New siding advise

[Bayrat]

I am in the process of collecting prices for siding and am very unfamiliar [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img] with the materials/quality available today. I have some cedar on the house now and am going to price the whole job in cedar as well as just the front in cedar to complement the existing siding and the rest in [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] vinyl. I have never been impressed with the vinyl jobs I have seen, it always seems to look like plastic wrap with gaping seams. What should one look for when shopping for this stuff? How does a "good grade" of vinyl compare with cedar siding in cost?

[Stoneheartfarm]

Cedar siding is pretty expensive around here. Vinyl is cheaper cost wise, but you still have the labor. I think the Cedar, properly maintained, will have a longer life that the vinyl.

Vinyl siding can also get pricey, depending on what grade you get. There are several newer technologies available. One uses a fiberglass rod embedded in the top of the siding strip to keep the siding from bulging when warm. Another hangs the vinyl strip from small cable hangers so that the siding can move better. Vinyl siding expands and contracts with temperature, hence the bulgy, wavy look you will see on some houses in the warmer weather.

When I was looking at siding (about 2 years ago), I did a lot of internet crawling. There are a couple of good manufacturers websites. Your first job is going to be checking out the different grades of siding and deciding which one you want.

SHF

[beenthere]

What cedar siding configuration are you talking about? Bevel siding, board and batten, ?? I am assuming bevel, but don't know what the existing siding is you are trying to match. Local prices would be good to check on, for the price to you.

I just finished some additional board (1x12) and batten cedar siding (about $2 per square foot) on my house today. I like the looks of wood better than anything in vinyl. Your description of vinyl was very good.

[DFB]

Bayrat, for years I was never a big fan of vinyl of siding. Real wood clapboards were always on my homes, and it was either paint 'em or stain 'em. The one exception was a cape that had cedar shingles, that one was allowed to naturally weather. Now days I have a premium vinyl siding on two different houses that I currently own. If your at all interested in vinyl take a look at Mastic by ALCOA. http://www.mastic.com/ Lots of colors and design choices.

One has been done with their QUEST3 in American Walnut and other with the Carvedwood2 series in Colonial Yellow. Double 4 on each. Both are very good looking sidings. There is also another line, the BARKWOOD, along with a version called Cedar Discovery. All worth taking a look at.

I feel most problems people associate with vinyl siding are because of the lesser quality inherent in the cheaper grades and of course in the installation. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to install vinyl products, but like any good siding work proper story layout and joint overlap are key elements of a good installation. Its actually quite nice to work with, for the most part both lightweight and clean.

DFB

[Pat]

DFB, Thanks for posting the URL of the vinyl folks. I spent nearly an hour reading and looking. Did you read their waranty? Lifetime to purchaser, transferable to a buyer converting then to 50 year prorata waranty. The prorata schedule was interesting. It maxed out at 14 years. From 14 years to 50 years they reimburse 10%.

The hail waranty was interesting too. After you exhaust your homeowners insurrance and all other coverages they reimburse you for the difference between your coverage and the cost of replacement materials up to the cost of the materials. They use the original purchase cost as a basis. With inflation, in a couple decades that becomes a joke.

Still, they have one of the better warantees. I'm not complaining or ridiculing the manufacturer, just was amused at the difference between the advertising hyperbole and the actual waranty.

In the advertisement copy they brag about their fade resistance but in the warantee they explain that the warantee is to cover fading that far exceeds "normal" fading due to exposure to light, and the environment. Fading to qualify must exceed 4 shades (by some standard fading rating) beyone normal fading.

I'm still in the market for vinyl siding and am glad to get the info on this supplier. They are now included as candidate suppliers.

Thanks again for the useful info... A N D ... the entertainment.

Patrick

[Stoneheartfarm]

Just a bit of trivia: If I recall correctly, vinyl siding is composed of several layers melted together. Only the top layer is always new vinyl. The Bottom layers are often recycled.

That said, I chose vinyl siding one grade up from the bottom. The reason was time. It was cheap, went up quick and gave me a good learning experience. If the siding holds up 10 years, I figure I've gotten my money out. After that, I have to admit that I've really been looking at the cement type sidings. (10 years also gives me time to watch the cement siding to see which manufacturers have products that are holding up. There have been a number of problems with different siding systems, and at least one class action lawsuit.)

SHF

[WVBill]

SHF and others:

When I built my pole building I put T1-11 siding on it planning to paint/stain it. Well that was 2 years ago and I still haven't gotten around to it due to not having the time or $.

I'll be doing it myself so the logistics is one major kicker - having to rent a sprayer on exactly the weekend that is warm enough but not too windy... etc...

So now I' thinking of vinyl siding. I could buy enough for one side at a time (a budget plus), put it up at my own pace (time/schedule plus), and with my own tools (another budget plus). And finally, I'd only have to do it once for as long as I'm going to need to care about it.

Here's my question: Has anyone done a direct diy installation cost comparison between low - mid grade vinyl v.s. stain/paint?

[Stoneheartfarm]

I haven't done any direct comparisons, but would expect the vinyl to be much more costly. The T-1-11 is already a siding system, so a large part of the cost is already installed. You would only be adding a layer of paint.

The vinyl would run about $40.00 per square (rough guess). Then you need the corner trim. J Channel, F channel, etc, etc.
The siding is relatively cheap, and is cheaper than the T-1-11.
It's all the channel and corners they are going to hit you on. Some of those trim pieces are $7.00 to $10.00 each. You can rapidly get as much in trim as you have in siding.

I have a similar problem on my pole barn. I went with T-1-11 again for the simple reason of time. When the T-1-11 is up, the barn is sided, sheathed and finished. Local code doesn't call for paint, just siding. I figured to let it naturally age to that nice gray color that old siding gets. I have a storage building that I put up about 12 years ago that way and it's been just fine. What I didn't count on is the weather in the middle of this hay field. One side turned gray over the first winter, and the other sides didn't. In fact, one side looks like I just put it up. [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

So, I'll be making the same decision you are in a short while.

SHF

[ljh2]

I would suggest that you go with the paint/stain route since you already have the T1-11 siding up. I'd also suggest that you get a roller attachment to go on on an airless sprayer unit. These roller units really speed up application over a regular roller, and you don't have the wind drifting problem that you have with a sprayer unit. Sprayers have their place, but I believe that a roller will give you a more even coat with better saturation -- especially since your siding has been exposed to the elements for a while with no protection.

Larry

[DFB]

Pat, yes a colorful websight indeed. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

Reading the fine print is certainly an important aspect for any purchase large or small.
I personally know of one modular home dealer that has a clause contained in his contract that says something to the effect "that they make no claims that the product can be used for its intended purpose" [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

Color fading to an extent is inevitable. Normally a gradual change, the area under a shutter can tell the story quite well, though I've actually witnessed one house have all the siding (not ALCOA) removed and replaced by the installing contracter under the manufacturer's warranty due to a fading problem. At no cost to the homeowner. It belonged to my wife's grandmother. Both installers I used were pretty confident with their product and company support.

I'm sure your's will be a very well informed decision when the time comes.

DFB