Aluminum Siding

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The post-war era brought us aluminum cookware, aluminum lawn chairs, aluminum soda cans, and aluminum siding.

Born from the thought “there must be a better alternative to wood siding and its associated maintenance” aluminum siding has evolved over the years into a popular siding choice for new homes.

Aluminum is a durable metal product that is sanded, primed and painted for siding purposes. Siding comes in strips and has perforated holes at the top for fastening into the exterior wall and interlocking flanges top and bottom to seal against weather. It comes in a broad range of styles, textures, and colors. And, it’s available in horizontal and vertical panels. You can even find siding that looks just like shakes or shingles.

Advantages

Aluminum siding doesn’t rot, offers low maintenance, and it’s relatively easy to keep clean. It’s ideal for wet climates. It’s also very moderate in price when compared with wood siding. To keep your siding looking beautiful all you need is a good hose or pressure washer to make it sparkle like new. For a long lasting beautiful appearance you should clean your siding at least once a year.

Disadvantages

Aluminum siding tends to chalk, fade and dent. One of the greatest disadvantages is the difficulty of replacing damaged sections should your siding receive a major dent. If a wire breaks or a pipe bursts in the middle of a wall, an entire section of aluminum siding must be removed and further damage can occur, i.e. scratches and dents from removing nails. If you need to replace a section of your siding it can be difficult to obtain a proper color match. Another drawback to aluminum siding is it conducts electricity, which could be hazardous if the wall area comes into contact with electrical wiring such as light fixtures, and it may interfere with your TV and radio reception. It provides very little to no insulating properties, can be a bit noisy, and aluminum lacks the ability for detailed trim work.

A Final Note

Since aluminum tends to fade over time it will probably be necessary at some point to paint. Make sure to use the proper primer when painting aluminum. Spray paint works best. Hold onto a few extra pieces of your aluminum siding; you may need to replace a section and certain patterns are sometimes discontinued by the manufacturer.

Here’s a helpful link for further research:

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/hm_homeexterior/article/0,2085,DIY_16800_3101027,00.html

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