House Exterior Materials: What Types Of Siding Are There?

Siding is a versatile process for cladding the facades of any type of building. You can sheath it with new or old buildings of various sizes. So, there are different types of siding for houses:

• Wood;
• Vinyl;
• Metal;
• Acrylic;
• Brick;
• Stone.

All these house exterior materials are pretty functional, so they are the most popular. They hide the primary materials from which the house is built. This way, it protects from moisture, sunlight, insects, and other things. Siding has many positive features. One of the main ones is durability. Having covered the house with siding, you will not have to repaint or restore it. But when choosing which material to buy to finish the facade, the consumer should consider the characteristics and features of the finishing coating. Therefore, it is essential to select the most suitable exterior material for you, which will be beautiful and durable for an outside look.

What Types of Siding Are There?

Siding protects the house’s walls from mechanical damage and can withstand severe wind, snow, and rain weather conditions. Depending on the siding type, it can be less or more stable. There are many options on the market for it. However, deciding on the material may be challenging if you are not a construction specialist. Therefore, to make this task easier for you, we have prepared a guide on the best types of sidings for houses:

1. Wooden siding

When it is not possible to build a house entirely from wood, you can make wooden siding. The popularity of wooden house cladding is due not only to its attractive appearance but also to the functional features of this finishing material. Wood is always a classic. It fits any home, always looks great, and has various wooden siding types. Since this material has almost zero thermal conductivity, houses made of wood are always warm and cozy.

What are house exterior materials used to make wooden siding?

Larch: this type of wood is quite strong. It can withstand almost all the adversities of nature: snow, rain, frost, etc. 

Angar pine: this robust tree and its good density allow you to avoid mechanical influences.

Durability

Wood is a substantial exterior material. It does not require careful maintenance and is durable. The only thing that can damage a tree is sunlight and pests. However, this type of sidings for houses can extend its service life if you cover this material with a special varnish or paint.

Installation

The process of wooden siding is relatively easy, but it is better to entrust this matter to builders. Wood processing and sanding take a lot of time. But proper installation and a quality product will give you quick and great results.

Pros	Cons
It has a beautiful appearance;	The risk of fire is higher than that of more fire-resistant materials;
It has frost resistance;	It wears out under the influence of humidity;
It is an ecological material;	It is a natural material, so its cost is not available to everyone.
It provides strength and durability to the house;
It is resistant to precipitation and sunlight;

2. Vinyl siding

The vinyl style of siding is a facing panel with a latch lock and a perforated edge for nails. Specialists make them of polyvinyl chloride, with the addition of plasticizers, modifiers, and pigments. This siding type is one of the most popular and in demand. It successfully imitates cladding with wood, brick, or natural stone. You can easily match it to any style of house. A layer of fiber panels places under the vinyl to maintain the house’s warmth and strength of such siding. It prevents the vinyl from warping and extends its life.

Durability

One of the reasons to choose vinyl among other different types of siding for houses is its durability. Vinyl siding can last 50 to 100 years with proper care.

Installation

You should consider that the installation of vinyl siding requires taking into account the coefficient of linear expansion because the temperature difference can cause material deformation.

Pros	Cons
It is a light material that does not create a load on the walls;	It does not have fire resistance;
It has an affordable price;	It is hardly tolerated ultraviolet exposure;
It has a wide selection of colors and textures;	It may crack in freezing weather.
Its installation is quick;
It is strong;

3. Metal siding

One of the unique siding types is metal. It can be of various shades and have a perforated edge for nails, equipped with a particular latch lock. Therefore, metal siding is very easy to mount regardless of its size for the complex finishing of the building. Before sheathing this type of sidings for your house, you should know that you should use it only with a layer of insulation. During its installation, an air gap remains between the wall of the house and the metal siding. Due to this, air movement occurs, and a ventilated facade is obtained.

What are house exterior materials used to make metal siding?

Aluminum siding: does not burn but needs protection from rust. Special paints or PVC films can extend the material’s service life. As for the features of the surface, it can be rib or smooth.

Steel siding: steel, unlike aluminum, is resistant to shock loads. It is indispensable if the house project involves the use of fire-resistant materials.

Durability

Metal is an extremely strong house exterior material. It is weatherproof and hard to damage. However, the metal can rust if you live near the sea or in a place where it often rains.

Installation

Depending on different types of crates, you need to mount the siding panels for houses using self-tapping screws or stainless steel nails. When using additional elements of metal siding, you can perform any complex installation detail. However, accidental pressure on the panel is possible when mounting metal sheets, causing a deflection. Therefore, making the installation in such a way as to protect the panels from pressure or mechanical impact is essential.

Pros	Cons
It has high durability. Can serve more than 50 years.	When the sun expose it, metal siding heats up a lot, which can contribute to an increased temperature in the room;
It is very robust;	It has high thermal conductivity;
It has a low rate of thermal expansion;	It can make loud noises during rain or hail.
It has fire security;
It is the ease of care.

4. Ceramic siding

It is a new style of siding designed for facing ventilated facades. In its main mass, professionalists make ceramic siding from different types of siding clay for houses. The ceramic material is generally excellent for the outer layer of ventilated facades, although it has a relatively large specific mass. A large selection of textures, color solutions, and different sizes of plates make this siding type a universal coating suitable for implementing almost any project. In addition, there are many types of ceramic siding, and you can choose any. The main thing is that you should combine it with the general exterior of your house, for example, with the front door’s color or the roof.

