House siding is essential for protecting your home exterior and maintaining adequate energy efficiency and comfortable temperatures throughout the interior. Without exterior siding, you’d be cold, wet, and completely lacking when it comes to your home’s curb appeal.
Many types of siding fit the unique aesthetics of individual homeowners and offer specific functionalities for different environments. With so many siding options out there, it can be challenging to pick the perfect one when your home needs emergency storm repairs or a new siding system.
New siding can definitely boost curb appeal, but house siding also comes with other excellent benefits aside from aesthetics. While many homeowners mainly focus on colors and panel styles first, looks aren’t the only thing to consider when it comes to premium home siding. You also need to ask about:
- Durability – Is this type of siding trusted to withstand weathering, exposure, & unexpected storms?
- Longevity ⏰ – What are the average life expectancies of the various types of siding?
- Material and installation costs – How much does the siding material cost per square foot? Is it high quality from a trusted brand? What are labor costs going to look like for different house siding options?
- Insulated siding vs. uninsulated ❄️ – Some house siding is insulated, while other materials are not. Will your home need insulated siding? Understanding the importance of insulation is crucial, and you’ll want to factor that into your final decision.
- Energy efficiency ⚡️ – What effect will the different types of house siding have on your monthly energy consumption and utility bills?
- Maintenance – How much maintenance do different types of siding require? Is it easier to repair one siding style over another? Is one type more expensive to repair than others?
- Local environment and weather conditions – What weather conditions are common in your area? Will heavy rain, high winds, or significant sun exposure impact your siding? Can your chosen siding style stand up to conditions in the local climate?
Answering these critical questions can help you choose the perfect siding for your home. Take time to explore the pros, cons, and, of course, costs of each exterior siding option with your contractor before settling on what’s best for your current needs or circumstances.
8 Types of Siding to Consider Installing
Ready to replace your home’s damaged or outdated siding? Why not switch things up from traditional siding styles and check out other siding materials? We can help break it down to determine what types of siding work best for your home’s exterior.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the types of house siding you might see installed in your neighborhood now, as well as siding pros and cons you need to know before your next siding project:
1.) Vinyl Siding
Vinyl siding probably comes to mind first for most people since it’s been the most prevalent choice among American homeowners for the past who-knows-how-many decades. So what helps vinyl siding stay so popular after all this time? Vinyl siding has many great benefits and only a few drawbacks we’ll discuss below.
✅Vinyl Siding Pros:
- Versatile color and panel style options
- Materials that mimic natural wood grains (or choose smooth vinyl siding)
- Virtually no maintenance is necessary aside from occasionally having to wash superficial blemishes off the facade
- Panels are pigmented through so that vinyl siding won’t chip or require re-painting
- Easy installation can take as little as two or three days, depending on the job size
- One of the most affordable siding options
- High energy efficiency
- Noise-reducing qualities
- Lifespans of 20 to 40 years
❌Cons:
- Seams of vinyl panels may be apparent on larger homes
- Vinyl siding tends to crack over time or in severe storms
2.) Natural Wood Siding
Wood sidings are another classic choice, especially wood shingle siding, often referred to as cedar shingles or cedar shakes. Wood siding materials will add a charming and rustic vibe to your home, but they have a few key downsides.
✅Pros:
- Adds high aesthetic value to any home
- Offers solid durability
- Environmentally friendly
- Reasonably easy to repair individual shingles
- Several wood siding styles are available, like lap siding, clapboard, shakes, or shingles
- Can last up to 40 years with proper maintenance
❌Cons:
- More susceptible to issues such as mold, mildew, water damage, or pest infestations
- Real wood shingles are more costly than composite siding
- Wood siding requires intense amounts of upkeep to avoid rotting and other problems
- Must be painted and stained every 4-6 years
- Fungicide and mildew deterrents must be applied every 3-4 years
3.) Engineered Wood Siding
Unlike wood siding, composite wood siding systems won’t be prone to the same common problems with pests and algal growth. Many other great things about engineered wood make it worth considering.
