Vinyl Siding or Fiber Cement for your Home?

When most homeowners are contemplating replacing their home siding or a new home construction, material choice is a difficult decision that can affect how your home will look in the next few years.

The most popular home siding material is vinyl siding and it has evolved into a superior exterior cladding material over aluminum siding and other products, with many color choices and styles that can fit the aesthetic of any home.  Another house siding material is fiber cement, which is more typically associated as being a replacement for wood.

At US ROOFING Contractors located in Atlanta, Augusta, Savannah and Alabama, we show you the differences between Vinyl Siding or Fiber Cement before choosing the right one for your home:

1. Material Composition:

- Fiber-cement siding is made from a mix of wood pulp and cement that’s formed into long boards or shingles. It’s attached to your home directly with nails.

- Vinyl siding is made primarily from PVC, a rigid plastic material, and is securely affixed to your home’s exterior in a manner that allows it to expand and contract with changing temperatures. 

2. Look:

- Fiber-cement comes in boards as half-round, staggered, or square shingles as well as in long plank boards. It can be painted or stained, which means you can make it any color you’d like, and it’s also now possible to buy prepainted fiber cement siding in a range of colors so that you can eliminate this step.

- Vinyl siding offers a much greater variety of decorative options, from maintaining the appearance of an historic home to creating a clean and modern facade. In fact, no other siding option offers such a range of styles and colors. Available in shingle, plank and also in a variety of panel designs including clapboard, board and batten, and Dutch lap. 

3. Insulation:

On their own, both vinyl and fiber-cement siding are relatively thin products that aren’t particularly good insulators, although they are both effective at keeping the elements away from your home.

- Vinyl siding is available in an insulated version in which there is a layer of foam adhered between the siding and the walls of your home. This type of vinyl siding increases the insulating ability, or R-value, of the walls by blanketing the house’s studs, which are poor insulators and a source of heat loss through a process known as thermal bridging. Insulated siding also helps keep your house cool in summer by preventing the sun’s heat from toasting the walls of your house.

4. Durability:

Both vinyl siding and fiber cement are very durable exterior cladding options. Vinyl siding, however, edges out its heavier cousin because fiber cement has been known to absorb water, which can cause it—and the walls of your home underneath—to rot.

Because of vinyl siding’s flexibility, it’s also virtually impervious to chips and cracks. That’s not the case for fiber cement, which is so rigid that it can easily crack both during the installation process and after it’s hanging on your home.

5. Maintenance:

- When fiber cement is installed, it needs to be caulked and painted (unless you opt for the prepainted version). Over the long haul, you’ll need to paint fiber-cement siding periodically because it will fade due to the demands of Mother Nature. Likewise, you’ll need to ensure that the caulking in the joints maintains its integrity to avoid water intrusion.

- Vinyl siding needs no additional work before or after installation. On the other hand, needs little more than a periodic spray cleaning with your garden hose and some soapy water to retain its vibrant look.

At US ROOFING Contractors our commitment is to make you feel safe!

If you are in need of roofing or siding installation, roofing, siding or gutter services in the Atlanta, Augusta, Savannah or Alabama areas, please Call Us: (855) 877-6631 and visit us at  www.augustaroof.com for a free estimate.