What Is the Difference Between Vinyl and Aluminum Siding?
Many people know that vinyl siding is one of the best options for your home. However, most people don’t know the differences between it and other types of siding.
With that in mind, we wanted to give you the main differences between vinyl and aluminum siding. Let’s take a look:
The cost
When it comes to the cost and value of these two types of sidings, vinyl siding is the clear winner. We also see that in the fact that most people in the U.S. choose vinyl siding.
- Vinyl siding costs from $3 to $7 per square feet
- Aluminum siding costs from $5 to $9 per square feet
As you can see, sometimes the expenses overlap and can end up being the same, but in most cases, vinyl costs less.
The price is usually affected by several factors:
- The thickness of vinyl and metal (thicker is more expensive)
- Your location
- How far the material needs to be shipped
- The complexity of the installation
- The style, texture, and profile of your order
Maintenance
Vinyl siding is well known for requiring very little maintenance. You usually only need to wash it once or twice a year with water.
However, the same thing goes for aluminum siding, as well. Plus, both materials cannot rot, but you have to clean debris as it can cause mold to appear.
The only real difference is that the quality of the color is much better on vinyl. It does fade away, but much more slowly than the paint on aluminum. That’s because the color is spread throughout the vinyl material, while it bonds to the surface of the aluminum. This causes the color on aluminum to fade more quickly, especially from exposure to sunshine.
Durability
Both materials are very durable, but in unique ways:
- Both products, as long as they are thick enough, remain very strong and durable
- Vinyl is harder to damage, while scratches and dings appear more easily on aluminum
- Aluminum is better if you live near the sea, as the salt in the air causes corrosion on other materials, including vinyl
- Aluminum is almost unaffected by cold, but vinyl is and can become brittle from extreme cold
- Scorching weather and sunshine barely affect vinyl, while aluminum can become damaged and lose its color
As you can see, when it comes to durability, you need to choose carefully as both of these products can be better depending on your conditions.
Energy efficiency
This part is very important as energy efficiency in your siding leads to more hot air staying inside the house. That means that your heating bills will be lower, the more energy-efficient your siding is.
When it comes to energy efficiency, vinyl siding is much better. It remains efficient in most weather conditions, while aluminum doesn’t perform well in extremely hot conditions. That means that during the summer, it will absorb a lot of heat, meaning you’ll have to rely on your air conditioner more often than you would with vinyl siding.
Vinyl and aluminum siding: which is better?
From all that we can see here, vinyl siding is the winner in most cases. It has a lower cost, it’s more durable, slightly easier to maintain, and more energy-efficient. Find out more about siding installation cost here.
If you want to install vinyl siding to your home, feel free to contact 1-800-HANSONS for a free vinyl siding estimate, and we’ll get it done as quickly as possible.
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