If you own an older home with wood siding, you've likely considered switching to vinyl. Vinyl is becoming a popular option due to its low cost and reduced maintenance requirements, leading to many homeowners to make the switch. While vinyl was initially meant as a replacement for aluminum siding, advances in manufacturing technology now make it viable as a stand-in for old wood siding. Below, you'll find three benefits of installing vinyl siding on your historic home.
1. Vinyl Never Needs Painting or Staining
One of the major downsides of having wood siding on a home is that it has high maintenance requirements. In fact, that's why owners of older homes often switch to vinyl. Wood needs to be stained and painted in order to protect it from moisture. The paint peels off over time, which means that you'll need to sand, stain, and paint all of your wood sidings every few years. If you don't keep up with maintenance, wood siding will start to rot, which can spread further into your home and damage its structure.
In comparison, vinyl siding has almost no maintenance requirements. It arrives from the factory already painted, and there's no need to repaint it every few years. All you need to do in order to maintain vinyl siding is periodically wash it with detergent and water to remove stains. If you're tired of sanding and repainting your siding, then switching to vinyl is an excellent choice.
2. Vinyl Is Much Less Expensive to Purchase and Install Than Wood
If you need to replace your home's current wood siding due to decay or damage, you'll pay much less for vinyl siding than new wood siding. Even the highest-quality vinyl siding is less expensive than wood, so you'll save a considerable amount of money on material costs. Installation is also much easier since vinyl only needs to be nailed to your home's sheathing once it's delivered by the manufacturer. Wood siding needs to be cut in order to fit, which makes installation a much lengthier and more expensive process.
3. Vinyl Lets Your Older Home Retain Its Historic Character
One of the reservations that homeowners often have about vinyl siding is that it's a newer product. After all, vinyl wasn't available when homes were constructed near the turn of the century. However, manufacturers now produce wood-grain vinyl that looks almost identical to the wood siding used in older homes. When wood-grain vinyl is installed by an experienced contractor, you'll be able to benefit from its low cost and reduced maintenance requirements without affecting the historic appeal of your older home.
If you've decided that switching to vinyl siding is the right choice for your home, call installers and ask how much experience they have working with older houses. You'll be able to keep your home's charm while reducing maintenance requirements and protecting the structure from being damaged by rotting wood siding. A vinyl siding company can provide additional information.
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