Looking for a home siding comparison site...

[Tripper11]

I have been googling and will continue.
But does anyone know of a good website with side by side price and siding quality comparisons.

[jmowreader]

1. The Siding Price and Quality Comparison Post

Well, not a price comparison, because every area is different. But since I sell siding, I figure I can give you a little material comparison.

Hardboard:
This is the cheapest kind. In price as well as quality. Hardboard siding was invented by the Masonite Corporation, was Masonite's most popular product for a few years, and is the reason Masonite is now a door manufacturer. Google "hardboard siding" and six of the returns on the first page pertain to class-action suits against hardboard siding manufacturers. (It rots before the warranty expires.)

The only people who have ever managed success with hardboard siding are Louisiana-Pacific. Theirs is called ABTco and it's pressure-treated, so it doesn't rot too badly--although it will rot if you give it time. I refuse to sell this to anyone who's not replacing a piece on their house; I have far better siding for the same price, or cheaper.

Pros: Inexpensive. Works with common woodworking tools.
Cons: Rots. Fragile even after installation. Must be painted on both sides before installation. (No, I don't like hardboard siding.)
Recommendation: Leave this at the store.

Oriented Strand Board:
Louisiana-Pacific makes this and calls it SmartPanel. This is great siding for a shed. You can use it on a house, but I think it's too informal for that purpose.

Pros: Relatively inexpensive. Works with common woodworking tools. Holds paint well.
Cons: It's kinda ugly.
Recommendation: Outbuildings only, and there it's great.

Plywood:
The American Plywood Association calls this T-1-11. It is an alternative to SmartPanel. It is plywood--either 3/8" or 5/8"--with grooves routed in it and a roughened surface. Has a rustic feel to it.

Pros: More expensive than SmartPanel but still affordable. Works like any other plywood. Holds paint very well.
Cons: Very informal in appearance.
Recommendation: Great for outbuildings, good for rustic country homes.

Cedar:
The last wood siding I will tell you about, cedar is still the king of natural siding. (There is a reason why all vinyl siding is made to resemble cedar.) It is resistant to decay. It has a grand appearance suitable for even fine homes. It is easy to install and its fresh aroma will make your installer happy. Unfortunately, it is also expensive.

Pros: Looks good. Holds up well. Insect and rot resistant.
Cons: A very expensive siding--$1 per linear foot, in 6.5 inch exposure.
Recommendation: If you can afford it and like it, a worthy product.

Metal:
I'll cover metal all in one whack. There used to be two kinds of metal siding: the old aluminum siding that covered every trailer made in America in the seventies, and roll-formed galvanized steel. The last is also called "tin." Aluminum siding is basically dead now that vinyl has taken over its market. Tin is mainly used for agricultural buildings.

Pros: Strong, reasonably priced, quick to install.
Cons: Would look like shit anywhere but on the side of a barn.
Recommendation: Don't put this on your house. Put this on your barn.

Vinyl:
Almost the default choice these days. It's durable, affordable, easy enough to install that anyone who can snap a chalk line and swing a hammer can put it up. Comes in a number of attractive colors. Basically maintenance free.

Pros: Like wrapping your house in plastic.
Cons: Looks like you wrapped your house in plastic. Can only be painted with urethane house paint, which is hard to get. (Translation: be damn sure of what color you want.) It's possible to put holes in it by throwing rocks from your lawn mower at it. Emits toxic gas if house catches fire.
Recommendations: This is, for probably 75 percent of all homeowners, the right siding. Add vinyl soffit, fascia, gutters and windows and fiberglass doors and you're as close to having a maintenance-free exterior as it's possible to get.

Fiber cement:
The Cadillac of siding, and priced competitively with vinyl. Must be painted but holds paint well. Available with baked-on enamel finish but you don't want to know what that costs. Product is made from Portland cement, sand and sawdust. Can be had as lap siding, 4x8 panels and as siding shingles. Lap siding comes in your choice of smooth, smooth beaded, cedargrain, cedargrain beaded, and in several exposures.

Pros: Exceptionally durable. Paint job lasts average five years. Absolutely will not rot, attract insects or burn. Next to cedar, probably the best-looking siding on the market at less than a third the price of cedar.
Cons: Exceptionally heavy. Should be installed by professionals; working it is actually very easy but the best tool to cut it with is a fiber-cement shear, which you don't have. Can be cut with a circular saw but throws up unbelievable amounts of silica-laden dust. James Hardie's corner trim sucks; it is so easy to chip the edges and break in half that most people use cedar instead.
Recommendations: If I was a general contractor, this is all I'd ever use.

[Tripper11]

2. Cheers, thanks jmowreader

I thought this post died a quick death.

[jmowreader]

3. Hey! I was selling lumber all day!

Otherwise I would have gotten back to you sooner.

If you shop at my establishment or one of the 1560 others like it, and you want vinyl, you're almost certain to find only white in stock. There are other colors, but they're special order, 21 day lead time.

Helpful hint: never, ever, special order starter strip. (Starter strip is used along the bottom so the first course of siding will have something to latch into.) All colors of vinyl siding use the same gray starter strip, so just buy it off the shelf--in fact, buy it when you special-order your siding, take it home with you and hang it so you'll be ready to go when the rest of the siding comes in.

P-mail me if you want to know how to put it up. [e-mail] works.