It’s no secret that PVC Vinyl siding is Edmonton’s most popular choice for exterior cladding, at least for the past 25 years. Despite the popularity of this product, vinyl siding sometimes has a bad reputation. This article will show you the advantages and disadvantages of vinyl siding compared to other products, and why we think homeowners in Edmonton should still be confident when using vinyl siding!

Advantages: price point
When you start siding research, the first thing you may know is that vinyl is the most economical choice for siding. Vinyl siding is made of PVC sheets that can be locked together, which means you can get a lot of wall covering without spending too much money. And because the weight of the panel is relatively small, the installation speed is faster than any other siding product.

On average, you can expect vinyl siding renovations to be 25% to 50% cheaper than fiber cement or wood siding projects, depending on the design of the house.

Advantages: color options
No matter how you look at it, if you use vinyl siding, there will be plenty of color options. We installed a variety of shades of red, green, gray, and blue, as well as the more neutral whites, taupe, and browns that you may be more accustomed to seeing.

Check out the gallery below to learn about a few of the many-colored vinyl siding we have installed over the years:

Dark Green: Royal Clover Light Green-Cypress Light Gray Dark Gray-Sapphire Medium Blue/Gray-Storm Ocean Blue Mahogany Beige-Pebble Clay White

Disadvantage: Fading
Will vinyl siding fade?
Yes, when vinyl siding is installed on the exterior of your home, you can expect it to fade. The degree of fading depends on two factors:

Color: Generally speaking, darker siding is easier to fade than lighter ones.

Exposure: The biggest environmental factor affecting fading is exposure to sunlight.

Disadvantages: difficult (impossible?) to paint
Once your vinyl siding starts to look a little faded, you will most likely look for a complete replacement. There are some companies that can provide you with painting your vinyl siding, but painting vinyl siding is not as simple as painting wood or fiber cement siding.

First, the paint and labor for vinyl siding will be more expensive than traditional paint projects. Repainting vinyl siding is also a bit risky: we have seen varnished vinyl siding warping (because the paint can absorb heat), bending (because excess paint does not allow the siding to move freely) and peeling (because of The paint is not properly adhered to the PVC substrate).

Did we mention that vinyl siding needs to move freely? That's because it grows and shrinks with temperature changes throughout the year. In the cold winter, a 12-foot vinyl siding will shrink by more than ½". Since exterior paint must be used in the warm summer, this means that the beautiful new paint layer of your siding may shrink every winter. Strange vertical streaks appear at the seams.

If you are considering hiring a contractor to paint your vinyl siding, it is best to check out some of their work before the winter (when vinyl siding shrinks the most).
If you are considering hiring a contractor to paint your vinyl siding, it is best to check out some of their work before the winter (when vinyl siding shrinks the most).

So, can you paint vinyl siding? Some paints will work, but we don't think it is a good idea to paint vinyl siding in colder climates.

Advantages: waterproof
Since the vinyl siding is made of plastic, the material itself is very waterproof. You can make vinyl siding closer to the grade than other products without worrying about swelling or peeling paint. Some products such as siding wood and fiber cement siding require more care to ensure that they stay away from stagnant and running water.

Since vinyl siding is very waterproof, it is also a more suitable DIY siding compared to some other options on the market.

Disadvantages and advantages: moisture ma

nagement
When we talk about moisture management, we are referring to the ability of vinyl siding to prevent water from entering the wall it is supposed to protect.

The disadvantage here is that when vinyl siding is installed, it is by no means waterproof on the wall. Because the siding is designed to be tucked into the open pocket trim, any wind-driven rainwater will flow from behind the siding onto the surface of the house packaging. This is why it is so important to install the envelope correctly under the vinyl siding! If your installer messes up the flashing details, your walls will definitely get wet.

Fortunately, water can easily enter the vinyl siding, but it is easier to escape! Because vinyl siding is so light and open, the moisture that flows to the properly installed house packaging will only drip at the nearest drip. And because the PVC soffit allows so much air flow behind it, even if the house packaging is not installed correctly, decay and damage are impossible.