Asked by: Hazem Reihofer
home and garden indoor environmental quality

What is vinyl house?

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Vinyl siding is plastic exterior siding for houses and small apartment buildings, used for decoration and weatherproofing, imitating wood clapboard, board and batten or shakes, and used instead of other materials such as aluminum or fiber cement siding.


In this manner, are vinyl houses good?

Like any plastic product, a good quality vinyl siding can be everlasting to the point of indestructible. Vinyl siding comes in many colors, but you can also paint it to your liking. Like vinyl windows, vinyl siding is inappropriate for historic preservation and can cause irreversible damage to brick and stone.

how long does vinyl siding last? 20-40 years

Also question is, is vinyl siding bad for your health?

Your vinyl siding is generally safe, as long as you don't spend time licking it or touching it. You can get lead in your body if you drink liquid that contains lead, such as water that has passed through lead pipes. So far, the most studied danger of vinyl siding comes when it is burned, as in a house fire.

How strong is vinyl siding?

Vinyl siding is constructed out of a PVC plastic resin, which makes it remarkably strong. Unlike metal or aluminum, it won't rust, conduct electricity, or dent: even if a baseball hits it, the plastic simply bounces back. And unlike wood, it won't warp, rot, or chip.

Related Question Answers

Eutiquio Wheeler

Professional

What goes under vinyl siding?

To sum it up, house wrap is a lightweight, paper-like material that is most often used to completely cover the house, directly on top of the sheathing and behind the vinyl siding. Its primary purpose is to prevent air and water leaks that may have seeped past the vinyl exterior.

Lael Wiggins

Professional

Does vinyl siding fade in the sun?

Fading of Vinyl Siding
All siding fades to some degree. After 10 to 15 years, the loss of original color can be significant, depending on weather conditions. Dark colors like red will tend to fade more than lighter colors when exposed to constant sunlight, according to the VinylSidingSource website.

Lazara Jasmin

Professional

Does Vinyl Siding get brittle?

Vinyl siding is the most fragile of all siding materials and can melt in intense heat or become brittle in cold weather. When cold, vinyl is especially prone to impact damage such as cracking or breaking apart.

Gisel Rekshinsky

Explainer

Is thicker vinyl siding worth it?

Siding thickness is a good factor to consider first. Remember the simple rule that thicker siding usually indicates greater quality. The American Society of Testing and Materials requires vinyl siding to be 0.035 inches thick, but the most durable vinyl panels are at least 0.04 inches thick.

Tita Hauschildt

Explainer

Does vinyl siding look cheap?

Vinyl Siding Is Inexpensive
As an example, 24 pieces of 4 1/2-inch by 145-inch ship lap horizontal vinyl siding, grey, will cost in the $150 to $200 range. Comparably-sized shiplap fiber-cement siding will cost at least twice as much. Vinyl siding will nearly always be your cheapest home siding option.

Famory Zammit

Explainer

What are the pros and cons of vinyl siding?

In extreme heat temperatures, vinyl siding can also melt and cause severe problems in locations where irregular weather patterns are the norm. To sum up, the main advantages of vinyl are its low cost and ease of installation combined with its low maintenance.

Dainius Shaiewich

Pundit

Can I paint vinyl siding?

Vinyl siding is commonly considered to be relatively maintenance-free. One thing that makes it so is the fact that it doesn't need to be painted. The good news is that you can paint vinyl siding. Just be aware that the siding will be only as maintenance-free as the paint itself.

Ozell Winklmann

Pundit

Is vinyl siding still popular?

Vinyl remains the most popular type of home siding today. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 33% of the new single-family homes constructed in 2011 were clad in vinyl, making it the number one exterior siding that year.

Tamba Helck

Pundit

Does vinyl siding lower home value?

Vinyl siding is a reasonably priced, lightweight, and virtually maintenance-free way of providing thermal protection to the home's exterior. According to "Remodeling Magazine's" 2014 Cost vs. Value Report, a midsize vinyl siding remodel will increase your home's value by 78.2 percent of the project's cost.

Maraya Unterdorfer

Pundit

What color siding has the best resale value?

Here are some of the siding colors that offer the best resale value for your home: Shades of blue: the best shades of blue are on both ends of the color.

Here are a few shades to avoid when picking a color for your home's exterior:
  • Orange.
  • Bright Blue.
  • Purple.
  • Pink.
  • Mustard yellow.

Bouba Polivoda

Pundit

What is vinyl made of?

Vinyl is not a natural substance but is a synthetic man-made material. It is a type of plastic that is made from ethylene (found in crude oil) and chlorine (found in regular salt). When processed, both the substances are combined to form Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) resin, or as is commonly referred to - Vinyl.

Lisbeth Hauptreif

Teacher

What kind of siding is best?

Wood siding comes in clapboard (also known as lap or bevel siding) as well as shakes and shingles. Clapboard siding uses planks of wood installed horizontally with an upper piece that overlaps the lower piece. Western red cedar and redwood, woods known for being attractive and durable, are considered the best choices.

Drew Erreguerena

Teacher

Does all vinyl contain lead?

Lead-containing vinyl products are common. In every case in which it was measured, all of the lead-containing products also contained varying levels of cadmium, a known carcinogen and renal toxin which is not regulated in children's products by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Yuwei Chuteira

Teacher

Do vinyl windows cause cancer?

Chronic (long-term) exposure to vinyl chloride through inhalation and oral exposure in humans has resulted in liver damage. Cancer is a major concern from exposure to vinyl chloride via inhalation, as vinyl chloride exposure has been shown to increase the risk of a rare form of liver cancer in humans.

Shae Heinzelmann

Teacher

Is vinyl siding a fire hazard?

While all organic materials (that is, anything containing carbon) will ignite if exposed to a high enough temperature, vinyl siding is more difficult than many other building materials to ignite due to its chlorine base. Even if ignited, vinyl siding burns more slowly than wood.

Ioel Borghardt

Reviewer

How is vinyl siding made?

Modern manufacture
Today, vinyl siding is manufactured by co-extrusion. Two layers of PVC are laid down in a continuous extrusion process; the top layer is weatherable and durable material, which comprises up to 25% of the siding thickness. Vinyl siding that is exposed to the sun will begin to fade over time.

Marybelle Poy

Reviewer

Is PVC toxic?

PVC contains dangerous chemical additives including phthalates, lead, cadmium, and/or organotins, which can be toxic to your child's health. These toxic additives can leach out or evaporate into the air over time, posing unnecessary dangers to children.

Delpha Moderegger

Reviewer

How often do you need to replace vinyl siding?

Your vinyl siding is just plain old.
It has put up a good fight, but it's officially time for it to retire! Generally speaking, vinyl siding will last somewhere in the 10 to 20 year range. If you go beyond that, your siding probably isn't going to be as effective as it once was. Consider replacing it sooner than later.

Inmaculada Ikaza

Reviewer

How much does siding replacement cost?

Here's the average cost of exterior siding. $5.00 – $8.00/ sq. ft. $4.00 – $7.00/ sq.