Whether you have old rotted wood siding and your tired of painting or your have older vinyl siding that is warped and faded…. read on for 8 telltale signs that it’s time to replace your siding…
Not sure if NOW is the time to replace your siding??
It’s best to replace your siding before winter – ideally in the fall – especially if your home has wood siding. Why? Because when snow piles up in your yard and sits up against the wood shakes on your home, the collective moisture can cause rot, mold, and even termite infestations in the spring.
8 Warning Signs That Say It’s Time to Replace Your Siding
- Bubbling or blistered siding: This happens when you have extreme amounts of heat or moisture. If your siding has bubbled or blistered, this may be because moisture has gotten trapped beneath the siding. This compromises the water proofing integrity of vinyl, meaning there’s opportunity for moisture to sneak into your home and energy to sneak out of your home. Hello long term home damage and high energy bills.
- Insect & wildlife damage: If you’ve got wood siding on your home that’s had some friendly encounters with woodpeckers, squirrels, and insects – you could have infestations or out of control energy bills. If you have damaged wood siding on your home, it might be a good idea to replace it with a maintenance-free vinyl siding.
- Cracked siding: If your siding is cracked, this means something has penetrated your siding. This happens because there’s nothing behind your siding (except for a paper thin underlayment). If your siding isn’t properly backed and supported, it can wave, buckle, and crack. Again, compromised siding creates opportunities for moisture to enter your home and for energy to escape your home.
- Loose siding: Loose siding often occurs when it has not been applied properly, the vinyl siding product itself is low quality, there’s wind damage, or the home has settled. Loose siding indicates that your home’s exterior isn’t sealed off from the weather.
- Your energy costs are out of control: If you have high energy bills, this could be a sign that your home might not have proper – or any kind of – foam insulation in its wall system. Your home should have a flat wall line with full-backed foam insulating your siding. Why? Because a flat wall line will remain flat when your house settles, and the full-backed foam will ensure the integrity and shape of your vinyl is maintained.
- Extremely faded siding: This happens due to UV Damage. Faded siding is often brittle, which makes this siding more susceptible to wind and may potentially blow off of your home. Not to mention – it’s an eye sore.
- Mold? Mold would be an indication that moisture has gotten in somewhere. If you see mold on your home’s siding, this means that moisture has been held inside the wall, slowly released, and is causing unwanted growth. If you see ANY mold – this is a huge concern and you should contact a roofing professional ASAP!
- Rot: If you see the exterior portions of your home rotted it can mean that moisture is unable to leave the wall line and is prematurely aging your siding.
Still not sure whether you should replace your home’s siding with 100% Virgin Grade Vinyl or Flame & Insect Resistant Hardie Board? Click here to learn the key differences of each!
