When we think of vinyl, most of us think of the big, round records that dominated the 1960s and 1970s, and are experiencing a surge in popularity now. However, there’s more to vinyl than the records that carry its name.
Vinyl is short for polyvinyl chloride, a form of plastic that’s used to make records, as well as vinyl siding and many other things. The history of vinyl is a bit complex because there isn’t a consensus on when it originated. Some argue that it dates to the late 1800s, but the original inventor never patented it. That was done in 1913 by Friedrich Heinrich August Klatte.
One popular use of vinyl is for vinyl siding on houses, which gives a lot of benefits to the homeowner. We’ll talk about the advantages of vinyl siding in this article.
Vinyl Siding and Maintenance
The biggest argument for vinyl siding might be its simplicity. Vinyl siding requires no painting and little maintenance in general. The only thing you need to do is clean it every once in a while.
We should note that cleaning vinyl siding requires a certain amount of restraint. A garden hose is enough to clean siding, but power washing or using a powerful setting can cause water to leak through.
Painting isn’t just unnecessary but discouraged as well. Vinyl siding doesn’t need paint, and if hard to paint if you want to. If you’re happy with your siding, this won’t be a problem.
Low Cost
Vinyl siding is a great choice for your home because it’s among the most affordable types of siding on the market. To a certain extent, this is due to a lack of preparation. Unlike other types of siding, vinyl siding can go on just about anything, so you don’t need to spend extra money tearing down your existing siding.
Vinyl is cheaper per square foot than other types of siding, with the price per square foot being close to $5 on average. This is at least half of what aluminum siding costs.
If you’re in the market for professional siding installation services, we know a great place.
Environmental Impact
Vinyl’s record on the environment is strange because some argue it’s eco-friendly some say it’s not. The real situation is complicated.
The manufacture of vinyl creates pollution and other environmental hazards. You can’t recycle it, either. However, the energy efficiency and low maintenance of vinyl exterior siding mean that you’ll spend less money on electricity and renovations, which are both good for the environment.
There are also innovators attempting to create a new kind of vinyl that will cut back on manufacturing issues and will eliminate any question of vinyl being green. Most of these efforts focus on musical records, but if they succeed, the technology could spread.
Vinyl Siding for Homes
Is vinyl siding a good choice for your home? We’d argue that it is, and we’ve listed our reasons in the above paragraphs.
You can learn more about a wide variety of topics from home improvement to technology, to health by reading our blog.