Durability

Various types of sidings have a different service life. And the ceramic type is one of the most durable. It retains its color and texture throughout the entire service life. Even on the sunny side, the color of the ceramic material does not fade.

Installation

Like the installation of any siding type, you need to carry it out on a crate. Usually, specialists make it out of wooden boards or a metal profile. However, when making ceramic siding, you should pay attention to the accuracy of the installation of the crate. With even a slight shift, there is a risk of skewing the panels.

Pros	Cons
It has good sound insulation;	It is weighty material, therefore, requires the arrangement of a robust frame under the facade covering;
It is robust;	It is expensive;
It is environmental friendliness;	It has laborious installation.
It has a rich color palette of the material.

5. Fiber cement siding

Fiber-cement siding is a facade material with natural wood texture but is made of fiber-reinforced concrete. It has many different textures and colors. The high strength of fiber-cement panels is ensured by autoclaving, which gives their structure a high level of uniformity. Fiber cement siding, like traditional vinyl siding, has the appearance of a clapboard painted with acrylic paints of various colors. It is present in hardware stores as tiles of various sizes. Houses decorated with this material look very beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. This type can have multiple patterns and visual appearances for houses among different kinds of sidings. Fiber cement siding is not afraid of mold, insects, and solar ultraviolet. Therefore, it is a sufficiently long-lasting house exterior material.

Durability

Fiber-cement is strong enough to serve for many years. Its composition, which includes fibrous cement, professionalists design not to damage it regardless of weather conditions. However, if you choose a thin cement-sand material, its service life may be slightly reduced.

Installation

You can lay this type of sidings for houses both horizontally and vertically. When placed horizontally, the slats are first stuffed in the length of the building. Then in height, you need to attach the siding to the latter. In the case of vertical placement, you can link the beams directly to the wall in height. As you can see, these stackings differ only in the sequence of stacking of frame bars.

Pros	Cons
It provides a high level of heat and noise insulation;	Its price is not available to everyone;
It is easy to install;	It has low impact resistance, which complicates transportation and installation;
It has fire resistance;	You need to choose fiber cement from proven specialists because there are many low-quality fakes.
Caring for such material is relatively easy;
It is environmental friendliness.

6. Acrylic siding

Acrylic siding type externally gives the impression of a respectable exterior, and the characteristics confirm its functionality. Acrylic panels are different from other types of sidings for houses due to their high resistance to mechanical and climatic loads. Specialists make it out of an acrylic polymer by extrusion or casting. Their surface acquires a durable gloss and resistance to ultraviolet, humidity, or heat. Coloring pigments give products a bright saturated shade, so they have no restrictions in them. You can combine a couple of colors to have a more interesting exterior. In appearance, this material is similar to vinyl, but at the same time, it has a higher cost.

Styles of acrylic siding

Acrylic siding D4.5: this siding type is often called shipboard. It allows you to create a beautiful appearance on the facade.

Blockhouse siding: installation of panels is relatively easy, providing you observe accuracy. It will help make the coating even and attractive.

Vertical siding: it is rarely used. However, if you want to enlarge your home visually, this option is for you.

Durability

Acrylic is a house exterior material that can serve you for many decades. The solid protective coating may not deteriorate and may not expose to weather conditions. That is why acrylic siding can last the entire life of your house.

Installation

Professionals install acrylic siding vertically or horizontally. For installation, it is necessary to make latticework from wood. Polymer panels do not load the house. Their weight is distributed over the frame. So, you can finish mounting on construction with any surface and height.

Pros	Cons
It has a large selection of colors and shades;	If you choose a low-quality material, you can quickly damage it;
It has a high index of color fastness;	It is so expensive.
It has excellent resistance to any chemical substances;
It has good durability;
It is not exposed to ultraviolet.

7. Basement siding

Among all types of sidings for houses, basement siding is one of the most beautiful. It imitates natural stone and brick. That is why it is one of the best types of siding. This material has thicker panels than regular vinyl. So, it looks great and fits into any architectural form due to its surface and a stylized substrate made of natural stone or brick. Also, the variety of types of imitation natural stone in the assortment makes it possible to turn the facade of an ordinary house into an ancient building, which repeats the appearance of solid houses. In addition, construction stores allow you to choose any shade of basement siding you like because they are available in many color schemes.

Durability

The advantage of this siding type is that it is not afraid of humidity. It suggests that it is strong enough and not subject to rapid damage. The service life of this material is at least 45 years. You can mount it at sub-zero temperatures. Unlike plastic panels, it does not emit an unpleasant smell of mold and does not darken due to external factors.

Installation

It is necessary to install this siding type on the already installed grating, which holds the entire weight of the structure and keeps its shape in geometric proportions. In cold winters, it is better to install the crate 10-20 cm below the floor level; in warm winters, you can place it directly on the ground.

Pros	Cons
It has resistance to microbiological manifestations of mold and fungus;	The material is not fire-resistant;
It has a large selection of textures and colors;	It can become brittle when cooled and may break under mechanical impact.
It is environmentally friendliness;
It is good because of high decorative quality of such house siding;
It is simple in installation.

Summary

Modern construction stores offer a wide selection of house exterior materials. Therefore, you can choose any of them according to budget, color, and style. Even if you have a home with an ordinary plaster coating, you can make it with wood or metal siding. The main thing is that the siding is of good quality and has enough advantages so that your house has a durable exterior and looks attractive.

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