✅Engineered Wood Siding Pros:
- High insulation levels
- Extensive color and style options
- Affordable alternative to natural wood
- Never needs painting
- Resistant to many different kinds of damage
- Easy and fast installation
- Typically covered under warranty
❌Cons:
- Colors will fade eventually
- Engineered wood shingles sometimes look obviously artificial
- Resin coating can crack, allowing excess moisture inside to cause damage
4.) Metal Siding
Like metal roofing, metal siding is also gaining traction across the states since it has many excellent benefits, especially in certain climates. See why steel siding is so popular right now:
✅Pros:
- Extremely durable
- Fire resistant
- Low maintenance
- Offered in both vertical panels and horizontal panels
- Wide range of color and style choices are available
❌Cons:
- Low-quality materials can rust or dent more quickly
- Matching metal colors for siding repairs can be challenging
- Rain and hail storms might get noisy with metal siding
- Installation costs are higher upfront
Fun Fact: Aluminum siding used to be another material you could select, but it has since fallen out of favor since aluminum siding is the metal siding option most prone to problems related to re-painting, denting, scratching, and overall style.
5.) Fiber Cement Siding
Another growing trend is fiber cement. Vinyl and fiber cement siding are nearly neck and neck in terms of popularity among the average homeowner these days. See why fiber cement is dominating the siding industry right now:
✅Fiber Cement Siding Pros:
- Highly durable material
- Can last over 50 years
- Pest and rot-resistant
- Low maintenance
❌Cons:
- The heavy fiber cement material makes installation difficult
- Associated costs can be higher due to labor times, installation challenges, and overall material quality
6.) Natural Stone Siding
If you love the look of charming old farmhouses in the European countryside, consider installing stone siding. Natural stone is unmatched in terms of beauty, maintenance, and longevity.
✅Pros:
- Many types of stones can be used as siding
- Offers impressive natural insulation
- Weather, damage, and fire-resistant
- Often lasts for centuries
- Increases your home’s resale value
- Adds rustic charm and character to any home
❌Cons:
- Structural substrates are required
- Installation is long and complex, so labor costs are high
- Materials are often expensive
- Sealant must be applied
Hot Tip for Homeowners: If you love the look of natural stone siding, but can’t afford the steep price tag that’s typically attached, try out stone veneer siding. Though it doesn’t even come at a quarter of the cost of its natural counterpart, modern stone veneer is still a very durable siding choice, lasting as long as 75 years with a little TLC from you (and annual inspections from us).
7.) Brick Siding
Brick siding is yet another option that will last a lifetime, but brick siding costs a pretty penny to install using the traditional brick masonry method. Luckily, like natural stone, you can install brick veneer instead to save money while still achieving a beautiful, classic aesthetic.
✅Pros:
- Durable material holds up well against the elements
- Looks beautiful
- Low maintenance
- Energy-efficient and eco-friendly
- Help to maintain your home’s internal temperatures
- Natural noise-canceling qualities
- Life expectancy of over 100 years
❌Cons:
- Repairs can be difficult and expensive
- Initial installation has a high cost
- Brick structures can shift
- Color choices are limited
- Painting brick siding is a tough and costly job
Additional Siding Materials
Aside from the great options we already mentioned, you might also consider installing other specialty siding materials, such as:
- Stucco siding
- Hardie board
- Glass exterior walls
- Log siding
- Board and batten siding
Install New Siding You Know You’ll Love
Ready to take a chance on one of these unique types of siding? Now that you know the ins and outs of the various types of siding, you can make a smart choice for your own home. Whether you want natural wood shingles, solid brick, or standard insulated vinyl siding, there’s something for every homeowner at Dreamworx. We’ll stop at nothing to find an affordable, low-maintenance, and energy-efficient house siding system to suit your needs.
Stop waiting when we’re here to help install beautiful and durable new siding on your home or business. Contact us now to start your next siding project with the trusted team at Dreamworx.
