When it’s time to replace your siding, you may be considering something new to elevate your home’s style and reinforce its energy efficiency and structural stability. Perhaps you’ve looked at vinyl vs aluminum siding and might now be wondering about vinyl siding benefits over wood.
While price is certainly a factor that will impact your budget, you’ll need to think beyond the cost and look at the lifespan as well as other benefits of these materials. At Pinnacle Home Improvements, we’re vinyl siding contractors with a reputation for providing exceptional craftsmanship and customer service. In this blog post, we provide a comparison of vinyl and wood siding to help you make the right decision for your home.
Vinyl Siding: Pros and Cons
When considering vinyl siding as the material for your home, it’s important to review its durability, maintenance needs, aesthetic properties, costs, and environmental considerations. Here’s a look at each of these factors with a breakdown of their advantages and drawbacks.
Durability and Maintenance
Vinyl siding is a durable material that provides great weather-resistance while being low-maintenance. It doesn’t require painting and resists pests, nor does it rot. However, it can be more susceptible to damage from impacts, particularly those caused by severe weather. If vinyl siding is installed correctly, it won’t warp or buckle. For those who like to DIY and may try to learn how to cut vinyl siding and hang it, it requires precision to prevent these types of issues.
Aesthetics and Available Designs
A great advantage of vinyl siding is that it’s available in many colors, styles, and textures. It comes in varieties that look like other materials, such as wood, brick, or stone. Since it costs less than those premium materials and is easier to maintain, it gives homeowners the look they desire for their aesthetics.
On the downside, it may not always look authentic, though choosing top-quality vinyl grades can make a big difference in recreating the style of other materials without giving away the secret.
Cost
Vinyl siding is one of the most affordable siding options, especially compared to wood siding. Since siding installers are adept at working with this material, the installation should go quickly, keeping labor costs down. However, long-term costs should also be considered in terms of the need for repairs if your siding becomes damaged or fades from the sun.
Environmental Impact
Although vinyl siding is made with a petroleum base, it uses less water and energy to produce. Since it has a long lifespan, it’s an efficient material that can even be recycled, though it can only be recycled with the same materials. It also produces greenhouse gases in production, and for those who are focused on keeping a sustainable lifestyle, that might be a dealbreaker.
Wood Siding: Pros and Cons
Wood siding is another top option, and this objective view of pros and cons can help you decide if it’s the right material for the siding on your home.
Appearance and Insulation
One of the biggest advantages of using wood for siding is that it creates a natural aesthetic, one that provides good insulation to enhance your home’s energy efficiency. There are few things more charming than real wood, providing a home with a classic and timeless touch that will enhance curb appeal.
It can also be painted or stained to accommodate your design needs. However, if you love the aesthetics created by wood, you should prepare yourself to put in lots of time maintaining it and caring for it over the years.
Maintenance Requirements
Wood siding is one of the most demanding materials to maintain, though for homeowners who are ready for the commitment, it won’t matter. You’ll have to be far more diligent and inspect it frequently. Making repairs quickly to small issues will prevent you from needing to do a full siding replacement before the end of its lifespan.
Maintaining wood siding requires painting, staining, sealing, and taking measures to prevent pests from destroying the material. If you can follow through with these requirements, you may not mind, though wood may not be the best option for homeowners who can’t keep up with the maintenance.
Cost and Lifespan
Wood siding costs more than vinyl siding, though not as much as brick or stone. It generally lasts for 15 years before any need for major repairs or replacement arises. If you follow through with all the maintenance, wood siding can last as long as 25 years. The key is taking care of the material to ensure it protects your home.
Environmental Considerations
Wood is a sustainable material, though if you’re concerned about the environment, you should find out where the wood is sourced. Processing matters too, and those focused on sustainable practices shouldn’t merely assume the wood has come from one of those sustainable sources.
Cost Comparison: Vinyl vs Wood Siding Cost
Is vinyl siding cost-effective? Compare vinyl vs wood in terms of costs:
Upfront Cost Comparison
Vinyl siding is one of the most affordable siding materials, often costing homeowners anywhere from $2 to $7 per square foot installed. The price will vary based on the grade of the vinyl material. However, even if you choose the most expensive option for vinyl, it will still cost less upfront than wood siding.
Wood siding is a more expensive material upfront, with costs anywhere from $5 to $15 per square foot installed. If you’re capable of committing to caring for your wood siding and planning to stay in your home for many years, it may be worth the added upfront cost. If you’re fixing up the house before putting it on the market, it may not make as much sense to pour more in upfront. While wood can enhance curb appeal and potentially provide a higher return on investment, it won’t be immediate.
Long-Term Costs
Whether you’re selling your home soon or not, it’s important to look beyond your initial investment into siding replacement for your home. With vinyl siding, the long-term costs are much lower as it requires minimal maintenance.
Vinyl siding doesn’t need painting or staining, and since it naturally resists pests and rot, you won’t have to keep treating it over the years. Simply washing it off with your garden hose set on low pressure will help you clean it and keep it looking nice through the years.
Wood siding is a far more high-maintenance material, and you’ll need to factor in the long-term costs associated with its care. This includes painting it or staining it every few years. You’ll also have to inspect it often to look for wood rot, insect damage, and warping, and make those repairs fast before it impacts the rest of the siding.
Energy Costs
Vinyl siding itself isn’t as powerful an insulator as wood. Wood naturally insulates thanks to its R-value, reducing your energy consumption. You’ll find better control of your indoor temperature whether you’re heating or cooling your home.
However, you should know that although vinyl siding on its own isn’t the most insulating material, it can be installed with foam insulation underneath. This resolves the issue, leading to greater energy savings and interior comfort.
Is Vinyl Siding Better than Wood?
Wood siding alternatives like vinyl are often put under scrutiny. Is vinyl better, or should you choose wood siding? Ultimately, it’s up to your personal preference and comfort. If you want to keep costs down for the short and long term, you may want to go with vinyl, especially if you don’t want to take the time to maintain wood in the way that it needs.
Don’t forget about other factors that can impact your decision, such as your climate. You may love the way wood looks, but your location may be inhospitable for this material. Vinyl is better in humid climates as it can resist moisture, while wood is going to need much more maintenance.
Each of these materials can add value to your home and instantly boost its appearance. It’s certainly your choice as to which is best. You can also get the look of wood siding through vinyl siding, though it’s best to choose top-quality grades to make it difficult to tell that it’s not really wood.
Conclusion: Which Siding Material Is Best?
There’s no such thing as one best siding material over another. You may balk at the kind of care needed for wood, especially if you live in a climate where this material would require even more maintenance. Meanwhile, your neighbor may not think anything of putting in all that effort to keep wood siding looking pristine through the years.
It’s a personal choice that’s impacted by short and long-term costs, aesthetics, and personal preferences for conducting home maintenance. If you want to keep costs down and not worry about maintaining this feature on your home, vinyl siding is your best option, one that will last for decades to come without the need to do more than hose it off now and then.
