5 Myths about Vinyl Siding Busted

Protection material for the walls of houses has evolved over the past few decades. Where once wood was the only option, today everything from wood, vinyl, aluminum and stone work is used to protect the walls of the house from the elements and provide a fascinating array of options in terms of curb appeal as well.

Vinyl is one of the newer forms of siding, and isn’t as well-known as some of its predecessors such as the aforementioned wood and stone. Due to its relative ambiguity, it has developed a bit of an unsavory reputation. Furthermore, vinyl, unlike the others has its base in a manmade product, namely plastic, and is completely engineered as opposed to the other two, which are composed of material that occurs naturally, which further adds to the stigma attached to it.

This trend has seen a major change in recent times however, as the technology involved in producing vinyl has evolved, and with it, its perception in the minds of contractors, builders and home owners. The benefits of using vinyl siding have been spoken about at length on various forums, and yet there seems to be a certain amount of misinformation regarding it in the minds of many people, particularly those who don’t have to deal with siding and its many options on a regular basis.

Today, I intend to address these misled beliefs that some people still have against vinyl siding, and set the record straight on what this exterior cladding is all about. With that in mind, here are the top five myths about vinyl siding – debunked.

• Vinyl siding is weak and flimsy. Vinyl siding is made out of plastic, is light weight and quite pliable, this has led people to automatically assume that it is weak and easily destructible – This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, vinyl siding is actually quite durable, lasts for decades altogether, and is even designed to withstand higher wind velocity than its other contemporaries in the siding sphere. So much so, that some manufacturers even offer a staggering life time warranty on their vinyl siding products.

• Vinyl siding looks cheap and tacky. While this was the case in the early 70s when vinyl siding was still in its nascent stage, this statement no longer holds true. Now, with the advent of technology and years of refinement, vinyl siding looks absolutely fabulous, and for those who claim nothing looks as good as wood, vinyl siding designs are available that look exactly like authentic wooden exteriors as well. In terms of sheer design options, vinyl siding blows its competition out of the water in a spectacular fashion, as the options range in the hundreds, and the choices in terms of texture, color and pattern are seemingly endless.

• Vinyl siding is bad for insulation.Due to its plastic base and relatively insubstantial weight, people also assume that it doesn’t provide adequate insulation. In reality though, vinyl siding is available with energy star ratings, meaning it has insulating properties to such greater degrees, that the government recognizes this and has included it in its energy saving portfolio of products. To further clarify, vinyl siding helps keep the heat in during colder weather, and cool air in during warmer climates, reducing the strain on artificial temperature control systems like air conditioners and heating systems, and also reducing electricity costs as a result.

• Vinyl siding reduces the value of the property.Since wood siding is much more expensive to install, people tend to believe that it increases the value of the house, while vinyl siding reduces it. More and more property dealers though are replacing the old wood siding that have been on houses for extended periods of time, and replacing it with vinyl, as it is virtually maintenance free, and thus has the propensity to last a lot longer without developing problems. So, if you have vinyl siding on your homes, in the eyes of the professionals, your house is more valuable as it saves them the cost and trouble of applying vinyl siding themselves, and comes with the previously mentioned lifetime warranty to boot.

• Vinyl siding is bad for the environment. This particular myth is the most bandied about, but that doesn’t make it any less untrue. Vinyl siding is more environmentally sustainable to produce than bricks, aluminum and fiber cement, and we’ve all heard about how detrimental the loss of tree cover is for the environment as well. Vinyl siding is also recyclable, which makes it that much more eco-friendly.

Vinyl siding is a genuinely valuable option when it comes to household exteriors, and shouldn’t be discounted on the basis of misinformation. In terms of design, safety, economy and durability, vinyl siding leads its competitors, and as such should be given fair consideration when deciding what approach to take with your home’s exterior, and shouldn’t be marginalized out of ignorance and misinformation.