Poll: Vinyl or Concrete Siding ?

[Ironhorse]

Anyone have a reason to choose one over the other?
Will be siding the house and have not decided on one or the other. Both have good points but what are the bad?

Vinyl is final, or so "they" say. Is it true, seems nothing lasts forever. Good:
Vinyl, doesn't need painting, looks good, comes in several colors and textures, various widths, can be seamless, use to wrap trim and such.

Vinyl Bad: Hold up to hail? Vinyl turn brittle with age? Kansas has been known to have some wicked hailstorms. Had one about 12 years ago that took out the roof on the garage and house, window in the Suburban with several dents, shredded trees and shrubs. About $14,000 + in damage, thank God for insurance !!

Concrete: Supposed to have a 50 year warranty. Comes in 12" widths and 12 foot lengths or 4'x8' sheets. Needs to be painted and seams covered if using the sheet style. Any other points?

Would like input from any one on either preference and reasons for choosing one over the other.

[cory321]

Never seen concrete siding before but we have vinyl and our neighboors had theirs for 20+ years.If you wash it once or twice a year to keep mildew down if seems to last.Plus if you have a bad piece its easy to replace.Alot of the issues with vinyl come from the installer such as warping if the vinyl is secured to tight it wil warp and eventuly pull away

[cochran63]

I professionaly install both kinds of siding. Vinyl is descent as long as you get the good stuff. Stay away from contractors grade. I personally do not like the way it looks or the way that it fades.

I do prefer the James Hardie siding. It is awesome and looks a lot classier than vinyl. You can get the hardie board siding in various widths. From 5 1/4 reviel and up. You can also order the hardie board pre-stained/painted.

If you need any help just give me a shout or check out contractortalk.{om

[cdowns]

after hurricanes there seems to be alot more vinyl siding in piles on the side of the road than on the sides of houses

[O'l Buck]

if going with vinyl, I totally agree with Cochrane63, get the good stuff, I used to have a trailer house that had vinyl for skirting, it was the cheapest stuff Menard's sells and anytime I hit a rock with the lawnmower, I had a hole in my skirting, it was pretty brittle and only about 3 years old. The better grades don't seem to have the problems with breaking.

[cory321]

Originally Posted by cdowns

after hurricanes there seems to be alot more vinyl siding in piles on the side of the road than on the sides of houses

Good Point

[Southpa]

I was talking to a siding contractor who was in the process of installing the Hardy plank. I know its good and solid. Is it fire resistant? I forgot to ask. Anyway, he says its a lot heavier and more difficult to install, ie. special blade on Skilsaw etc. and I don't know if you can drive a nail through it, or is pre-drilled or do you have to drill it for attachment? I'll bet is a tad more expensive than vinyl as well.

[GREASEMONKEY72]

i think it depends on the area youre in and what you think looks good but for me i dont think id go with vinyl, cause of fading and drying out and would probly go with concrete, but i kinda hate the ruff stucko siding on this house, it always tears things up if you rub against it and its kinda hard not to

[shifty]

To be blunt:

Vinyl looks like complete and total sh*t.
Concrete (hardy plank) is the way to go.

[bigblock73]

Originally Posted by cdowns

after hurricanes there seems to be alot more vinyl siding in piles on the side of the road than on the sides of houses

Good thing Kansas doesn't get too many hurricanes.

Like Kansas, we get tornadoes...but either your house usually holds up OK, or it gets knocked over...wont matter what kind of siding you have on it then.

[special-K]

Vinyl:It can be installed to look as good as the wood siding it is designed to mimmick.It can be the cheapest way to go,or you can really do it up with all the accessories.There is a stigma with it that it is cheap crap because of it`s economics use buy cheezy tract builders and improperly or unskillfully installed jobs.
It does fade,cheaper stuff more so.Nothing lasts forever and there`s no such thing as maintainence-free.It "is" as low maintainence as you can get in siding.It it vulnerable to wind.It doesn`t take a hurricane to tear a piece off.Hurricanes and tornados bring more than siding off of houses,they blow cars around.When repairing,which is easy,they fading will show in the older siding and hopefully the same profile,color,and texture is still available.And,that`s if you have a way to figure out just what`s on your house in the first place.It doesn`t cost that much to replace a whole wall to assure a better match.

