There are many articles online discussing what to consider when replacing your exterior siding.
What you would find in common in all these articles would be what’s important to know before making a decision.
1) The type of siding product that is the best for your geography.
2) The siding remodeling company you choose to install your siding.
3) The installation team.
4) The products used to manage moisture penetration.
5) The sales person’s passion and expertise.
We would be hard-pressed to put this list into an order of importance because they are all important. But the type of siding, the remodeling company, water management and the installation team would vie for the top. Over the next weeks, we will take each point and expand on how each would affect your replacement siding project. Hopefully, this will be educational.
Two types of lap siding products stand out as the best for the Houston market. Lap siding is a siding that’s made to look like wood siding. Over the years, many siding types have come and gone in Houston because of the adverse weather conditions. Wind, hail, precipitation, floods, the sun and humidity have combined to be a siding killers.
Wood siding, even cedar, tends to fail in the Houston region because of the brutal sun beating on it throughout the year and the constant presence of moisture causes the wood to expand and contract. This movement breaks down the finish and even causes the siding to crack. Wood siding requires much more maintenance.
Aluminum siding came into Houston in the 60’s and was soon followed by vinyl in the 70’s. Both of these products came with promises which they could never live up to. The intensity of the sun warped vinyl siding and oxidized the finish of aluminum siding. And hail easily damaged both.
In the 80’s, a wood fiber-type sidings, like Masonite, was introduced to Houston. Moisture did its thing, and today, many of these homes are in need of replacement siding.
Each of these replacement siding types met its match in Houston because Houston’s weather is unrelenting. But there are two siding types that have stood up for over 20 years to Houston’s weather and will continue to perform for a long time.
The first is fiber cement siding. Fiber cement siding has been an excellent choice over the past 20 years. Fiber cement siding is a cementitious siding that is not affected by the sun and releases any moisture it absorbs. It also is fire resistant.
James Hardie is the most recognized fiber cement siding name, though it is not the only fiber cement siding product installed in Houston. Allura also has been successfully installed in Houston for over 20 years. One concern, however, that is expressed about fiber cement siding is silica which some states label as a carcinogen.
LP Smartside is the other replacement siding product that has found a growing acceptance in the Houston market both commercially and residentially because it stands tall against Houston’s elements. It is a manufactured wood siding that is rot and insect resistant because it does not absorb moisture and has additives that resist rot and insects. It has also been tested under worse conditions than Houston for over 20 years without failure.
LP Smartside is durable and not affected by the intensity of the sun, heat and humidity or wind and hail. LP Smartside also boasts an industry leading warranty and has better impact resistance than fiber cement siding. It is important for the remodeling company you choose to replace your siding to be knowledgeable about the various siding products and not married to one of the other. Both fiber cement siding and LP Smartside will protect your home beautifully for a long, long time.
