Nothing will impact the appearance of your home more then the siding that’s on it. When shopping for siding you may want to consider what suits your lifestyle as well as the style of your home. Siding is the outer covering ( A.K.A. Cladding ) of a home meant to shed water and protect the home from the effects of weather but it may also act as a key element in the aesthetic beauty of the structure and directly influence its property value. Here are a few types of siding you may want to consider :
Stucco
Traditional stucco is cement combined with water and inert materials such as sand and lime but many homes built after the 50’s may resemble stucco but they actually use a variety of synthetic materials to achieve the same look. Stucco can be tinted to the colour you want and then the need to paint is gone forever. Synthetic stucco siding is lighter then the traditional and is more likely to suffer damage from a hard blow. It is often compromised of foam insulation board or cement panels screwed to the walls and the stucco is applied around it.
Cement fibre siding
This type of siding can resemble masonry , wood and even stucco. It is a durable, natural looking product which makes it a good option if you would like the look of wood siding without all the maintenance. Another bonus about cement fiber siding is that it is fireproof, termite proof and may come with a fifty year warranty depending on the product. Some older homes may have “ Cement Asbestos Siding” which was made from Portland cement and asbestos fibers. Removing this type of siding may be hazardous to your health so when remodeling, people have been known to attach their new siding directly over top.
Stone veneer siding
Stone veneer is used as a decorative and protective covering for both interior and exterior applications. Stones like granite , limestone, slate, etc… are not only beautiful and hardly affected by weather , there also really expensive. That’s why precast stone veneers and facings became popular , the can look genuine ( depending on the product) and are also much more affordable the the real thing. The veneer is typically no thicker then 1” and must weigh no more then 15 lbs per square foot to be installed without additional structural supports. These veneers can be made from natural stone by cutting the stone into thinner pieces or can be manufactured to look like stone.
