Keeping your home well maintained can be a challenge, if you don’t have the right siding!
Cleaning and re-sealing siding are two great ways to keep your siding in good shape, but not all siding is a good fit for each home. Understanding what functions different siding have will help you decide what siding suits your home the best.
1. Wall Coverings: Whether your exterior walls are sheathed with plywood or O.S.B., they need protection! Tyvec building wrap is often used with vertical laps taped with tuck tape. This would be adequate for most homes, however, in the Fraser Valley moisture will eventually work through the weak spots of the Tyvec. A much better option for our climate is VP100, made by Blueskin, VP100 is a vapour permeable peel n stick barrier. This peel n stick has hydrophobic properties. These means, moisture can be released from but not penetrate the barrier.
2. To Rainscreen Or To Not Rainscreen?: Not required on older homes which are undergoing renovation, rain screening is the installation of treated plywood lathe onto your exterior wall’s coverings. This allows ventilation for the walls and a capillary break which further protects your home from water penetration. Without rainscreen, your home is not completely protected!
3. Wood Trims vs Fiber Cement Trims: Wood trims will have to be comb face fascia and have several coats of high-quality exterior paint in order to survive the Fraser Valley’s climate. These trims will have to be installed in such a way that they do not allow for standing water. Maintenance with wood trims will include seasonal cleaning and inspection, to determine when a new coat of paint will be required.
Fiber Cement trims, or James Hardie trims, can be purchased pre-painted (Color Plus) with an exceptionally durable colored coating. The fiber cement trim has a much greater tolerance to water which translates to an easier installation. Fiber cement trims will require seasonal cleaning but won’t require new paint for almost a decade and sometimes longer. Even when fiber cement trim is left unpainted it will still outlast painted wood trims.
4. Flashings. Vinyl vs Metal: Vinyl flashings are used often on modular buildings in the Fraser Valley, they are inexpensive and easy to install. They do a decent job keeping water out, but they do have some very concerning weak points.
Metal flashings are the preferred choice for siding in the Fraser Valley, the metal flashing can be folded up at it’s ends, creating a dam so no water can get behind it!
5. Siding, So Many Options, Which Do I Choose?: First thing to consider is what siding will best keep water out and stand up to high wind. Metal cladding, Cedar Siding and James Hardie plank & board are the best options you can consider for the Fraser Valley climate. Vinyl siding is a more affordable option, however, vinyl siding is not considered waterproof but only water resistant.
Would you like to have your home’s siding replaced? Contact us today to have your home professionally evaluated! Explore all your options with CrossRange!