Archive for the ‘Exterior Siding’ Category

The advantages of Stone Siding

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

If you read about the advantages of home siding in a previous article, you now might want to know “What about stone siding?”. Stone siding is undoubtedly one of the best sidings that you can have for your home, both in terms of durability, looks, as well as insulation.

Goldconda Fort
Creative Commons License photo credit: laszlo-photo

If you look at great stone monuments like the “Golconda Fort”, and the “Orkney Islands”, you will know that stone lasts almost forever, and is completely impervious to the weather. A stone siding will greatly enhance the value of your home. However, the down side is that real stone siding is very expensive, and is certainly not for the Do-it-yourself person. You will need professionals to handle it.

If you  still want to have the appearance of stone without the costs, consider Simulated stone siding. This is made of polyvinyl chloride made into sheets that look like stone. It is extremely durable, and will confer most of the benefits of real stone siding. It is very resistant to fracture. The material also retains it’s look and won’t fade over a period of time.

Stone etched building
Creative Commons License photo credit: Digiart2001

The material is available in several styles and textures that you will want to fully explore before you decide which one to use.

Painting the Exterior of Your Home

Monday, June 23rd, 2008

House siding comes in many styles and types including vinyl, aluminum, wood, stucco, seamless steel, brick, and engineered wood. Each material has its individual pros and cons to consider in terms of new home installation, residing an existing structure, and insulation and protection against the elements. It is more than just a great way to modernize the exterior of your home. It is a way to add years of protection to your exterior structure.

It goes without saying that siding your home is a great way of enhancing your home’s visual charm. Siding also adds fortification against the elements - wind, rain, snow, and ice. It is essentially a barrier applied to the outside of your home to make it weatherproof.

Siding helps prevent moisture from seeping in, protects the interior structure against unwanted pests, thwarts the growth of common biological contaminants like mold, bacteria and dust mites, thereby lessening allergic, respiratory and other health issues.

We all know that siding comes in vinyl. Vinyl siding has been around for years. However, siding is made in lots of different materials, and comes in a multitude of colors, textures and gauge thicknesses. It can imitate architectural details that were once made only from wood products.

Using vinyl siding can help reduce home maintenance bills, and protect your home from wear and tear. The material that covers the outside walls of your house is important to your home’s makeup, facade, and weather worthiness. Many companies consider vinyl siding so tough that they offer a lifetime warranty.

One of the biggest detractors from using vinyl siding is in its insulation value. Vinyl siding offers little in the way of insulation-value for your home, so if you choose go this route, make sure that your home has an adequate amount of insulation prior to installation.

Wood siding is also available to install on your house in three forms: boards, shingles, or shakes. It comes in Cedar siding, Masonite siding, and log and pine siding. Woods such as cedar, redwood and cypress are most often used as siding.

Cedar Siding is available in smooth, rough or saw-textured surfaces and is very durable. Cedar is known for its grain qualities and rot resistance. It also takes a stain well adding a rich character to your facade.

Whether you go with vinyl or wood, house siding is an excellent investment for your home. It is a terrific way to update your home’s look while increasing your resale value. If you want to move away from painting, house siding is an excellent alternative that can provide years of beautification to your home exterior.

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