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Old 04-19-2007, 06:21 AM
 
20,793 posts, read 61,066,170 times
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I wouldn't do vinyl personally. I would go with a steel siding, preferably seamless if you can afford that upgrade.
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Old 06-10-2008, 03:03 PM
 
1 posts, read 19,649 times
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vinyl siding is a much better product than hardie plank simply because james hardie (the founder and ceo) is having to pay out over 40 % of their gross profit to pay for the insurance premiums that are being paid to the installers for breathing in the cast off when applying the product.
vinyl you do not have to paint. Hardie plank you do. also with the fiber cement product you have to make sure that all seams are caulked and sealed.
Most vinyl siding has a pretty significant wind load of 160 mph or above when installed correctly, which means that the wall will fall off of the house before the siding falls off of the wall.
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Old 06-10-2008, 04:20 PM
 
Location: Wheaton, Illinois
10,261 posts, read 21,643,590 times
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Vinyl is serviceable and cheap, it's a fine material. But it lacks cool factor and doesn't look as good.

Reckon it depends on where you want to put your dough.
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Old 06-10-2008, 05:00 PM
 
Location: Durham, NC
1,364 posts, read 6,007,246 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vinylsidingguy View Post
vinyl siding is a much better product than hardie plank simply because james hardie (the founder and ceo) is having to pay out over 40 % of their gross profit to pay for the insurance premiums that are being paid to the installers for breathing in the cast off when applying the product.
vinyl you do not have to paint. Hardie plank you do. also with the fiber cement product you have to make sure that all seams are caulked and sealed.
Most vinyl siding has a pretty significant wind load of 160 mph or above when installed correctly, which means that the wall will fall off of the house before the siding falls off of the wall.
Doesn't change the fact that it's ugly, Mr. vinylsidingguy
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Old 06-10-2008, 05:09 PM
 
Location: Cary, NC
43,010 posts, read 76,500,303 times
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I selected Craneboard vinyl siding for my home.
We had masonite/hardboard siding, wood dust with cheap binder, and it was rotting.
http://www.exteriorportfolio.com/EP/Products/CraneBoard/craneboard7.aspx?tab=ov (broken link)
We chose the Craneboard Vinyl in Double 7" planks over Hardieplank/fiber-cement because it cost significantly less, looks better, takes less maintenance, doesn't buckle or reveal framing foibles, and has insulation (up to R 4.0) bonded to it to increase energy efficiency of our home.
We installed vinyl shake shingles in the gable over the garage door, and they look great.
The only paint on the exterior of my home is on window sashes and the dentil trim.

All that said, Craneboard is top-end vinyl, looks less glossy, and does not feel flimsy to touch. I think it is .045 mill or thicker. Cheap vinyl may be as thin as .038 mill, and is hardly comparable to a product like Craneboard.

I would consider hardieplank/fibercement on a small house, or on a home where the neighborhood standard is to have a paintable home, only because quality product like top-end vinyl may not be allowed.
In my neighborhood, the vinyl looks as good or better than the homes around.
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Old 06-11-2008, 07:21 AM
 
9,124 posts, read 36,262,305 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vinylsidingguy View Post
vinyl siding is a much better product than hardie plank simply because james hardie (the founder and ceo) is having to pay out over 40 % of their gross profit to pay for the insurance premiums that are being paid to the installers for breathing in the cast off when applying the product. vinyl you do not have to paint. Hardie plank you do. also with the fiber cement product you have to make sure that all seams are caulked and sealed.
Most vinyl siding has a pretty significant wind load of 160 mph or above when installed correctly, which means that the wall will fall off of the house before the siding falls off of the wall.
Sounds like a load of crap fabricated by the vinyl siding industry based on twisting the truth. You might want to try doing a little research on the subject, and you'll find that the settlement you mention is related to Hardie products from the 70's and 80's that contained asbestos- not the current fiber cement products. And since we're on the topic of toxic substances, while you're Googling the asbestos case, also do a little research on the environmental effects from the production of vinyl siding- you may get a bit of an education there.
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Old 06-12-2008, 11:04 AM
 
