Another post in our continuing series about siding. This time I'm here to talk about metal siding. Now, metal siding can be tricky aesthetically. It can be done in a way that works, and it can be overdone like some cheesy, pseudo-industrial pub that no one really wants to hang out in. When this siding material is used appropriately it can be a stunning and durable choice for siding.
Metal siding can be a great siding product if used and installed correctly. The main issue with metal siding is it typically is more complicated to install than your wood siding or composite siding. Metal siding will most likely require you to build your exterior wall with the rainscreen principle in mind. Most sidings, and the wall they enclose, are built with a face-sealed system, and if water gets past the paint or caulking then you have the potential for water damage to your house. A rainscreen wall, in principle, is a better wall system for the long-term health of your structure. Metal siding is very low maintenance (compared to wood and composites) and can be extremely durable over the life of your home. One area that you need to be careful is in choosing the gauge, or thickness, of the metal siding. If you go too thin (i.e. less money) on the gauge of metal siding you will get oil canning. Oil canning will happen less with corrugated or ribbed metal siding than it will with flat panel profiles due to inherent strength in the corrugated profile of the material. Metal siding is also not recommended in marine environments and can rust if either left unfinished or damaged; exposing the metal to oxygen and water (know as oxidation with causes the metal to decay) will cause rust.
The beauty of metal can provide an industrial, modern or rustic aesthetic to your home. Be careful about the proportionality of the panels or ribs to the size of your home. The examples in this post all use proportionally small profile corrugation in order to make the repeating pattern fit the scale of their respective home. These applications create, in my opinion, a great texture to their respective buildings and a feel that is both permanent and familiar. I think metal siding can be a great alternative to create either a modern or more familiar traditional aesthetic.
The last thing I will point out is that metal siding can be a good choice for a product in terms of environmental friendliness. Some of the metal siding products out there are from mostly recycled content, but the real key is that metal siding has a longer life-span than most other building materials. Metal siding can also be completely recycled when it is no longer wanted or in working condition. No siding product approaches wood in it's environmentally friendliness (wood is a carbon sink), but sustainability is not only measured in the amount of carbon it takes to make a product or how much the product holds, but also how many times it has to be replaced. The life-span of a product is a key cog in the wheel of sustainability.
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