Every owner wants his house to be beautiful, warm and cozy, and to make this desire a reality, ready to make every effort, spending the necessary time and money. Modern materials and technology allow you to get the desired result with a minimum of material cost and without using complex construction techniques, such as siding, which is one of these inexpensive and simple enough options, while allowing you to make the exterior of your home original, quite aesthetic and beautiful.
Look at the possibilities of this type of trim – there are quite a few photos of siding for the house on the Internet. You will note the breadth of colors, beauty and variety of designs that this type of trim provides.
Let’s elaborate on the secrets and features of siding, especially since it has recently become very common and this justified popularity in the near future will only grow.
Brief Article Content:
What is siding
In its most general form, siding is the exterior decorative finish of a structure for the purpose of protecting it from adverse external influences: wind, rain, snow, etc. Siding was first used in America, in the mid-nineteenth century, to clad homes: specially planed wood boards painted in a variety of colors were attached to the wall at an angle, with each successive layer overhanging the preceding one, so that water could flow down from above without penetrating.
In the fifties, vinyl, metal, and special, mortar-based siding panels first appeared in the United States. Today’s technology offers a wide variety of panels, all of which differ in texture, material, size, etc.
Prefabricated panels have special elements for easy mating, as well as a protective outer coating. The main advantages of siding: durability, excellent protective properties against 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 house exist, as this will allow you to make the best choice for someone who has decided to use this simple but very practical technology.
Wooden
This is a classic version of the material for the manufacture of panels. The main advantages of this type are: the naturalness of the material; the ability to retain all its properties at fairly low temperatures – up to minus fifty degrees Celsius; ease of installation work.
However, it is in the properties of wood are the main drawbacks: low resistance to moisture, the danger of fire, the need for additional treatment to protect against rotting and destruction by insects. In addition, wood siding requires periodic maintenance, namely, painting or varnishing.
Another thing to keep in mind: if the wood does not dry well, the panels can warp over time, which will cause the appearance of gaps that will need to be caulked.
Wood pulp
Here, wood chips and special chemical fillers, resins, are pressed under high pressure at high temperatures.
The main feature is the low cost, excellent appearance and the ability to make a ventilated facade of the building. With all that, such panels are not durable.
Plastic
The most common siding today, and therefore below we will focus on it in more detail.
Metal
The name speaks for itself, with stamped steel sheets coated with primer and then 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 in poor sound and heat insulation, as well – in the high cost.
Fiber cement
The manufacturing technology consists of pressing cellulose with cement mortar. The advantages of this material in fire safety, high strength, temperature resistance and durability, but the high price, heavy weight and small color range make it not very common.
As stated above, the most common option, which accounts for about half of all siding, is plastic.
Let’s dwell on it in more detail, because the likelihood that you decide to do your own home siding with vinyl panels, according to statistics, is about fifty percent.
Plastic Siding.
For those who know how to count the money, want to make the original external finish, and at the same time – to insulate the house with siding, spending a minimum of time and labor, the best solution would be to use vinyl panels. For their manufacture use polyvinyl chloride, a material that does not deteriorate over time, does not support combustion, has excellent appearance and is not “interested” in insects.
For all that, the technology of installation and subsequent maintenance of this type of siding does not require special knowledge and tools, ie, can be quite done independently. Vinyl panels perfectly withstand all adverse external influences: ultraviolet radiation, exposure to water, snow, significant drops in temperature.
An important “plus” is a fairly wide range of colors, shades and a variety of textures, made in the form of natural wood or other – completely smooth.
Plastic siding is not absolutely airtight, and therefore does not interfere with the ventilation of the walls, and at the same time, the panels are attached in such a way that all the water flows down, not getting inside.
For all its merits, plastic siding has a low price, and with durability – the average life span is about twenty years – seems to be the most acceptable solution for most consumers.
For those who are seriously wondering how to coat a house with siding, note: vinyl siding can be used to finish both new and old construction, and the technique of work remains the same, except that the old walls must first be cleaned of dirt, traces of rot and mildew.
Speaking of vinyl siding, it is necessary to recall its separate species – the 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 panel is used to finish the basement of the building.
The choice of siding
It is difficult or impossible to give universal advice on the choice. Responding to the rhetorical question of what siding for the house is better, we note: it all depends on the personal notion of beauty, practicality, as well as on financial opportunities, the external conditions of your region and other factors.
Before you make a final decision, think everything through carefully and analyze. Consult with the masters, look through a catalog of siding and try to simulate the samples you like for your home: it is very convenient to do in special programs that allow you to make a three-dimensional model.
In general, you can use an ordinary graphics editor, such as Paint.NET or any other, for which purpose, pre-made picture of your house open in the editor and cover the walls with the selected siding: so you visually see how it all looks, and make the necessary adjustments.
Photo of siding for your home
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