Cement fiber siding (cement not concrete,there`s no aggregate in it)seems to be a good product.People like that it is solid.Nails drive right through it.There are power shears made specifically for cutting it and there`s no dust.People shy away from the word "paint" these days in most areas.Paint on a house has traditionally been on wood which is where that stigma originates.Old houses were never primed or painted on the back.This allows moisture to come from behind and blister the paint trying to exit.From the outside,any chip or crack without paint will allow moisture into the wood and behind the paint...blisters and peeling.
When painting plastics and metals this is not an issue.The paint can fade,scratch,or get dirt.But,that`s the only reason to repaint,other than wanting a different color.Cement fiber siding takes the paint real well.It doesn`t soak it up as much as fresh wood and uses less paint.It`s not supposed to let moisture in the back and shoulsn`t be a problem there.It doesn`t split or warp like wood.BUT,if improperly installed it can have it`s problems.It can wick up water at it`s cut edges and will swell and delaminate.It is like drywall to the touch.It is a series of the cement fiber(looks like gypsum in drywall)and a paper-like material.You want to leave an airgap at all cuts over roofs,windows,etc.It will present the same problems as Masonite did.Which is what it`s a replacement for.It seems to be a great product.But,it has only been out for so long.I won`t sell a fairly new product with huge promises of it being the cureall of all time.I just present all pros and cons.I do like it.

Both materials have their place.You won`t be painting Cement fiber all the time or that much.It`s best in a windy area.But,if you want to "no paint" deal,it`s vinyl.

I`ve been a custom siding contractor since`82 and install all types as well as all other exterior finish carpentry.There`s a place for it all.I think in Kansas I`d opt for the Hardy Plank.It`s dryer there than back east and you get the storms.

[Tink]

We went with the concrete on our utility room (closed in a porch) because it looks much more like wood siding due to the thickness. You do have to have a special blade to cut it and it is dusty when you cut it (cut it outside and/or wear a mask) but you can nail through it. It is pre-primed, but we primed it just to be safe and to make the paint job last as long as possible.

[woodridge]

We used it on my oldest son's house and looks great. It is very fire-proof and just about every other thing else proof also. To me the only negative is since it is concrete based it is brittle but normal bumps and bruises don't seem to hurt it. We talked to other installers and painters about priming and no one has ever had any issues by not priming it again. It is extremely dusty to cut, we used a big fan to keep it blown away from us. Also, use an old junk saw, the dust will wipe out one pretty quick.

[bcanini]

Hardy Plank! better than it all IMO

B

[JON67]

I have vinyl that has been on my house for 50+ years. It hasn't faded much in that time, and looks like I imagine it did back then. The only problem is, that it is kinda turquoise, and you can't paint it, and I don't like the color.

[N2TRUX]

I have never had vinyl siding so I can't give you pro's or con's there. My current house has Hardy siding and I love it. I went 5 years with the builder grade paint on it and it still looked good. I painted it because the builder used wood rather than Hardy for trim boards. The trim boards needed replaced in 5 years but the Hardy siding was in perfect condition.

[glock35ipsc]

I am actually going to be replacing the vinyl on our house in the next couple of months. We get probably the same winds here in N. Colorado as you do out there. I can't keep the stuff on! And it is very noisy in the wind. Insulating quality in nill. Color is OK, but I can't take it any longer! Hardy Plank, here I come!

[Fred T]

Special K gave a lot of good advice. Vinyl will warp, fade, come off in the wind, and breaks in a good hailstorm. From what I've heard about the cement fiber, it is far more durable here in the land of oz. The only problem is that you do have to paint it, and the issue is with the paint color fading. But your wife will be tired of the color after 10 years . I would buy a high quality paint, they usually fade less.

[cochran63]

http://www.jameshardiedesigncenter.com/

that link might help you make a decision.

