I received a phone call recently from a very kind lady who was wondering if she needed to replace her existing vinyl siding on her home with new vinyl siding.
I made an appointment to stop by and inspect her siding and the trim boards for exterior painting as well and upon my visit, I realized that other Indianapolis homeowners may have that same question; “How do I know if my siding is okay? Is there anything I should be doing to help keep my siding maintained?
I decided to make a list that will hopefully help others:
- Does your vinyl siding look chalky? In other words, when you run your finger across the panel, do you find a residue that looks like chalk? This might mean that you simply need to clean your siding. All siding warranties require that you maintain your siding by power washing your siding one to two times a year. However, the chalky residue could also mean that the finish on your siding has simply worn out.
- Are the J-channels cracked? J-channel is around the perimeter of the top, bottom and sides of the siding panels, which hold the siding into place.
- Are there cracks in the siding panels?
- Is the siding wavy? Sometimes the siding will wave due to expansion and contraction due to the heat and cold temperature fluctuations over time. Most siding is subject to this and as the years go on, the siding simply wears out. This typically occurs when a lower or builder grade of vinyl siding is used during construction.
- Does the siding frequently come loose in areas? This will occur when the siding has been nailed to tight or loose during the installation process. Wind will easily cause this to happen.
- Do the siding panels appear to be uneven at the seams?
There are many reasons that cause vinyl siding to wear out and in need of replacement. These are just several observations that you can look at to determine whether you might be in need of replacing the vinyl siding on your home.
The mil thickness and color application often determines whether a vinyl siding product will last for many years. Like any product we purchase, there are different grades and qualities of vinyl siding and most manufacturers offer a variety of grades to meet a particular need.
Mil thickness as an example is the thickness of the vinyl siding panel itself. The most common mil thicknesses are .040, .042, .046. Insulated vinyl siding, (foam backed type vinyl siding) is usually made up of .050 mil thickness is probably the best type of vinyl siding you can have on your home as it not only holds up to time and weather, but it also offers an additional R-Factor value of insulation that will help with the energy bills, not to mention the resale value.
Every vinyl siding manufacturer that I’m aware of offers a “Limited Lifetime” warranty. Each warranty, however, has a pro-rated time period that can run out of protection time very quickly. Every Limited Lifetime warranty is exactly what it states, limited!
Some manufacturers apply a paint finish to their vinyl siding after the panels have been formed while others will mix colorants to the mixture during the actual forming process. The process of applying a paint finish after the panel has been formed typically will not last as long as the colorant process.
JD Hostetter & Associates offers high-quality vinyl siding products from manufacturers such as Mastic and Crane Board. These manufacturers meet our quality guidelines and we know that once we have installed these quality products on your home, we can sleep at night knowing that your home has been protected with the best of the best!
JD Hostetter & Associates continues to earn an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) as an Accredited Business and has won awards for Super Service since 2004.
If you are not sure whether or not your siding needs replaced, or simply needs a little TLC, give us a call and we will inspect it for free.
