Vinyl Siding – [Why Would You Want It?]
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Why would you want to use vinyl siding on your house? For many reasons. Vinyl Siding needs very little maintenance and it will save you time and money in the long run. You can easily choose from a wide variety of different colors and you never need to repaint it.
In addition, it's inexpensive to install and you can even install vinyl siding yourself. However, if you are not handy with tools, you may want to hire a reputable contractor. But first you need to get some estimates because prices for installation can vary by a great deal. If you want to try to do it yourself, before proceeding it's good to remember some points about how to install vinyl siding to ensure its beauty and durability. Vinyl siding is made of poly vinyl chloride, so it can warp. It also expands and contracts with the changes in temperature. Therefore, it's very important to loosen up the ends and the sides of each panel to avoid bending and rippling your siding, you must not drive the nail or the fastener all the way when securing the siding so as to give it room to expand and contract.
Table of contents
Estimate Vinyl Siding
The first thing that you need to do is to estimate the area of the wall you need to work on. You can ask the people from Lowe's or Home Depot to estimate the area for you. But if this is not possible, you can use what you've learned from high school about measuring areas. Add 10% of the total area to the total amount of siding you need for damage allowance. Your hardware store's handy man can also give you additional tips on how to install vinyl siding.
Vinyl Siding Wall Preparation
Clean and even out the wall that you need to work on by removing any installations or caulking, and by adding furring strips to uneven surfaces. You also need furring strips to secure the vinyl siding with nails. Install the trim pieces and J-channels where roof, doors, and window frames meet the sidings and in the inside and outside corner posts first. They will hold the vinyl siding in place, and they will allow it to expand and contract without damaging it or loosening it in position. You are now ready to install the siding from the starter trim up.
Vinyl Siding Installation
Learning how to install vinyl siding can look complicated at first, but once you get the hang of it, your siding will be finished in no time and you've just saved yourself a substantial amount of money.
If you do not want to go the DIY route then you need to get some vinyl siding prices as well as vinyl siding estimates from local contractors first. Don’t be afraid to ask these siding contractors for quotes, ask to see their insurance, payment requirements, guarantee of work and guarantee/warrantee on materials. Get at least three vinyl siding estimates, and letting the contractors know you are doing this will go a long way toward you not paying more than necessary for your vinyl siding work, then based on the contractors prices and the cost of doing it yourself you can make a decision on which is the best way forward.