It's time, you've put it off as long as you could. Your home or office siding needs to be replaced. Your ideal siding choice is one that offers you a good value and has low maintenance needs. Fiber cement siding is a long lasting and durable option. Among home improvement projects it is one of the highest valued projects you can complete. And it has very low maintenance needs. This means you will not have to dedicate much time after install your new siding. You'll have more time for work or life activities that are more important to you!
What is Fiber-Cement Siding?
Fiber-cement siding is made up of a mixture of cement, sand, and cellulosic fibers. The cellulosic fibers are in the mix to aid in preventing the siding from cracking. They give the mixture extra support. An extremely high temperature, steam injected process is used to increase the strength of the mixture. It is next rolled out and it has patterns embossed on to its surface this gives you a variety of aesthetic choices.
What are the advantages of Fiber-Cement Siding?
Fiber-cement siding is a non-combustible product. This means that it is fire resistant, more so than vinyl siding. It is also resistant to several other common hazards. Hazards such as wind, rain, and bugs. Water will not cause damage because even if your fiber-cement siding gets drenching wet it will not rot. It is also resistant to fungus. It is made of cement and sand so it is termite resistant. The thicker nature of this siding means it has increased impact resistance, more so than vinyl siding. This impact resistance will help in wind storms and in stopping hail damage.
Endless color options available to you since this kind of siding can be painted. We recommend having the siding factory primed and painted originally, but you can still change your color choice later if you change your mind. Use a water based acrylic paint. You need to repaint because of paint peeling, blistering and cracking. This is partly caused because of the expanding and contracting of a painted surface. Fiber-cement expands and contracts much less than the average wood siding, so you will need to paint far less often. Fiber-cement siding can be designed to look a lot like wood siding. An additional benefit, on average it costs less than wood siding and requires much less maintenance.
What are the Green benefits of Fiber-Cement Siding?
There are not any current recycling programs in place for fiber-cement siding. The up side is that because of its long lasting and sturdy nature it will take much longer to make its way to the garbage dump! It can last longer than other options for siding by decades. There are also no toxic substances to hurt the earth when the siding is disposed of.
Installation
Installing by yourself is always an option but remember an untrained do-it-yourselfer can end up voiding warranties and spending hundreds of extra dollars in fixes. Factory trained installers are always a safe bet. Chipping or breakage can happen when cutting your board, be very careful. A large amount of dust is produced while cutting so make sure it is done outside and while you are wearing a mask. The correct tools and training makes accomplishing these things much easier.
When deciding on a product to use when it comes time to replace your siding consider fiber-cement. It is a fantastic value. In fact your fiber-cement siding will have a 25 percent better return than if you added a bathroom to your home! And at a much smaller cost to you. It can last you decades and be easy for you to upkeep. Save time and money in the years to come and rest easy knowing this project is done correctly and will last years into the future.