Find Your Best Siding

Beyond protecting your home from the elements, siding is rapidly becoming a prominent component of exterior design.

These days, there are as many types of siding as there are home styles and budgets. When you want to add not just color but character to your home, siding is the perfect way to make a statement.

Pre-siding considerations.

They fall into two main categories: short-term and long-term. Consider the relative ease, cost and safety of installation. Think about how well the available colors and textures match with the architecture of your home: curb appeal is very real and very important. How about the climate in your area and the effect it will have (if any) on the siding material? Finally, think about the maintenance costs of the siding over the time you will spend in your home.

Siding vs. Siding

Take a look at how four popular types of siding compare in speed and cost of installation, curb appeal/appearance, and maintenance and durability. Our siding contenders are:

  • Insulated Siding

cream siding

  • Celect® Cellular Composite Siding by Royal®, a PVC siding option

blue siding

  • Fiber Cement

white siding

  • Wood

wood siding

Insulated Siding Celect®, Cellular PVC Fiber Cement Wood
Installation
  • No initial painting required
  • Very easy to install
  • No initial painting required
  • Can be installed to grade
  • Gravity lock feature keeps individual panels straight and helps reduce installation time
  • Requires no caulking or treating end-cuts during installation
  • May require initial painting
  • Due to moisture absorption, requires 6”-8” minimum ground clearance
  • Requires initial staining or painting
  • Panel width can vary course to course

 

 

Appearance
  • Offered in a wide variety of colors, styles and finishes
  • Few seams
  • Straightens walls, hides typical wall imperfections

 

 

  • Offered in a wide variety of colors, styles and finishes
  • Patented Interlocking joints create seamless appearance, helps keep walls smooth and straight
  • No gaps, buckling or wavy lines
  • More design options with coated trimboards and mouldings
  • Offered in a wide variety of colors, styles and finishes
  • Unsightly seams and caulking
  • Follows dips and contours of walls
  • Visible nail heads
  • Offered in a wide variety of colors, styles and finishes
  • Seams warp and separate over time
  • Follows dips and contours of wall
  • Visible nail heads
  • Authentic, traditional look

 

Maintenance
  • Little maintenance over the life of the home, with just the occasional hose down or a power wash
  • Depending on profile, provides up to 19% higher R-value than traditional insulation
  • Low maintenance costs over the life of the home
  • Factory-applied colors are designed to stay true
  • Any dirt, mold or mildew can be readily cleaned away with a quick spray of a garden hose
  • 25-year warranty on coating
  • Any nicks or scratches can be easily touched up with paint

 

  • Depending on climate or location, may require repainting
  • Requires recaulking
  • May require periodic mold and mildew treatment
  • Typically has 15-year warranty on coating
  • Chips, scratches must be filled

 

  • Requires continual painting, staining, sealing and caulking
  • Susceptible to mildew and rot
  • Damaged boards are easy to replace
Durability
  • Stands up to a wide range of weather conditions, including high temperatures and strong winds
  • Termite-proof
  • Stands up to extreme, harsh weather conditions
  • Twice the energy efficiency of fiber cement or wood
  • Termite-proof

 

  • Different types available for different weather, ranging from wet/ freezing conditions to high heat and humidity
  • Fire-resistant and termite-proof

 

  • Issue in warm-weather climates: can attract termites and other harmful insects
  • Not recommended for areas that are prone to wildfires

 

Now for the fun part: exploring your options. When you’re ready, reach out to your local contractor for more guidance and inspiration about siding materials and features.

Let the home style tips come to you.