Wood and Vinyl: How they compare in Winter weather

Wood and vinyl siding are popular siding options that have been around for a long time, but that doesn’t always mean that they’re the best option for your home. When selecting new siding for your home it’s important to know all of the options and how they compare in different climates. With winter approaching, we thought that we would take a look at how different materials perform in different climates. 

Wood Siding

Wood siding has been around for ages and really gives your home a beautiful, classic look. There are cons to wood siding though, it can become warped or damaged with temperature changes in either direction. Not to mention running the paint chipping and rotting that can take place. This means that it takes A LOT of work to get your home ready for winter and protected against the elements. If you have wood siding, we’d highly recommend using a water-resistant sealant at the very least. 

Vinyl Siding

Vinyl siding came after wood siding and became an extremely popular alternative to wood. Vinyl has the advantage over wood that it cannot absorb water in the same way. It is typically cheaper and lower maintenance than wood siding would be, without running the risk of rot or paint chipping away. One thing to be wary of with vinyl siding is cracking, this can occur if the siding was installed too tightly, which can cause cracks to occur, especially when the weather gets cold!

An Alternative

Fiber cement is a modern alternative to wood and vinyl siding that is made of wood or cellulose fiber, cement, sand, and water. This combination resembles authentic wood without any of the weather risks you’d be exposing yourself to siding your home with wood. It’s also more durable than vinyl siding, so you don’t have to worry about any cracking or fading. Fiber cement can keep your whole home better insulated, which will also help you save on heating and cooling costs in the future.

You can ensure that your home is prepared for the winter by trusting our installation experts to install your fiber cement siding. James Hardie siding has trusted us a preferred contractor, one of the few in the New Jersey area to specialize in installing their products.