Siding is a material applied to the outside of a building to make it not only weatherproof, but paint proof, pest proof, and just plain ugly proof too! In fact, one of the strongest selling points of siding is its ability to reduce an exterior paint job to a simple spray of the water hose (or a simple wipe with a sponge and formula 409). Hard to believe? It shouldn't be.

Far Superior To Exterior Paint

Siding is made with wood, metal (aluminum, tin, steel), or vinyl and it's because of these materials, it can withstand the weather far better than paint does. A home that's covered in exterior paint may have to be repainted every 5 to 6 years - but a home covered in siding never needs painting - ever, yet its beauty appears timeless. Siding just isn't prone to chipping, cracking, and peeling the way that paint is.

In addition, siding can be molded and shaped to create a visual design on the exterior of your home. Exterior paint tends to be flat and dull, but with siding, your home comes alive with sculptural angles, creative placement, and intense color.

Whatever idea you have of siding, you might be surprised at the different options available today. Today, you can cover your home with siding in different designs, colors, and textures (including wood grain for example). You just can't do that with exterior paint!

Other benefits

Eliminating the need for repetitive exterior paint jobs isn't the only benefit of siding. Siding also brings up the property value of a house because it insulates the home and lowers the costs of energy bills. When you have siding installed onto your home, you're not just having your home covered with panels - you're actually getting a nice thick piece of insulating foam between the exterior walls of your home and the siding. This R-34 insulating foam is designed to keep the cold out and the warmth in (or vice versa in warm weather). Both the siding and insulating foam work together to keep out pests, like termites for example.

What To Expect

If you're interested in having siding installed onto the outside of your home, then your contractor will measure your home, talk to you about the options available, and give you an estimate of what the entire job will cost. A siding job is one of those jobs that requires an inspection before the job begins and after it's complete, so after you secure your permits, an inspector may issue additional requirements which could affect the job's initial estimate and your contractor's labor.

Once the inspection is complete and you, your inspector, and your contractor agree on the work, your sider will J-Channel your windows, doors, and vents to cover the edges of the siding panels. Once the starter strips have been put into place, your contractor will then nail aluminum and paper foam against the house before he or she begins to actually hand the siding on top of it.

Your inspector will revisit and ensure that the job isn't hazardous to anyone in the home or outside of it and once it passes inspection, you can begin to enjoy what appears to be a brand new home!