The problem with vinyl siding...

One of the biggest issues we run into every day is the fact that home improvements are not a commodity type of item.  A window, roofing or siding product from any given manufacturer may look nearly identical to our offerings.  When faced with paying more for something that looks the same, homeowners will often go for the cheaper option thinking they are getting the same quality.  It is 3-7 years later that they realize how huge the differences can be and why spending a little extra money would have been a much better investment.

With vinyl siding, the main aspects that affect durability and good looks is the quality of the raw materials and the quality of the installation.  Vinyl siding looks like vinyl siding.  Unfortunately, most vinyl siding is comprised of on 18% actual vinyl.  The rest of the material in the mix is recycled plastic.  While I am as big of an environmental advocate as you are likely to ever find, recycled plastic makes for an extremely poor quality siding.

What is wrong with recycled vinyl????  Have you ever owned resin lawn furniture?  What does it look like after a few years out in the sun.  It gets faded, discolored, chalky and brittle.  Then it ends up on the curb on garbage day.  That is precisely what happens to siding made from the same material. 

• The slightest impact can cause recycled plastic siding to crack and break away.

 

 







 

• Lacking in structural integrity, the grip edges between panels have a poor hold on the panel below.  As a result, the siding comes loose on the wall.  Vinyl starter strips don't firmly secure the siding at the base.  Not only does this allow the siding to flap in the breeze or even rip off of the wall, it also opens infiltration points for moisture, bugs, bees and bats.

 

100% vinyl siding has much more strength to hold the pieces together against the forces of nature.  Treated with titanium dioxide, which serves as a sun block, weathering effects are drastically reduced.  An impact modifier keeps the vinyl from becoming brittle and a  temperature stabilizer allows for even expansion and contraction.  This produces a far superior material made to withstand the temperature extremes that siding will undoubtedly be exposed to.  Of course, the craftsmanship of the installation is another huge factor.

• Using "J" channels for inside corners, exposes the inside color of the "J' channel, rather than a more finished off look typical of proper inside corner piece.  "J" channels used to "finish off" the bottom of the siding provide places for leaves, debris and moisture to collect; all items which bugs just love.

 


 

• Uncapped outside corners offer another invitation to pests. 

• Overlapping sufficiently to allow for expansion and contraction is something you would expect contractors to understand.  It is basic Siding 101 material.  Unfortunately, to save a few bucks, it is not uncommon to skimp on the overlap.

Unfortunately, since new siding looks like new siding, all too many people opt for the cheaper alternative when evaluating quotes.  But as most people would agree, good things are rarely cheap and cheap things are rarely good.  If the national average price people are paying for a 1250 square foot vinyl siding job is nearly $12000 (statistic from http://www.remodeling.hw.net/2011/costvsvalue/national.aspx), doesn't it make sense to be suspicious of the guys that offer to do the project for half that price?  Do you seriously think that they would have more buying power than the largest home improvement company in the country?  What are they cutting corners on?  I will give you a hint.  QUALITY !!!

Quality of the materials.
18% PVC with 82% recycled plastic rather than 100% PVC treated with titanium dioxide to reduce the effects of weathering, an impact modifier to keep the vinyl from becoming brittle and a temperature stabilizer to allow for uniform expansion and contraction..

Quality of the installation.
J channels in corners rather than corner pieces, squaring off corners around windows and doors rather than mitering them, cutting holes in the siding for electrical outlets and faucets rather than installing finishing pieces, not capping off corner pieces, and so on..

Quality of the installers.
Did you realize that the home improvement industry is the largest employer of ex-cons and ex-felons.

Quality of the protections (or lack thereof) that consumers mistakenly believe are automatic.
These include insurance to cover incidental damage to your property, liability in case a little neighbor kid gets nosy and ends up getting hurt during the installation, and Workman's Compensation.  When workers get paid under the table, they are not covered by insurance. For anyone who has ever watched the commercials on TV that ask " Hurt on the Job?  We will sue the daylights out of them for you", who do you think they are suing???

Quality of the warranty protection.  Since 69% of contractors fail within 7 years, what kind of warranty protection do the homeowners actually receive?  Home owners may be told they are getting a 25 year warranty, but who is there to honor it?  Even if the contractor is still in business, they will often blame the problem on the manufacturer.  The manufacturer will turn around and claim that the installation was not done in conformance with factory specifications, thereby nullifying the warranty.  Doesn't it make more sense to spend a little more up front to use factory trained, factory certified installers who install quality products to factory specifications and backed by the oldest and largest contractor in the country?  You can decide that one for yourself.