Where is vinyl siding made

Product Range: Vinyl is practically unmatched when it comes to the combinations of type, style, and color available for homeowners. Scratch Resistance: Vinyl, unlike other materials is protected against scratches thanks to the colorants added to the PVC mixture. When a scratch occurs, the same color lies underneath making the scratch practically invisible. Minimal Maintenance: This siding option has long been sought for its minimal required maintenance alone. Wind Resistance: Most vinyl siding products have demonstrated the ability to withstand wind speeds up to mph.

Compared to natural options such as wood, this results in a longer lifespan. Affordability: Hands down, this is one of the deciding factors when it comes to vinyl siding.

This option not only is affordable upfront, but also maintains its value up to the first 25 years of its life. Other materials start to equal vinyl in value between years. Polymer siding offers most of the same benefits as vinyl siding.

However, there are a few differences that homeowners can benefit from when choosing polymer siding. Stronger: Because of chemical makeup of polymer siding, it can be stronger than standard vinyl siding of the same thickness.

Making a decision between these two products can be difficult—despite the two products being close to the same thing. Often, the final decision comes down to price and durability, where the more affordable and durable product is chosen.

Here are some things to consider that might affect your decision:. These products are manufactured to be much thicker than standard vinyl, and are just as strong if not stronger than polymer selections. Plus, premium vinyl offers improved aesthetic appeal due to its deeper wood graining patterns and style options.

Polymer Costs More: Polymer siding is naturally much more expensive than vinyl, making it a more substantial upfront investment. When it comes to durability, premium vinyl products can be less expensive and even more durable than polymer products.

Insulation: Insulated siding makes the entire home stronger and more energy-efficient. It can even look good. There are few subjects in the whole arena of residential construction products that draw battle lines as sharply as vinyl siding.

Proponents harp on the fact that it never needs painting, while its detractors insist that houses should never be covered with anything but real wood. As a building material, vinyl siding is relatively new — it was introduced in the late s as a substitute for aluminum siding. But its reputation was tarnished in the early days when it cracked, faded, buckled, and sagged. Ongoing changes in the product's chemistry and installation techniques have improved its performance and furthered its acceptance by builders and homeowners.

In fact, vinyl has captured 32 percent of the U. The reason, in part, is because it's often but not always cheaper than red cedar or redwood and takes less time to install. Some premium vinyls cost about the same as the best grade of cedar, but the installed cost is still lower because it goes up faster and doesn't need painting. For many people, price isn't the issue at all; the real seduction of plastic siding is reduced maintenance. That's exactly why a wood guy like This Old House general contractor Tom Silva put vinyl on his house 20 years ago.

Vinyl can't match that claim because no one knows for sure how long it will last. Installer Joe Fagone slides a cut-to-fit, 4-foot-long panel of embossed-shingle siding around a window.

Vinyl is a polymer formed during a chemical do-si-do between ethylene gas and chlorine, which produces a fine white powder called vinyl resin. When it's melted and mixed with different additives, the resulting compound can be as rigid as pipe, as supple as a shower curtain, or durable enough to survive the heavy foot traffic on a kitchen floor. New, so-called virgin vinyl siding has a greater complement of the key additives that impart flexibility and resistance to UV degradation. Some manufacturers will tout their product as percent virgin along with a mention of its supposed superiority , but most siding is made with a core of remelted vinyl top-coated with virgin material.

Typically, vinyl siding is extruded through a die, but to produce the deepest patterns and crispest edges, panels must be molded from polypropylene, a more expensive plastic. Molded panels are typically no more than 4 feet long, while vinyl extrusions can be virtually any length. Rap on a vinyl-sided wall with your knuckles, and it will flex and sound hollow. That's because, in most cases, only a relatively small area of a vinyl panel is actually resting against the sheathing.

A thin panel, or one without support, is more likely to sag over time. The thinnest siding that meets code is. Premium siding can be. The thicker sidings tend to be stiffer, and therefore more resistant to sagging, but stiffness depends on other characteristics as well.

Although claims are made that thicker siding is also more impact resistant than thin siding, test results suggest that it has more to do with its chemical makeup, which, unfortunately, is not available to consumers who want to compare products.

Thinner, less-stiff sidings can also be sucked off a house when high winds blow. Reading the manufacturer's warranty should give you a good indication of the product's ability to handle heavy weather. Some even comply with the miles-per-hour wind code in hurricane-prone Miami, Florida. A panel of polypropylene siding slips into a grooved "corner board" of the same material.

Panels expand and contract with temperature changes and shouldn't be installed tight to trim pieces. Other types of home siding other than vinyl siding. There are many other types of home siding on the market today. Homeowners have a wide choice of products. Some of the more popular products are the fiber cement, cement board, and Hardie Board siding products.

Fiber cement board or as it is sometimes called ' cement fiber siding ' is made from cement, sand, and cellulose fibers that have been heated under pressure in the factory to make it very strong, durable, moisture and rot resistant. Cement Board Siding is made with cement and fibers and is stronger than regular vinyl siding. It can be painted any color and can withstand high winds better than most vinyl sidings. The Vinyl Siding Institute has a lot of particularly good information on home siding.

It has information on how vinyl siding can increase your curb appeal of the home thus increasing it's value. To see more information on vinyl siding,. Click Here Vinyl Siding Institute. Cement board siding is another type of home siding that offers a stronger, longer lasting, more weather resistant home siding option.

Looks like real wood only stronger. Fiber Cement Board Siding is a siding material made reinforced cement with cellulose fibers.

Originally they made the siding with asbestos but due to safety concerns they now use cellulose. It is an exceptionally durable product much stronger than vinyl siding and is used in areas where harsh weather is a concern. Here are some major Cement Board Siding Manufacturers. To review more vinyl siding styles, click here. Find and contact top-rated local siding contractors in your area.

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