Vinyl Vs. Lap Siding

Installation

Individual wood siding boards are fastened directly to the wall studs with corrosion-resistant nails. Installation begins at the base of the house and, as you work up to the gables, each siding course overlaps the course below. This overlapping pattern creates water resistance.

Vinyl siding includes a series of channels into which the panels are fitted. The channels are installed first, then the panels. The panels interlock with one another and should be nailed to the wall studs to ensure a secure installation.

Wood siding needs to be finished to protect the wood from water damage and ultraviolet rays. A penetrating stain or paint is recommended. While this requires some extra work, the plus side is that it is relatively easy to change the appearance of wood siding.

Vinyl siding requires no additional finishing. It is installed with a factory color already applied. While vinyl siding can be painted, the inherent expansion and contraction in the product causes it to shed coatings fairly quickly.

Properly maintained, both lap siding and vinyl siding can provide your home with decades of protection.

Wood siding should be cleaned twice a year. Stained siding will need to be retreated every three to five years. Painted siding will need to be recoated after 10 or more years.

Vinyl siding should be cleaned twice a year, but no additional maintenance is required.

Vinyl siding is inexpensive and requires minimal maintenance when compared to a quality wood siding product. However, there are additional factors that make wood preferable in many instances. Vinyl siding can become damaged over time and require replacement of sections. Because of natural weathering and fading, it can be difficult to find new vinyl siding material that matches well with the old. Also, while neither wood nor vinyl siding is completely waterproof, wood siding will provide much greater water resistance. Vinyl siding allows a great deal of moisture to pass through the seams in the product. Finally, there is a warm and attractive look achievable with wood siding that cannot be matched with its vinyl counterpart.