Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Traxion" data-source="post: 298427" data-attributes="member: 983">It is funny how siding types are so regionally specific.  I had a customer move down from Bismarck and all he could do was talk about steel siding.  We put Smartside in and he was shocked at how much better it looked and how much more sealed it was from the elements.  Other than roofing, siding has to take the worst of all the weather conditions we throw at it.  And it seems companies can't seem to figure it out and disappear.  Masonite (you can still get it but...), ColorLock, Canexel, now Smartside is the big thing.  Who knows how long it will last? That said, I am a firm believer in Smartside as a product.  And this will piss someone off, but I wouldn't put steel or vinyl on my doghouse.  All the J-Channel, undersill, corners, etc. there is absolutely no true sealing to prevent water intrusion.  You're relying on the gravity principal, hoping water runs straight down.  If you've been in construction long enough you know this is rarely the case.  Wind driven rain, snow, etc. all push water where it shouldn't.  Add in a simple install mess up and you've got water all over....too many places for water to get in.  In all the tear offs of vinyl & steel I've done, there is always, always multiple spots of obvious water intrusion and hornets, bees, etc. behind the siding.  And in fairest comparison, this is rarely seen in hardboard finishes, even old Masonite siding jobs seal quite well.Properly installed, Smartside is very well sealed and very weatherproof.  There is no question you will have reduced air infiltration with a caulked product versus a J channel product, though I am not using that as a selling point.  Durability in hail is far superior to any vinyl or steel product I have seen.  Well, I take that back, the foam backed vinyl is pretty darn good with hail.  One plus with Smartside I have seen is if you do get hail, the damage is minimal.  In a worst case scenario, repainting is possible.  I hate steel siding hail jobs because you almost always have fading on one side of the house and you can't paint steel to match and expect the paint to last any length of time.  So you either fight the insurance company for a full reside job OR you have a two tone house.  Is it going to cost you more?  For sure, you don't get a prefinished engineered product for cheap.  Steel is so incredibly inexpensive.  The install on Smartside is easy but a bit more time consuming than steel.  If I were to price out both, the labor would be a bit higher with Smartside but the main price increase is simply due to material cost.  As far as windows, lots of good options out there.  If you're staying away from vinyl but don't want to go to a metal clad window, the Andersen 100 or Marvin Integrity windows will do a great job for you.</blockquote>

Verification: What is the most common fish caught on this site?

Reply to thread

Recent Posts

Friends of NDA