Home Siding Products: Wood, Masonite®, HardiPlank® or Vinyl Siding?
Rabu, 26 Oktober 2011
Austin,
Building Materials,
Concrete Fiber Board,
construction,
Differences in materials,
HardiPlank,
Masonite,
Materials,
Real Estate,
Siding,
Vinyl Siding
Edit
When you begin looking for a home, unless the house is constructed of 100% stone, brick or stucco, you or your Realtor should have some basic understanding of construction siding materials. There are a number of materials that may have been used on a given home--even if only on the back of the house, the second story and/or under the eves of the roof (in the soffits and fascia boards). These things are particularly true if you are looking at older homes that are located closer to the downtown area.
Here is some help in figuring this out:
Wood:
It may seem obvious that this is wood when it is in this unpainted state, but when this has been painted and used as side board it is hard to tell the difference between wood and other siding materials. This is one of the less expensive alternatives to install, but potentially higher maintenance material compared to others. Wood requires periodic painting and caulking to prevent rotting and damage from wood boring insects.
Vinyl Siding:
Vinyls siding is not something that you see terribly often in the Austin area, but I believe it has had much larger market appeal in other climates. The biggest advantages to Vinyl siding seems to be the low comparable costs, the fact that you don't have to paint it and it can "cover up" almost anything. In fact, this last feature is one reason why local inspectors are not fond of this product. Without taking it down completely, there is no good way to tell what is underneath the vinyl siding. It could be covering up a host of flaws or problems in the structure. In Texas, my professional Real Estate experience says that there are other issues with this product that may outweigh its benefits (in my humble opinion). Our harsh summer heat seems to make many vinyl siding products brittle over time and the brittle surface, which tends to "float" on top of the wall and flex when touched, can simply give-way and break when impacted by sports balls, hail or other things that may come in contact with the side of the house with force.
Masonite ®.
A material reportedly invented in the 1920's by William Mason for a multitude of applications, to "replace" wood. Masonite was made from wood chips and was smooth and very flexible, so it was good for construction of curved surfaces. One common use of Masonite during the 1980's was building material siding. The biggest problem with Masonite as a siding material, and one reason why it is no longer used today, is its' tendency to swell and rot when exposed to water. Much like card-board, when the raw material edges take in water, it swells and then begins to cause unsightly rotting. According to WikiPedia in 1996, Memphis based International Paper lost a class action law suit concerning the use of Masonite as a siding product and the courts found that the product was "defective" for this application. While it is easy to find entire communities where Masonite siding has been used, the siding product is slowly being replaced--one house at a time.
(Compare this top photo of Masonite to the look at the wood siding product above. Imagine paint on the wood--they look almost identical).
HardiPlank® or Concrete Fibre Board:
In the mid 1980's, the James Hardi corporation pioneered a fiber-cement technology that did what others attempted to do over the years, and failed. They replaced wood as a siding material with a stronger, better, longer lasting and lower maintenance product than wood. It holds paint longer--upwards to 10 years or more. Because HardiPlank® is made almost entirely of cement fibers, it has the same or similar resistance to rotting, insects and burning that cement does. It does not peal, warp or de-laminate. And it's warranty stands up to wind and hail storms! The bottom line--great stuff. And at the end of the day, it looks like wood used to look on a brand new home. The James Hardi corporation has posted their comparisons of these products--I don't disagree. (HardiPlank® was the first Fiber-cement technology, but there are several other generic versions of this material available today as well.)
Because each of these product have different density characteristics, builders and Realtor learn to tell the difference by knocking on them to see how hard or soft the material sounds.This is not a sure proof way to tell the differences, but with some experience, a good Realtor can usually tell the differences between these materials and explain the benefits and short-comings of each.
I am your Austin Realtor. Let's talk.
Disclaimer: I am not a builder or manufacturer of any of these products. If you have questions about any of these materials, product warranties or specifications of any of these building products--please see your local supplier or manufacturer of the product. I do not stand behind or guarantee any of these products, their life span, product durability, fire resistance or any other properties of the building materials. This blog is for information purposes only.
Here is some help in figuring this out:
Wood:It may seem obvious that this is wood when it is in this unpainted state, but when this has been painted and used as side board it is hard to tell the difference between wood and other siding materials. This is one of the less expensive alternatives to install, but potentially higher maintenance material compared to others. Wood requires periodic painting and caulking to prevent rotting and damage from wood boring insects.
Vinyl Siding:
Vinyls siding is not something that you see terribly often in the Austin area, but I believe it has had much larger market appeal in other climates. The biggest advantages to Vinyl siding seems to be the low comparable costs, the fact that you don't have to paint it and it can "cover up" almost anything. In fact, this last feature is one reason why local inspectors are not fond of this product. Without taking it down completely, there is no good way to tell what is underneath the vinyl siding. It could be covering up a host of flaws or problems in the structure. In Texas, my professional Real Estate experience says that there are other issues with this product that may outweigh its benefits (in my humble opinion). Our harsh summer heat seems to make many vinyl siding products brittle over time and the brittle surface, which tends to "float" on top of the wall and flex when touched, can simply give-way and break when impacted by sports balls, hail or other things that may come in contact with the side of the house with force.
A material reportedly invented in the 1920's by William Mason for a multitude of applications, to "replace" wood. Masonite was made from wood chips and was smooth and very flexible, so it was good for construction of curved surfaces. One common use of Masonite during the 1980's was building material siding. The biggest problem with Masonite as a siding material, and one reason why it is no longer used today, is its' tendency to swell and rot when exposed to water. Much like card-board, when the raw material edges take in water, it swells and then begins to cause unsightly rotting. According to WikiPedia in 1996, Memphis based International Paper lost a class action law suit concerning the use of Masonite as a siding product and the courts found that the product was "defective" for this application. While it is easy to find entire communities where Masonite siding has been used, the siding product is slowly being replaced--one house at a time.(Compare this top photo of Masonite to the look at the wood siding product above. Imagine paint on the wood--they look almost identical).
In the mid 1980's, the James Hardi corporation pioneered a fiber-cement technology that did what others attempted to do over the years, and failed. They replaced wood as a siding material with a stronger, better, longer lasting and lower maintenance product than wood. It holds paint longer--upwards to 10 years or more. Because HardiPlank® is made almost entirely of cement fibers, it has the same or similar resistance to rotting, insects and burning that cement does. It does not peal, warp or de-laminate. And it's warranty stands up to wind and hail storms! The bottom line--great stuff. And at the end of the day, it looks like wood used to look on a brand new home. The James Hardi corporation has posted their comparisons of these products--I don't disagree. (HardiPlank® was the first Fiber-cement technology, but there are several other generic versions of this material available today as well.)
Because each of these product have different density characteristics, builders and Realtor learn to tell the difference by knocking on them to see how hard or soft the material sounds.This is not a sure proof way to tell the differences, but with some experience, a good Realtor can usually tell the differences between these materials and explain the benefits and short-comings of each.
I am your Austin Realtor. Let's talk.
Disclaimer: I am not a builder or manufacturer of any of these products. If you have questions about any of these materials, product warranties or specifications of any of these building products--please see your local supplier or manufacturer of the product. I do not stand behind or guarantee any of these products, their life span, product durability, fire resistance or any other properties of the building materials. This blog is for information purposes only.
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