Siding Maintenance

Taking maintenance into consideration is extremely important when choosing siding for your home. Siding is exposed to all weather elements and must be repaired if its material becomes vulnerable to them.

The longevity of your siding depends on two things: the durability of the siding and how well it is maintained. This means that you must make sure you choose a material that you know you can maintain. If you do not plan to do much maintenance, you should choose a siding material that requires less maintenance.

Here we offer advice on how to maintain some of the most popular siding materials.

Vinyl is the easiest type of siding to maintain. It must be washed and inspected about once a year. It is usually said to be maintenance free, but there are a few factors you want to keep in mind.

Wash it annually.

Be careful with vinyl siding – keep lawn mowers and bicycles away to prevent cracks and breaks.

Keep hot things away from it that can melt the vinyl such as grills and patio torches.

Aluminum requires little maintenance, but there are few precautions you can take to ensure it maintains its appearance and lasts a long time.

Aluminum should be painted when there is chalking or oxidation, which is the result of weathering.

A power washer should be used annually to keep it clean and looking new.

Wood siding needs a lot of maintenance. All types of wood are subject to damage from termites, rot, moisture problems, cracking, splitting, etc. Some steps are essential in maintaining wood siding.

To prevent wood rot, wood must be treated with oil or stained at least every three years, and painted every five years.

In wet climates, wood needs special care due to absorption of moisture, which causes boards to expand.

Wood must be checked for holes from woodpeckers and insects, and replaced if damage is found.

Wood can be cleaned with pressure washing, although if done improperly pressure washing can ruin the wood.

Fiber cement siding is not “maintenance free” as it does require painting. However, because fiber cement does not expand and contract with the weather, paint adheres to it very well helping it last longer than it would on wood siding.

Insect nests and accumulated dirt can easily be removed by power washing. It’s also a good idea to inspect caulked joints each year between butt ends of boards, windows, and doors.

Gaps that open when caulk pulls away can easily be filled with a high quality acrylic or latex readily available in hardware and paint stores.

A well maintained fiber cement siding product generally requires repainting only every seven to fifteen years.