What is the best siding choice in Dallas-Fort Worth Texas?

 

 

 

What is the best siding for Dallas – Fort Worth Texas?

Was your home built in the last 25 years? Then you too may be experiencing the nightmare that is rotting Masonite siding. Like many Texas homeowners, cheep siding is rotting off your home. Or the squirrels have been using it to build nests for years. With many modern siding options available. We’ll try and narrow down our favorite choices for your home.

High maintenance or low maintenance?

Today’s modern siding comes in a variety of materials and colors. Including maintenance free options like CraneBoard Solid Core acrylic laminated vinyl siding. Engineered wood siding from Diamond Kote and LP SmartSide. As well as Fiber Cement siding. Each has advantages and disadvantages depending on the scope of your project. Plus each differs in the initial investment vs long term costs.

The problems with your current siding.

Like many Texas homeowners. You may be experiencing years of decaying siding and water intrusion into your home. The unseen damages can be costly if not addressed. Here are some examples of what we see during our on site consultations.
  • Bad siding installation. This is the number one thing that we see on Texas homes, and the reason for siding failures.
  • Accessory trim not sealed to the siding allowing water to get behind the siding.
  • Open gaps in the lap siding with failing caulking and no flashing.
  • Improper soffit ventilation. Soffits not attached to the rafter tails.
  • Siding used for fascia boards.
  • Peeling and failing paint and caulking.
  • Siding not flashed and touching or installed too close wet surfaces.
  • No exterior house sheathing is behind the siding.
  • No vapor barrier or house wrap is behind the siding.
  • Large gaps behind the old siding that allows water into your wall cavity. This is damage that you often can not see until it’s too late.
  • Bad gutter installation. They are not sloped to code. Installed over the drip edge instead of under the drip edge. Use small inlets on large downspouts. Restricting water flow and leading to clogged gutters.

How do we fix the problems?

Many siding contractors in Dallas-Fort Worth Texas. Will hide or mask the problem, to keep their prices as low as possible. Many siding contractors will try and tell you it’s OK to re-side over your existing siding. I would say this is rarely a good idea. There is often unseen damage behind the old siding that needs fixing. Here is how ProTex Remodeling approaches every siding project we’re involved with.
  • Assess the existing siding, soffit and fascia for obvious damage.
  • Look for problem areas that may have extensive damage.
  • Determine if the project needs a complete or partial tear of the old siding.
  • Replace all rotted wood.
  • In the case of a complete tear off. New OSB sheathing is often required. We recommend Zip Board.
  • Check for proper soffit ventilation. Install continuous vented soffit. Always adding more ventilation to the soffit boards before installing the new soffit.
  • Install proper House Wrap Vapor Barrier for water and moisture management.
  • Install optional radiant barrier for added thermal efficiency.

What are the best options for my new siding?

With a variety of great siding options in the marketplace. ProTex Remodeling has partnered with what are the very best siding manufacturer’s. These are not the cheapest options. But, these are some of the best values in the siding industry. Our goal is to complete your siding project with the best materials possible. When done right, you should never have to spend money on siding your house again.
  • CraneBoard Solid-Core laminated vinyl siding. This is the best vinyl siding on the market.
  • Almost maintenance free. CraneBoard has matching fascia, soffit and accessories.
  • Diamond-Kote engineered wood siding. This is a Pre Finished engineered wood siding with a 50 year warranty and 30 year no fade warranty on the finish.
  • Very low maintenance. Diamond-Kote is a seamless installation with matching Soffit, trim boards and accessories.
  • Crane Market Square Vinyl Siding. This is a lower investment alternative to CraneBoard Solid-Core.
  • Almost maintenance free. Market Square has matching trim, soffit and accessories.
  • When combined with Progressive Foam drop in insulation. Market Square has solid performance in any weather.
  • LP Smart-Side. This is an engineered wood siding with a 50 year warranty.
  • Lower initial investment than Diamond-Kote.
  • LP Smart-Side does need painting. Resulting in higher long term maintenance costs.
  • Fiber Cement. A low initial investment and popular choice in Texas. Fiber cement is not my favorite material to work with.
  • In order not to void your warranty. You must maintain the paint and maintenance cycle every 5-7 years.
  • Highest in long term maintenance costs.
  • Sometimes damaged by hail and flying debris. Fiber Cement is hard to repair.
  • Silica dust in fiber cement is toxic and known to be a cancer risk.
  • Fiber Cement does not hold fasteners well. Nailing must be every 4”-12” with proper fasteners to maintain warranty coverage.

With professional installation, these are great choices for your home.

I can not stress enough how important it is to get a qualified installer. When installing your new siding. They must know what they are doing and follow manufacturers best practices. Remember, labor is often subcontracted. You only have one chance to get this done right. The company that you choose may have nothing to do with the quality of installer that shows up at your home. Here are some tips on a quality installation.
  • Fix or replace all rotted wood
  • Install proper flashing and maintain proper clearances. Refer to the siding manufacturer’s specifications.
  • Install a vapor barrier and tape all seams before installing the siding.
  • Trim boards, corners and accessories always get installed first. Never overlap trim boards over the siding. Especially when installing fiber cement or engineered wood siding.
  • Level the starting strip to the lowest wall on the home.
  • Always use stainless steel fasteners. We use stainless steel screws for our vinyl siding. We use ring shank stainless steel nails for engineered wood and fiber cement siding.
  • Always use proper seam flashing, drip edge and premium exterior sealants.
  • Clean the siding and accessories at the end of the job for a professional installation.

The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of the lowest price.