02/27/2025
Siding – Types, Care & Maintenance
Installing new siding can be a significant investment. It can also boost your home’s appearance, protect it against the elements, increase its overall worth, and draw in new buyers if you choose to sell your home. Popular types of siding for homes include: vinyl, wood, fiber cement, metal and stone.
Casey Nelson Exteriors sells three primary types of siding materials:
• Vinyl Siding (Norandex) - A popular choice that's affordable, versatile, and low maintenance.
• Fiber Cement Siding (Hardie) - Durable, water-resistant, fireproof, and termite-resistant.
• Engineered Wood Siding (LP Smart Side) – Combines the look of wood with the durability of engineered products.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Siding Product
• Climate: The local climate is a factor which you should use in determining what siding materials are best for your home. Areas with high humidity or rainfall require siding that resists moisture and mold. In regions prone to extreme temperature fluctuations, siding that can withstand expansion and contraction without cracking or warping should be considered.
• Maintenance: Different siding materials require different levels of maintenance.
o Wood siding - requires regular painting or staining to maintain its appearance and protective qualities.
o Vinyl and fiber cement sidings - are low-maintenance options that only need occasional cleaning to keep them looking their best.
• Cost: The cost of siding includes the materials and installation. Choosing the best siding for a home often involves balancing initial investment with long-term value.
• Energy efficiency: Siding can affect a home's energy efficiency. Insulated siding options are available that can help reduce energy costs. When choosing siding, consider how it might impact your home’s overall energy performance.
• Aesthetic Appeal: Different materials and styes of siding materials will compliment your home’s architecture. Some materials, like wood or LP Siding offer a classic look, while others such as vinyl provide a wide range of color options to suit various tastes.
Maintenance and Care for Different Siding Types
Proper maintenance can significantly extend the life of your siding and keep your home looking its best. Casey Nelson Exteriors provides homeowners with warranty information that discusses proper cleaning of our siding products. We highly recommend following the manufacturer's directions for proper cleaning products to maintain the life of the siding and the integrity of the warranty on the siding.
Wood Siding Maintenance: Wood siding requires regular inspection for signs of damage or decay. It is recommended that homeowners cleaning wood siding annually and repaint or re-stain every three to five years or as needed. Issues, such as peeling paint or small cracks, should be addressed immediately in order to prevent more serious damage.
LP Smart Side Siding Care & Maintenance: Requires care and maintenance because, while designed to be low-maintenance, it still needs periodic inspections to identify and address potential issues like cracks, paint damage, or moisture intrusion, which can occur over time if left unchecked; this helps to preserve the siding's appearance and ensure its longevity by allowing for timely repairs to small problems before they become bigger issues.
o Regular inspections: Perform a visual inspection at least once a year to check for cracks, blisters, paint damage, and areas where water might be accumulating.
o Cleaning: Periodically clean the siding with a mild detergent and water solution to remove dirt and debris but avoid using high-pressure washers.
o Touch-up paint: Small imperfections in the paint can be touched up with matching paint.
o Addressing damage: If you notice significant damage, contact a professional contractor to repair it promptly.
o Avoid harsh chemicals: Never use harsh abrasives, solvents, or strong chemicals on your LP SmartSide siding.
o Check for pests: Monitor for signs of pest damage, especially from termites or woodpeckers.
Vinyl Siding Care: Vinyl siding is low-maintenance but benefits from annual or twice-annual cleaning with a soft brush and mild soap solution.
Norandex Vinyl Siding Care & Maintenance
• Wash using a soft cloth or ordinary long-handled soft bristle brush. For textured surfaces, use only a soft bristle brush to avoid smearing the stain into the grooves of the texture. Clean gently to avoid surface abrasion. After cleaning, rinse area with water.
• To wash an entire house, start at the bottom and work up to the top, then rinse back down from top to bottom in order to prevent streaking.
• For difficult-to-remove dirt and stains such as topsoil, motor oil, lithium grease, crayon, felt-tip pen, caulking, lipstick, grass, bubble gum, mold and mildew, use readily available household cleaners such as those included in the list below.
• Most cleaners are inefficient in cleaning stains such as pencil, paint, oil and tar. In these cases, you may wish to use a mildly abrasive cleaner, such as Soft Scrub,® Ajax,® Bon Ami,® etc., but the use of any abrasive material could have a negative effect on surface appearance.
• Do not use cleaners containing organic solvents or other aggressive ingredients because they could affect the surface appearance of the vinyl. Examples of such cleaners are: chlorine bleach, liquid grease remover, strong soaps and detergents containing organic solvents, nail polish remover, furniture polish/cleaners.
Fiber Cement Siding Care: Typically, annual cleaning with a garden hose and soft brush is all you will need to do. Again, we recommend following the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning. To keep it looking fresh, repaint every 10 to 15 years or as needed.
Hardie Siding Care & Maintenance
o It is always suggested to work a small section at a time, start from the top and work your way down to prevent dripping or streaking onto the cleaned area. Gently clean the siding with the soft brush or wet soft cloth in a side-to-side motion in the direction of the plank siding.
o If cleaning panel, direction of the siding is up and down. Do not push soft brush or wet cloth too hard against product surface. Do not allow the soap and mildew cleaner to dry on the siding (continually rinse the area until all of the cleaner has washed off of the siding). Any areas that have been missed may show up when the siding has dried. Spot clean and rinse any missed areas as needed. If your surface still looks dirty after washing methods for dust/dirt and oil/grease, the problem may be mildew.
o Mildew discoloration can resemble dirt. Moisture is the most important single factor in the growth of mildew, which can lie dormant for years. For this reason, mildew discoloration is usually found in damp, dark areas or during prolonged humid conditions. Follow all instructions and precautions that are outlined on the label of the mildew cleaners and wear all protective equipment that is prescribed.
o At all times, care must be taken not to use harsh or harmful chemicals that can damage the finish on the siding.
o High pressure water blast and sand blasting may damage the surface of the fiber cement product. Low pressure water spray, a soft medium bristle (nonmetal) brush is most suitable for cleaning fiber cement products. Acid washing can damage the fiber cement surface and is not recommended.
For more information visit: https://caseynelsonexteriors.com