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What is siding

In its most general form, siding is an exterior decorative finish of a building in order to protect it from adverse external influences: wind, rain, snow, etc. For the first time, siding for house cladding began to be used in America in the middle of the nineteenth century: specially planed wooden boards, painted in different colors, were attached to the wall at a certain angle, moreover, each subsequent layer hung over the previous one and thus water flowed down from top to bottom without penetrating inside.

In the fifties of the last century, vinyl, metal and special, based on cement mortar, siding panels first appeared in the United States. Modern technologies offer a fairly wide selection of panels, they all differ in their texture, material, size, etc.

Finished panels have special elements for easy pairing with each other, as well as a protective outer coating. The main advantage of siding: durability, excellent protective properties from external influences, ease of installation and maintenance, environmental safety.

What is siding

First of all, let’s consider the question: what types of siding for the home exist, since this will allow you to make the best choice for those who decide to use this simple but very practical technology.

Wood

This is a classic version of the material for the manufacture of panels. The main advantages of this type are: naturalness of the material; the ability to maintain all its properties at sufficiently low temperatures — up to minus fifty degrees Celsius; ease of installation work.

However, it is in the properties of wood that the main disadvantages lie: low resistance to moisture, fire hazard, the need for additional processing to protect against decay and destruction by insects. In addition, wood siding requires periodic maintenance, namely: painting or varnishing.

One more point must be taken into account: with poor-quality drying of wood, the panels may deform over time, which will cause the appearance of cracks that will need to be sealed.

wood pulp

In this case, wood shavings and special chemical fillers — resins, are pressed under high pressure at high temperatures.

The main feature is low cost, excellent appearance and the ability to make a ventilated facade of the building. For all that, such panels are short-lived.

Plastic

The most common siding today, and therefore we will dwell on it in more detail below.

Metal

The name speaks for itself, while stamped steel sheets are coated with a primer and then with a protective polymer coating. There are galvanized panels.

The advantages of this type of material are obvious: fire safety, durability, excellent appearance, mechanical strength. The disadvantages of metal siding are poor sound and heat insulation, as well as high cost.

fiber cement

The manufacturing technology consists in pressing cellulose with cement mortar. The advantages of such a material in fire safety, high strength, temperature stability and strength, however, the high price, heavy weight and small color range make it not very common.

As mentioned above, the most common option, which accounts for about half of all siding, is plastic.

Let’s dwell on it in more detail, since the probability that you decide to finish your house with siding with your own hands using vinyl panels, according to statistics, is about fifty percent.

plastic siding

For those who know how to count money, want to make an original exterior finish, and at the same time insulate the house with siding, spending a minimum of time and labor, the best solution would be to use vinyl panels. For their manufacture, polyvinyl chloride is used, a material that does not deteriorate over time, does not support combustion, has an excellent appearance and is not “interested” by insects.

For all that, the technology of installation work and subsequent maintenance of this type of siding does not require special knowledge and tools, i.e., it can be completely done independently. Vinyl panels perfectly withstand all adverse external influences: ultraviolet radiation, exposure to water, snow, significant temperature changes.

An important «plus» is a fairly wide range of colors, shades and a variety of textures, made in the form of natural wood or otherwise — absolutely smooth.

Plastic siding is not completely airtight, and therefore does not interfere with the ventilation of the walls, while the panels are attached in such a way that all the water flows down without getting inside.

For all its merits, plastic siding has a low price, and subject to durability — the average life of about twenty years, seems to be the most acceptable solution for most consumers.

For those who are seriously wondering how to sheathe a house with siding, we note: vinyl siding can be used both for finishing a new and an old building, while the technology of work remains unchanged, except that the old walls must first be cleaned of dirt, traces of decay and mold.

Talking about vinyl siding, you need to remember about its separate variety — basement. All the difference is only in the thickness of the panels, which is about three and a half millimeters, which is explained by the specifics of use — the panels are used to finish the basement floors of the building.

The choice of siding

It is difficult or even impossible to give universal advice on choosing. Answering the rhetorical question which siding is better for your home, we note: it all depends on your personal idea of ​​beauty, practicality, as well as financial capabilities, the external conditions of your region and other factors.

Before making a final decision, carefully consider and analyze everything. Consult with the masters, preview the siding catalog and try to model the samples you like for your home: it is very convenient to do this in special programs that allow you to make a three-dimensional model.

You can generally use a regular graphic editor, such as Paint.NET or any other, for which, open a previously taken photo of your house in the editor and cover the walls with the selected siding: this way you visually see how it all looks and make the necessary adjustments.

Photo of siding for the house