Types of House Siding

What types of house siding are best for your home?

Unfortunately, there is no one product that is 'best' in all situations. 

Have you ever heard the old expression 'you can't judge a book by its cover'?

Well that certainly does not apply to your house.

People do judge your house by its cover, or the way it looks from the street. Curb appeal.

Everyone wants their house to have a good 'Curb Appeal'. 

If you want to improve the look of your house, you must improve the look of the exterior walls. 

Installing new siding on your home may be one of the best investments you can make for your home. Prices of homes are going up dramatically everywhere, and replacing the exterior siding may be the answer for you.

A fresh look for an older house at a fraction of the cost of a new home.

New siding will increase the value of your home, make it fresh and new looking again, and completely change the look and feel of the house. It is like buying a new house without all the cost.

3 Main Types of House Sidings

Generally, we do not think of a house that is made of brick, or stone, or even concrete block as a house with 'siding'. 

We think of house siding as being something like a wood siding, or a vinyl siding or one of the newer concrete fiber sidings. Something that you install onto your house. Even though you can actually install new siding on stone, brick, stucco, or block houses.

If you are looking to add a new exterior siding to freshen up your existing home, you are going to look at one of the big three types,

1. Wood Siding
2. Vinyl Siding, or
3. Fiber cement sidings.

Wood House Siding

Wood House Siding is one of the oldest sidings used for houses. Ever since man left the cave, he immediately went to wood to build his house.  Wood was everywhere and easy to cut up into logs, and long planks to build houses. 

Wood siding is by far the most common exterior wall material everywhere. It has been used in Europe, and the US for centuries, and still is.

Vinyl House Siding

Vinyl siding is the most popular home siding because of the lower cost and extremely minimal maintenance, and it is easy to install and never has to be painted again. 

Vinyl siding comes in every possible style and texture of real wood siding.

From smooth freshly painted cedar planks to rough textured fresh sawn cedar.

Vinyl Siding is a type of exterior house siding made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC). It is a popular alternative to traditional wood siding because of its many benefits including lower price than wood siding, durability, and extremely low maintenance.

It comes in a wide variety of types, colors, thickness, shapes, insulated or non-insulated and of course, prices.  From builder grade to premium grades, something for every budget.

Vinyl Siding is the number 1 selling home siding in the US.

Clapboard siding is siding that runs across your house from end to end, or horizontally. Sometimes called 'horizontal siding, or Lap siding, or even 'ship lap' siding.

To see more information on Clapboard Siding, click here.   Clapboard Vinyl Siding

Fiber Cement Siding

The newer man-made sidings such as Hardie Board Siding, engineered wood sidings and concrete board sidings have come a long way in the past few years. 

They are stronger than vinyl, less maintenance than wood, and are resistant to both insects and moisture. Some can withstand hurricane force winds.

Fiber cement house siding is a type of siding made from a mixture of cement, sand, and cellulose fibers. It is a popular alternative to traditional wood siding or even vinyl siding.

It has great durability, it is fire resistant, resists water and insect damage, strong enough to withstand hurricane force wind, and has minimal maintenance.

Hardie Board Siding

Hardie Board Siding is one of the most popular home sidings sold today. It is actually a man-made product, and sometimes called fiber cement siding. 

It is a mix of wood pulp fibers and portland cement. It offers strength and resilience at a reduced price. Stronger than vinyl siding, less maintenance than real wood. 

HardiePlank siding is the most popular brand of siding in America and can be found in over 4 million homes. You want strength, beauty and durability that lasts for years, James Hardie siding enhances and protects homes in all kind of climates.

Fiber cement siding has many advantages over real wood, and even vinyl.

• It is moisture and rot resistant, great for coastal and beach areas.
• Pest resistant. 
• Harsh weather resistant. Great for high wind areas.
• Non-combustible. It is the siding of choice in wildfire prone areas.

To see more information on Hardie Board Siding, click here.    Hardie Board Siding

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You have many home siding options to pick from. Although you technically could put new siding on any home, most people don't install new siding over brick or stone homes.

When siding is added to an older building it can sometimes be placed over the existing siding, including stucco, brick, or stone. Sometimes not.

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Engineered Wood Siding

Engineered wood siding is another man-made home siding that has become one of the more popular sidings available today. Stronger than vinyl siding, less pricy than wood siding, insect resistant, rot and moisture resistant, has much less maintenance than wood siding, and comes in all the popular types, styles, and colors.

For more information on Engineered Wood Siding, click here.  Engineered Wood Siding

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