Location: Denver, Colorado U.S.A.
14,164 posts, read 27,087,177 times
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Vinyl siding looks awful! You don't see it much in the West, but I've noticed it's very common in the Midwest and East - even on new construction! To me, it makes the house look like a "mobile home"

I have hardiplank and at 4 years old, it looks as good as the day it was painted. I just power-washed it last month.
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Old 06-12-2008, 12:17 PM
 
Location: Chicago's burbs
1,016 posts, read 4,528,069 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by denverian View Post
Vinyl siding looks awful! You don't see it much in the West, but I've noticed it's very common in the Midwest and East - even on new construction! To me, it makes the house look like a "mobile home"

I have hardiplank and at 4 years old, it looks as good as the day it was painted. I just power-washed it last month.
Yes, I live in the midwest and vinyl siding is very common around here. We bought a new house last year (tract home) and vinyl was our only option from our builder. Around here, the only time you usually see anything other than vinyl is on the high end custom homes, or older homes.
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Old 06-13-2008, 11:48 AM
 
692 posts, read 3,132,370 times
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As I understand the initial question, it's not about putting on new siding. It's about siding that is already installed.

Where I live cement siding is about 80% of the siding installations, new and remodel.
There is another product available that I actually prefer to Hardie. That product is produced by Certainteed and looks almost identical but uses a superior production process and I think it is a superior product. Look on their website for more info.
The key to all siding materials is the "INSTALLATION"...... period.

If you are going to use any cement siding product against a wood sheathing, you should be very concerned about what vapor barrier/house wrap you use.
Very little info, and each manufacturer says there's is the best. My research shows that the best product at this time is Tyvek "DRAIN WRAP". Forget the rest.
If you use most other barriers you will have nice looking siding but rot under the house wrap if there is any moisture trapped.
Cement siding is fragile in several ways. Why do you think they limit the length of the planks to 12ft? They will snap and break if not supported properly. Nails crush the material if driven past flush. The manufacturer has specific installation specs that must be followed to get a good install and from what I have observed not may installers do it properly. Improper water barriers, nailing, end spacing, caulking, etc. Most siding contractors I have observed are only interested in how fast they can get the job done and get paid, not the quality of there finished product. This attitude is reflected in the products performance over the long haul.
Be sure to order your siding preprimed from the factory and only apply a high quality 100% Acrylic Latex paint product. I like Sherwin Williams Duration myself..Check out the performance warantee.

Vinyl siding ..IMO.. is OK for some applications, but here again the installation is Critical if you want it to look good and last. Proper prep is also critical. I wouldn't use the cheaper grades as the installers that apply them are also cheaper. Pick a Quality Company and a heavy gauge if you want Vinyl. We have three new homes in our area that were on the Street of Dreams realestate tour, selling for approx 1 million dollars each that had Quality Vinyl siding and they looked Great. All Vinyl is not the same.

Silverfox

Last edited by silverfox; 06-13-2008 at 12:10 PM..
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Old 06-13-2008, 12:08 PM
 
692 posts, read 3,132,370 times
Reputation: 357
Quote:
Originally Posted by cold_eh_ND View Post
We are going to be residing our home and I am wondering what the best type of siding would be? We live on a farm in a very rural area so it will need to be very durable against wind, sleet, snow, rain etc.. I was thinking vinyl but some vinyl I've seen just looks cheap. Any suggestions on siding or experiences with vinyl?
Thanks!
If you are going to use a cement product, here is what I would use.

Certainteed Weather Boards......Vertical cement siding.

I would have your Contractor use a Batt & Board application as it is much more wind and weather resistant than Plank style sidings.
Hardie plank or the equivilant Certainteed product in a Plank is open and loose at the bottom of each course and can have exposure at the splices to wind and rain if not kept properly cauked.

Board and Batt construction eliminates those possibilities and is more maintanance free.
Choose the spacing and size/width of the Batts with your contractor for looks.

Use the proper Paint and your good to go.

Silverfox
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