[special-K]

No offense,but you don`t get good advise from a place that`s pushing their product.I had a builder in`94 that was using Masonite on 3/4 million dollar houses.I told him it was bad news and he`s lose his butt on the 10 year HOW(warranty)and that I had just covered a house in vinyl that the owner had bought for $15,000 less because the Masonite was bad and he`d have to get it resided.I got the $15,000.It got to him,so he called a rep.The rep came out and assured him as long as it`s installed properly.In other words,it would be my fault.I made sure we installed precisely per instructions.It comes down to I can`t afford lawyers like Masonite can.Antway,a year or so later(the rep would have been aware of this)there was a class action lawsuit against Masonite and that siding doesn`t exist anymore.
Get your advise from buyers,not sellers.Honestly,what you`re getting here is like gold compared to any advise from a business.Like I said,I`m not that kind of salesman.I tell you the facts and let you decide.It`s your house.Not that I`m in selling mode

[jacobs]

Because concrete siding is fireproof, homeowners insurance premiums are GREATLY reduced in forested areas.

[Hoods69BadBowTie]

I agree, if you go with vinyl buy the good stuff. You defiantly won't regret it.

[cochran63]

Originally Posted by special-K

No offense,but you don`t get good advise from a place that`s pushing their product.I had a builder in`94 that was using Masonite on 3/4 million dollar houses.I told him it was bad news and he`s lose his butt on the 10 year HOW(warranty)and that I had just covered a house in vinyl that the owner had bought for $15,000 less because the Masonite was bad and he`d have to get it resided.I got the $15,000.It got to him,so he called a rep.The rep came out and assured him as long as it`s installed properly.In other words,it would be my fault.I made sure we installed precisely per instructions.It comes down to I can`t afford lawyers like Masonite can.Antway,a year or so later(the rep would have been aware of this)there was a class action lawsuit against Masonite and that siding doesn`t exist anymore.
Get your advise from buyers,not sellers.Honestly,what you`re getting here is like gold compared to any advise from a business.Like I said,I`m not that kind of salesman.I tell you the facts and let you decide.It`s your house.Not that I`m in selling mode

I agree, I am not looking to "make a sale" I am just giving my opinions on siding. I prefer to install the vynl because it is lighter, faster to install, and does not create the awful dust that the hardie siding does.

I like the hardie siding so much that I installed the siding on my house when I built it. I also used it on my garage. Still looks great. Two years ago we installed the same siding on my uncles house. And I am currently putting the same siding on my aunts new house. I will put up some pictures of the end product tomorow. We used the scrap to make a nice looking shake design on the front gable.

I am attaching a picture of the last house that we framed. We also installed hardie siding on a few of the gables. It is not a great picture but it is 5 1/4 reveil siding.

[Ironhorse]

Thanks for all the replies and the great info on concrete vrs. vinyl siding. Looks like the concrete siding is in the lead for preference. My thoughts are concrete siding for the main portion and vinyl for the trim, windows and soffits. Will be looking at finding some local contractors to install the siding and such. Two story house and no scaffolding plus time and tools situation. Most likely will be spring next year before it happens so have some time yet to do some more research. Thanks again for the replies and tips.

[special-K]

Sounds good.I think that`s best for you.As far as vinyl blowing off,which is it`s downfall,I can say that I`ve only had it happen(that I know of)on a couple houses that I`ve done.But,I know after looking at it,there was nothing I could have done different to avoid it.These cases were all in high wind areas.There have been zillions in windy areas that haven`t had a problem,too.In other words,it`s a crap shoot in windy areas,not a given that it just blows off.This is just for general info.There are also vinyl products that will take all the wind you can throw at it,but it`s expensive and not traditional lap siding.I`m talking about the shingle or shake style.I install Nailite shingle siding and that stuff on the right style house is awesome.I do alot of rustic/woodsy homes where they want to keep a natural look.It`s like 1/8" thick,firm to the touch.It interlocks on the verticle seam as well as horizontal.It`s so thick you don`t use snips.It`s all saw work like wood.
As far as dust with Hardy Plank,there are power shears that snip through it that are like metal shears.There is "NO" dust from this and definately the way to install that siding.My first job I did I used the saw and hated installing it.I`m sure the saw wouldn`t last for many jobs,nor my lungs.The abrasive dust got on everything including my skin and hair.There was no way I wanted to make a living with that crap.Then I got the shears and installing it is a breeze,now.Except it`s so damn heavy.