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The Main Types of Siding for Homes: An Extensive Guide

Your home’s exterior has immense aesthetic promise. You just have to know how to make the most out of it to meet its full potential. Sidings are an amazing way to give your house some color and increase overall curb appeal.

Aesthetics aside, sidings also serve a more functional purpose.

They protect your home from the weather elements and provide a secure enclosure for your home.

If you’re in the market for new sidings for a new house or a home makeover, then you first need to know your stuff.

That’s because with the many types of siding for homes and color options available today, picking the right one could be overwhelming. 

Apart from visual appeal, there are properties like durability and water resistance of the siding material that you also have to consider.

Read on for a comprehensive guide to the major types of siding you should consider for your home.

Popular Types of Siding for Homes

Most people love sidings for their versatility, ease of installation, and their limitless color choice.

The type of siding depends on the build material.

Here are a few of the most popular sidings available in most hardware stores.

Wood Siding

Wood siding has incredible visual appeal and is the preferred choice for most stylish homeowners.

They come in many forms, including wood panels, clapboards, shakes, and shingles.

Each type is lovely to look at, so the choice of wood siding really boils down to personal taste.

Wood siding looks incredible on cottages and bungalows, giving them a rich and refined outlook. 

Wood siding requires periodic maintenance, or they may deteriorate with time.

These maintenance practices include painting and chalking to prevent weather damage.

Your wood siding can easily last you well over ten years if you properly maintain it. 

However, wood siding is susceptible to fire damage, which discourages many people from getting wood sidings.

However, some companies treat wood sidings with flame retardants to reduce their susceptibility to fire damage.

Wood siding costs between $5 and $10 per square foot on average, depending on the building company.

It’s also moderately easy to install, but you may later have to deal with insect, rot, and rodent damage depending on your location.

wood siding

Brick Siding

Brick siding gives homes a beautiful old English home appeal that is stunning to look at.

Nowadays, brick houses aren’t actually brick siding.

Instead, a brick siding is somewhat of a veneer constructed outside a wood frame with brick and mortar.

Bricks are basically fired clay shaped into blocks. 

Nowadays, we combine bricks with aggregates and other materials to make them stronger and resistant to cracking. 

Bricks are permeable and allow water through, which is a serious problem for homeowners when it rains.

However, today, building companies place an impermeable membrane between the brick veneer and the home’s structure to prevent water damage.

A brick siding is beautiful, but prepare to pay between $6 and $20 for this siding.

The slightly steeper cost is because a brick siding is more labor-intensive to install.

brick home

Metal Siding (Steel and Aluminum Siding)

Right off the bat, you can tell that this is a very sturdy and durable siding option.

The siding comes in horizontal strips and gives your home’s exterior a neat uniform finish.

If the horizontal strips don’t match your taste, you could settle for vertical strips or even shingles.

From a distance, the siding may look just like wood siding.

It makes steel and aluminum siding a great choice because you get the aesthetics of a wood siding but with more strength and durability.

Steel and aluminum are naturally resistant to rust, but some elements in the rain may corrode this siding.

However, manufacturers apply a special finish for extra corrosion protection, which may sometimes give the siding a lovely sheen.

This finish also prevents the siding from fading over time.

Aside from the finished sidings, you may also opt for the plastic-coated variants, which are more durable and may have a warranty of up to 35 years.

Aluminum siding is a great choice for folks who’d rather skip on the whole maintenance aspect of wood siding.

Aluminum and steel siding costs between $3 and $8 per square foot.

home with metal siding

Vinyl Siding

Vinyl siding is a low-cost siding option, with tons of advantages over other types of siding.

Similar to steel siding, it comes in horizontal or vertical strips whose edges interlock. 

There are also panel variants of the same.

What’s great about vinyl siding, is its limitless color choice and also texture variety.

It’s very low maintenance since vinyl doesn’t deteriorate unless in extreme conditions.

Plus, you don’t need to paint over the siding to get your desired color.

If you’re having a hard time picking the right color for your siding, you can read this helpful post to help you make a good choice.

Once you have the color on lock, you can get your vinyl siding, which mostly comes with up to fifty years warranty.

The problem with vinyl siding is that it must be installed carefully and properly.

Failure to which they may warp or crack.

Cracking isn’t such a serious issue because you can repair it easily, but when it warps, you may have to replace the entire siding.

To prevent such, you should consider hiring a reputable company to do your siding installations.

Also, please don’t try installing the vinyl siding yourself.

Even if it’s easy to install, you’re better off leaving the handy work to the pros.

Vinyl siding typically costs between $3 and $10 per square foot, which makes it a relatively low-cost siding option.

The cost depends on whether you settle for any texturing or any other extra features.

vinyl siding on house

Stucco Siding

When you want to stand out from your neighbors, you can consider stucco siding.

Stucco is made from sand, lime, epoxy, and cement, which gives it its characteristic greyish color.

The siding gives your home that classic Mediterranean look that will be the envy of all your neighbors.

Installing stucco siding is somewhat difficult, the reason being that stucco is very rigid and easily breaks.

Laborers have to be careful when installing this siding to prevent cracking or breaking. 

If the siding is applied over a wooden wall, it might need a waterproof membrane between the siding and wall.

That’s because stucco allows little water through it, which may damage wooden structures.

Besides its permeability or cracking during installation, stucco is a good siding option because of its durability and unique aesthetics.

stucco house

Fiber Cement Siding

This siding is a relatively new entry in exterior siding.

Since it’s from recyclable materials, this is an environmentally friendly option and an efficient siding option. 

Fiber cement is composed of cement and cellulose materials as its reinforcement.

Fiber cement has lots of advantages over other siding options.

For instance, it is non-combustible, giving it an edge over wood siding.

It also comes with a gorgeous finish that gives your exterior a clean, smooth look. 

The siding is also resistant to water damage and can last you a pretty long time.

What’s more, you don’t need to maintain this siding; it’s virtually maintenance-free.

Expect a 50-year warranty with your fiber cement siding but expect it to last much longer than that.

The downside with fiber cement siding is that not many stores and companies have this type of siding.

Also, fiber cement siding is very expensive to install, costing as much as $20 per square foot.

Stone Siding

Just like stucco siding, stone siding is for those who want to stand out from the pack.

Stones are naturally beautiful and could be a highlight of your home’s exterior because of their look and rich texture. 

Stone sidings are durable, sturdy, and resistant to weather conditions.

The downside with stone siding is that they are expensive to install.

However, there’s a way around the high cost of the stone siding.

If you can’t afford a stone siding, then just settle for a stone veneer.

This veneer is made from synthetic materials that mimic the look of stone siding.

They are lighter than natural stone and also come in a variety of styles.

A stone siding is difficult to install according to Forbes, considering the weight of the stone.

Also, the finish won’t be as smooth as you might like, but you get incredible texture.

A stone siding could cost you anywhere between $10 and $30 per square foot.

stone siding on house

Choose a Siding Material That Suits Your Taste

Now that you know the various types of siding for homes, remember to choose one that suits your taste.

However, the visual appeal shouldn’t be your only consideration when choosing a siding material.

Consider factors like longevity, durability, and resistance to weather conditions for a good purchase.

Also, for some siding types, maintenance is imperative for their longevity.

Lastly, remember to get a reputable company for installation to prevent future issues.

For more informative reads, be sure to check out our other articles.


Resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stucco

https://www.nichiha.com/blog/choosing-the-right-fiber-cement-siding-product-for-your-style

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