Your home’s siding is an often overlooked, but incredibly important aspect of your home’s exterior. It provides your home with a number of invaluable benefits, including protection from the elements, as well as curb appeal and resale value, and insulation to help improve your home’s energy efficiency! For homeowners in the market for new siding, one of the most difficult decisions you’ll need to make is deciding on your siding material. There are plenty of options on the market, but the two most popular by far are vinyl siding and fiber cement. So which option is better? Let’s explore below to learn more about the similarities and differences between the two options!

Aesthetics

To begin, let’s compare the two siding options aesthetics. Both vinyl and fiber cement siding look great, and either option can provide your home with plenty of curb appeal. While historically, vinyl siding’s widespread availability meant that it was easiest to find color options through vinyl siding, James Hardie has done a fantastic job of offering a truly enormous selection of siding colors, and at this point, if you have a particular color in mind for your home’s exterior, you are likely to have an easier time finding it in fiber cement!

Pricing

This is a category that historically vinyl siding would have won, but fiber cement is extremely competitive. If you’re looking for an economical siding option, vinyl siding is quite inexpensive to install, and it is the superior choice. However, that decision is only true while upon installation. While vinyl siding is less expensive to have installed on your home, it’s important to look at it’s cost over time. Fiber cement tends to last far longer than vinyl siding, which means that while it may be less expensive to install, vinyl siding may actually end up being the more expensive option over time if you need to replace it in the future!

Durability

Now we’re entering the territory where fiber cement siding is clear winner of the debate. While vinyl siding is a durable, long-lasting siding material that is capable of withstand the worst that Mother Nature has to offer. While vinyl siding is known to become brittle over time and crack, fiber cement is renowned by homeowners and contractors alike for its nearly unsurpassed durability. James Hardie is up to 5 times thicker than vinyl siding, which means the weathering issues that typically impact vinyl siding are negligible to fiber cement. If you’re looking for an option that is able to withstand anything the Chicago-area has to offer, our team highly recommends fiber cement siding!

Contact Us Today

Are you interested in replacing your home’s siding this summer? Our team at Erdmann Exteriors is ready to assist! Reach out to our team today by giving us a call at (847) 443-5389 or by filling out our team’s online contact form. We look forward to assisting with all of your siding replacement needs!