composite siding...it's everywhere

Welcome to our continuing series.  Composite siding materials are all over the map, both in range of options and their ubiquitous use.  In North America, if I had to guess, I would say this is the most widely used form of siding today (see here, here, and here).  Composite siding ranges from wood composites, fiber-cement composites, recycled materials, and much more.  The reason I see why these systems are so popular is due to their low cost, versatility, and wide variety of styles.  These systems will buy you a reasonably priced siding option, but it will not provide any distinct aesthetics.

Composite sidings come in so many different varieties, it's almost all you see.  Composites have been made to replicate all traditional wood siding installations.  Before we had modern wood stains, wood siding was painted to keep moisture and pests out.  Now, most painted homes you will see are actually composite materials painted to look like traditional wood siding installations (this is why if you are going to use wood, don't paint it).  Composites are cheaper and have some benefits over wood when painted.  Here lies the kicker, you really must paint these products.  Some come in pre-finished options, but they are generally more expensive and don't offer an exceptionally wide variety of choices.  These products also need to be painted in order to keep moisture out of your wall and out of the product.  Any moisture that gets into these products usually causes irreparable damage to the siding and to your home and the siding will have to be replaced.  Regular maintenance and proper installation are essential to keeping your home value up and not spending more money than you need over the life of your home.  

Aesthetically you will hear claims that these materials are just as nice as real wood siding, and I take exception to that claim.  If you want to paint your wood siding then composite siding is comparable to wood, but even then when you see the two compared side-by-side there is still a substantial difference in the aesthetic quality of wood over composites.  The human eye can quite acutely sense the difference between a natural product and one that is man-made.  This is also apparent in "fake stone" products versus real stone products.  Some of the more intriguing applications of composite sidings are panelized options.  These eliminate the trick of making them look like a wood product and instead reveal them as modern, man-made materials.  A general theme in my design flavor is that buidlings have more impact on us artistically when they are honest about their use of materials and the way they are built. 



Before (more interesting)



After (like everything else)



Environmentally, composite sidings can vary in their impact.  Wood composites offer some of the same environmental benefits as wood siding.  Specific products and their impact on the environment will have to be discussed based on their individual basis due to the large variety of products that fall under this category. 

P.S. - We will not discuss or recommend vinyl siding on this blog due to it's incredibly harmful nature.  A product that lasts forever, as any self-serving industry might claim, is not a good thing!  I urge you not to use vinyl siding, and if you already have vinyl siding please recycle it from the list provided here.  To learn more about PVC's and vinyl go here.