Did you know low-quality vinyl siding can “shrink”? It’s true. Vinyl by its very nature will expand and contract with the weather. Most of the vinyl siding installed these days is cheap, economy-grade material, in the interest of saving money by the builder. When done as a home improvement or renovation, homeowners, too, seem to gravitate toward cheap vinyl to keep their costs down.
But what happens? Over the years, it starts to shrink, particularly when exposed to New England weather over 20 or so years. Age-related issues will start to crop up, from shrinkage to brittleness to fading. These factors make it more and more difficult to replace or repair the siding, as color matching becomes trickier and the possibility for breakage increases.
Changes in temperature have a direct impact on vinyl siding. When it is cold outside, vinyl will contract and shrink. When it gets hot, the vinyl expands. This is true of most building materials; however, vinyl reacts more than other materials to extreme changes in temperature. All that contracting and expanding can leave your siding looking stretched and tired – much like a favorite shirt that’s been through the washer and dryer hundreds of times. It just doesn’t look like its old self.
Any contractor that installs vinyl siding knows about the shrinkage factor, and will leave room to accommodate the expanding and contracting that will inevitably occur. However, if your siding was installed improperly by a sub-par technician and you opted for the cheap vinyl, well, then you’re in a pickle.
The Solution
So what’s a homeowner to do? To avoid the shrinkage factor, you can do one of two things:
- Invest in good quality vinyl or
- Invest in rigid fiber cement siding from James Hardie
We recommend this second option for many reasons. We are fully certified to install all James Hardie Fiber Cement, which guarantees you get full protection of the company’s 30-year product warranty. Plus, you can take advantage of its HardieZone® region-specific formulation, ColorPlus™ technology for fade resistance, no-flake color durability, and a wide spectrum of trim and accessories. In addition to a more durable product, you also enjoy a higher ROI (return on investment) than vinyl, at 83 percent.
Contact Hi-Tech Windows & Siding
The go-to siding contractors in New England, Hi-Tech is a factory-certified James Hardie siding contractor. Get a free estimate on fiber cement or our high-quality vinyl when you call today at 800-851-0900. We can schedule a free in-home consultation for you as well.
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