Vinyl or Aluminum siding?

[Ouabache]

Which is the best replacement siding for a house and why?
I have a poll up in the lounge too, if you want to answer over there...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x5743707

[Lefty48197]

1. Vinyl

It wears better (i.e. it's less likely to dent). It's probably cheaper. It's hard to find aluminum siding these days. When the vinyl siding does get damaged, I'm told that a good installer can pop out the bad piece and pop in a new one. With aluminum, you have to tear out everything above the damaged piece and replace that too. True, if vinyl siding isn't installed properly, it is likely to buckle and warp. I'm pretty sure the key is to NOT nail it too tight.

[Berserker]

2. The choices

of siding have changed in the past few years.
Aluminum siding is not a popular product anymore. It Dents and scratches easily and may corrode.

Vinyl siding is very popular and no matter what anyone thinks it still appears cheap and plastic looking. Also it is NOT maintenance free.
It still gathers mold and dirt and will need to be cleaned.

Steel siding is much more durable and will not dent as easily.

Fiber-Cement siding like Hardiplank is becoming a very popular product but needs painting although it can be ordered with a 15 year paint warranty.

[RedRocco]

3. hardi board

is only slightly less expensive than brick

[Berserker]

4. That is not true

at all. There is not much difference in price between steel siding and Hardi-plank per square. And only slightly more cost in labor to install than steel or vinyl.
You may be thinking of some other product.

[Jersey Devil]

5. maintenance? Yeah, with a garden hose

or even easier, with a power washer.

I disagree that is looks "cheap and plastic looking". Today's vinyl comes in all kinds of textures and unless you go right up to the house to examine it closely it looks pretty good to me and you can easily mistake it for clapboard wood siding.

I had cedar siding on my home for almost 25 years. Climbing 35 feet up on a ladder to apply messy oil based stains one too many times I had a vinyl job done two years ago and now I spend the summer relaxing in my yard instead of staining and patching the siding.

[Berserker]

6. I know all about siding

I'm a contractor and we all have our opinions. I can spot vinyl siding from a long ways off. And in my opinion it's cheap and plastic looking. It also has dozens of seams and if you look around if not installed properly pieces are always coming undone.
Look down the side of the home it's installed on and you can see every dip or lump in the sheathing.
It's amazing to me to see $500,000 homes with brick on the front and then they use vinyl siding on the rest. "Classy"
The only homes we install vinyl on are homes we have to match the existing siding on after building and addition.

[Jersey Devil]

7. To each is own

I think it's a matter of personal taste. My home is worth well in excess of $500,000 and I think it looks terrific. BTW, I installed 3/4 inch insulation under the vinyl to smooth out any imperfections in the sheathing and T-111 siding underneath it. Brick is very nice but certainly not economical nor can it easily be installed on an existing home. As for it coming undone, I haven't seen any of that but then I was careful about the contractor I chose to do the job. I also saved a lot of money by completely replacing my windows myself before the siding job. My home is 25 years old and was due for a facelift.

I know other people who thought vinyl was cheasy too who had stucco board installed instead and thousands of dollars later they still don't have their mold problems solved.

[Berserker]

8. We could

go on and on about this subject but instead I congratulate you for taking the time to choose the right contractor to install your siding. It is very important for homeowners to do a little research before calling the first contractor for a bid. It sounds as though this is what you did.

[Jersey Devil]

9. You're welcome and make an important point

I am always prepared to spend a few more dollars for a contractor who has a very good reputation and is firmly established in the community. Today people overlook reputations in favor of saving a few dollars and that's OK if they're lucky. But if anything goes wrong, look out!