JRE IN THE NEWS

Faux Your Exterior

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Is it real wood or stucco or is it a lookalike? You can easily be fooled by the sidings that come amazingly close to looking like the real thing. From fiber-cement siding to vinyl to Dryvit, these products are faking out homeowners and their neighbors, but it's a good kind of deception.

From the street, the front walk or maybe even three feet away, it looks like real wood. It's grained like real wood and has the thickness of a traditional clapboard. The color is natural like real wood, but it's not fading or rotting like real wood -- that's because it's not. It's fiber-cement siding, a manufactured substitute for real wood that is low maintenance, durable, and appears to have grain like wood.

Composed of cement, sand and cellulose fiber that has been autoclaved (cured with pressurized steam) to increase its strength and dimensional stability, fiber-cement siding is termite-resistant, water-resistant, noncombustible and warranted to last 50 years. The fiber is added as reinforcement to prevent cracking. The planks come in 5-1/4" to 12" widths and 5/16" and 7/16" thickness. From a practical standpoint, it doesn't get much better than that.

For the aesthetically inclined, a fiber-cement product like James Hardie's Hardiplank is a versatile choice -- it comes in lots of colors and textures that emulate roughsawn, rustic or smooth cedar -- and you can also get shingles, vertical siding and trim. While not totally maintenance free like vinyl siding, fiber-cement holds paint several years longer than wood siding.

Stucco siding is a favorite of homeowners who love the old neighborhood look, but it tends to stain, chip and trap water behind its triple layer. An energy-efficient alternative that won't let you down is Dryvit, a synthetic version of the triple layer Portland cement siding.

Brian Burnette, construction manager at James River Exteriors, says, "We prefer to use James Hardie products when we install fiber-cement products. James Hardie has a wide range of products that come in either primed or pre-finished. We see this product as the best option for homeowners because it offers the beauty of wood siding products with the low maintenance qualities of vinyl-siding. James Hardie has learned from other exterior claddings' shortcomings and has been proactive to prevent problems with their products by setting strict guidelines on installation requirements and standards."

For those who love the pebbly texture of old-fashioned stucco, there's Dryvit, a synthetic version of the old Portland cement mixture. Even if you like to be authentic, the insulating qualities of Dryvit make it hard to turn down. It can dramatically affect your heating and cooling bills, says Shane Burnette, construction manager for James River Stucco, an affiliate of James River Exteriors. "It's number one in energy efficiency -- it's basically like wrapping a thermal blanket around your home."

"In our opinion Dryvit is a better siding material than "traditional" stucco due to its energy efficiency and design flexibility," says Burnette. "It is documented that a Dryvit home (due to the insulation board) can save a consumer between 20 and 40 percent on heating and cooling bills. Design wise, we use the phrase 'if it is dreamable, it is doable.' Since we use an EPS (foam) board for our trim bands, we can pretty much make them into any shape that you want. Another advantage to a Dryvit system is that the color is integral and is composed of an acrylic product that never needs paint."

Homeowners have plenty of options if they choose Hardiplank lap siding -- it comes in a variety of looks and textures, all sealed and primed to take the paint of your choice.

Called an EIFS (exterior insulation and finish system), this method for insulating from exterior to interior was introduced to the U.S. in 1969 by Dryvit. "There were some installation problems about 10 years ago that caused EIFS to become scarce in the residential market," says Burnette. "Through extensive training and the development of a moisture drainage system, we see Dryvit becoming more popular than ever."

The installation components are layered like this:

1. Air/water-resistive barrier (protects the sheathing)
2. Drainage medium (drainage plane for incidental moisture)
3. Insulation board (provides energy efficiency and shaping/forming characteristics)
4. Base coat (provides durability and weather resistance)
5. Reinforcing mesh (layered between two applications of base coat -- provides impact resistance)
6. Finish coat (appealing monolithic look available in a variety of colors, finish styles and textures)

Regarding maintenance, there's no need to ever paint Dryvit – it comes in 42 standard colors. Plus, James River Stucco can match a custom shade for you. What's nice is that, unlike some surfaces that don't hold paint, you can paint it if you want to, and you can use it on interiors as well. Dryvit can also be made to look like the mottled surface of an Italian villa or different types of stone.

Mention vinyl siding, and you might get a wrinkled nose from those who have knocked on the side of a house covered in it. The sound is hollow and insubstantial, but it's time to take another look at vinyl.

"Unlike the hollowback vinyl siding, this is a composite product that features insulation attached to vinyl," explains Kevin Kuchem of Ted Lansing Corp. "It's firm to the touch like wood."

First available to the residential market in the United States in the early 1960s, vinyl siding has undergone a major transition from just function to form and function combined. Made primarily of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), its strength and rigidity have made it a popular choice for covering existing siding and bumps and bruises on old house exteriors. It's now available in many colors, textures and trims and can be incorporated into historical restoration projects or used to protect seaside homes from the elements. While other siding products can boast of being low-maintenance, vinyl siding is no maintenance and will last a lifetime, and its cost is usually much lower than other sidings'.

The key to longterm success of any exterior cladding product is choosing a reputable manufacturer and installer. Each type of siding comes with installation challenges -- fiber cement contains silicone fibers that must be contained while cutting pieces for a job, for example -- and it's imperative that you check references of companies you are considering using -- how many jobs have they done? Are past customers satisfied? Getting three prices will assure you that you've gotten the best deal. "There is a big price differential among these products," says Kuchem. "You want to find a product that fits your pocketbook and gravitate toward the best product you can buy."