Wood siding vs composite siding

A comparison of wood siding vs composite siding to help determine which is right for your house

Wood siding has been a favorite choice to line the sides of homes for a great many years, but in recent decades, composite siding has been mounting a challenge to the old standby of wood. Making a wood siding vs. composite siding choice is not going to be easy for everyone, as each has its strengths and weaknesses.

Install wood siding When you're planning for siding installation, you're likely to find different siding contractors who will swear by one or the other type. Considering the cost and bother, you aren't going to want to install siding more than once over the life of your home, so it's especially important to get the service that's going to be right for you and your family's home for decades to come.

QualitySmith has always been a great resource for gathering information and making informed choices for your home and home improvement projects. It would be a good idea to get some sense of the similarities and differences you'll be dealing with when you are making the big decision between wood and composite siding.

Wood siding is exactly what it sounds like; strips of wood mounted to the exterior of a house to protect the house against the elements and give the home's exterior an overall more uniform and attractive appearance. Composite siding is exactly the same in intent, but with manufactured and composite wood products in place of natural, virgin wood. Sometimes these composite products are enhanced with various oils and plastic material, either for added insulation or just as a bulk filler.

Install composite siding

The price of siding is not easy to quantify. Of course, there will always be major differences in contractors' installation costs, regional variations and so on, but other factors come into play in comparing wood siding prices to composite siding prices. One such factor is longevity. An expensive installation that lasts 75 years is obviously going to be a better bargain than a cheaper option that needs replacement after only 25 years.

A popular choice in wood siding is cedar, whose price varies but which usually hovers around $600 to $700 per 100 foot square. This is somewhat more expensive than the cheaper composites, and, indeed, some contractors who will quote you $300 to $400 per square for a composite installation may be found.

Any kind of siding is always going to face opposition from the older, more traditional materials like stucco, masonry and solid wood. Be that as it may, siding is here to stay, and the key to making the right decision for the home you live in with your family is always going to be information.

In the wood siding vs. composite siding matchup, you may find a substantially lower price on composites. But those savings will have to be weighed against the terrible possibility of your discount siding succumbing to the elements and having to be replaced all over again.