Siding can refresh a house's appearance, but it can also create an eyesore by buckling or warping if it's improperly installed. But at $390, it's more than four times the price of Alside. The only alternative siding we recommend, Celect Cellular Composite by Royal 7-inch Clapboard, is the top-performing siding in our ratings overall and has an appearance closer to real wood than the vinyl products. It excels in our evaluations of rigidity-lying flatter and straighter on the surface-as well as in wind resistance and assaults by heavy objects at a moderate temperature. At $95 per square, it's the only Best Buy in our siding ratings. Alside Charter Oak offers a winning combination of performance and price. Our top-rated vinyl siding holds up well in most climates. (Tests of fiber cement siding are underway in our labs results will be posted when they're available.) The results suggest that if your house routinely gets battered in the winter by wind-blown branches or other heavy objects, you might want to stick with wood or fiber cement siding. In cold testing, the alternative sidings showed mediocre resistance to damage related to winter weather. Temperature can affect the impact resistance of siding, so we tested the samples at 70° F and 0° F. And the foam backing on some vinyl siding products could help to insulate your house, says Rich Handel, CR's test project leader for siding.Īlternative siding holds up better in the cold. Vinyl siding that's folded over at the top in what's called a "double hem" attaches more securely to exterior walls than siding without that feature. For fewer seams and a more uniform look on your house, choose panels longer than the typical 12 to 13 feet. All of the other products we tested showed a noticeable change in color when compared with new samples after our color change test.įeatures make a difference. Among the 10 all-vinyl products, only one-Georgia-Pacific Forest Ridge, at $120 per square and exclusive to Lowe's-held its color well. But they're pricey, at $300 to $390 per 100 square feet ("per square" in siding-speak). The three alternative sidings held their color admirably. We subjected light-colored siding samples to 1,000 hours of ultraviolet light about twice the strength of sunlight. Here are the highlights of our findings:Ĭolorfast siding generally costs more. We evaluated 10 vinyl products made entirely of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and three alternative products made of a combination of PVC foam and other materials. ![]() Our recent tests of siding products is the first we've done in more than a decade. ![]()
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