The Outlook, The Post, The Estacada News
Friday, September 13, 2013
fall home improvement
A11
C
hances are you’ve seen
and heard a lot about
vinyl siding on home
renovation television
shows, in magazines and in your
neighborhood. Once seen as a
drab and boring alternative to
aluminum siding, vinyl siding is
now driving new design trends,
effortlessly adapting to any ar-
chitectural home style.
According to the U.S. Census
Bureau, vinyl siding is a hot
home exterior material, appear-
ing on nearly one third of all
new homes built in 2012, more
than any other cladding materi-
al. Still unsure about vinyl sid-
ing? Consider these myth-bust-
ing facts:
Myth: Vinyl siding is boring and
looks cheap
Vinyl siding has come a long
way since it was introduced in
the 1950s and manufacturers
have made strides in research
and development efforts for de-
sign and performance. Nearly
350 vinyl siding colors have
been certified for color reten-
tion, according to the Vinyl Sid-
ing Institute (VSI). The variety
offers homeowners a virtually
endless palette of fade-resistant
colors, combined with comple-
mentary trim, accents and ac-
cessories. Additionally, the tex-
ture and attention to detail on
the siding panels make high-end
vinyl siding nearly indistin-
guishable from wood clapboard,
cedar shake shingles or other
traditional materials.
Thanks to these advance-
ments in color and technology,
top designers on shows like “Ex-
treme Makeover: Home Edition”
and “George to the Rescue”
have recently made vinyl siding
a focal point of their renovation
and new-build home designs.
And many historical societies
across the United States have
turned to vinyl siding for histor-
ic home renovations because of
the wide selection of period col-
ors, architectural details and
low-maintenance benefits.
“After the devastating torna-
do in Joplin, Mo., in 2011, we
built seven houses in seven days
using vinyl siding exteriors,”
says Kim Lewis, architectural
designer of Kim Lewis Designs
and former lead designer for
ABC’s “Extreme Makeover:
Home Edition.”
“At first I was skeptical, but
we were able to bring forward
character-driven design on each
of the home’s exteriors with vi-
brant colors and architectural
elements. After spending some
time with the material, I have a
more positive outlook on vinyl
siding.”
Myth: Vinyl trim doesn’t have
the authentic look of wood
A common misconception
about vinyl siding is that trim
options don’t offer a high-end
look like authentic wood.
Though in recent years, siding
manufacturers such as Ply Gem
have made significant strides in
the design of low maintenance,
holistic finishing solutions for
windows, doors, eaves, gables,
columns and more, introducing
trim and mouldings made from
cellular PVC.
These trim packages are de-
signed to look and function like
real wood, accentuating the best
features of any architectural
home style, but eliminating the
need to clean, replace or stain in
years to come. With today’s trim
options, even the most discern-
ing homeowners will find
there’s no need to compromise
beauty to get low-maintenance
curb appeal.
Myth: Vinyl siding isn’t durable
Don’t let the light weight of
the product fool you. Products
such as Mastic Home Exteriors
by Ply Gem vinyl siding are
manufactured with technologies
tested to resist wind speeds of
more than 200 mph. These prod-
ucts have been put to the test
and withstood the elements in
recent storms such as Super-
storm Sandy.
In addition to holding its own
against Mother Nature, vinyl
siding puts up a pretty good
fight against Father Time. The
product has tremendous longev-
ity, in many cases lasting 30
years or more with very little
maintenance and low cost of
ownership. Vinyl siding does
not need to be painted and it
can be cleaned with simple soap
and water.
If you believed the myths
above, don’t be discouraged.
One thing that is undeniably
true is that vinyl siding will con-
tinue to lead the way in exterior
home design. For links to more
facts and studies on vinyl sid-
ing, visit
www.plygem.com.
Manufacturer sites like these
are also a great resource for
homeowners who want to exper-
iment with vinyl siding colors
and options before committing
to a new build or renovation, of-
fering exterior design tools for
photo-realistic virtual make-
overs on a variety of architec-
tural home styles.
— From Brandpoint
434435.FHI0913
Vinyl siding is a hot home design feature
■
Consider this: Vinyl siding was on nearly
one-third of all new homes built in 2012
PHOTO: BRANDPOINT
Vinyl siding’s wide range of styles and colors make it the perfect choice for
homes with historically-inspired architecture.
Vinyl siding holds up well, sometimes
lasting 30 years or more with little
maintenance.
file photo
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