All You Need to Know About Siding Maintenance

Maintaining your home’s exterior is extremely important. Not only will your home look better, but your home’s exterior is the biggest line of defense from the outside elements. Regular siding maintenance is crucial to making sure everything is working properly.

From wood to vinyl siding, each material has its own way of being cared for –  some are easier to maintain than others. The questions are how do you maintain each type of siding and which is the easiest?

That’s where Feldco comes in. We’re here to show you the different methods of siding maintenance and which material is the easiest to care for in the Midwest. Let’s get started.

Wood Siding Maintenance

Wood is known for being extraordinarily beautiful. It’ll improve your home’s curb appeal the second it’s installed on your home.

That being said, it’s also the hardest to maintain. If it’s not looked after properly, your siding will warp, rot and will look terrible overall. We’ll go over a few things you can do to help maintain your wood siding.

Paint, Stain and Protect Your Wood Siding

Wood is known to warp and rot when it’s exposed to moisture. You live in the Midwest, so you know that avoiding rain, snow, hail and humidity is impossible. You’ll need to protect your wood siding from damaging.

You’ll need to stain and use clear sealer on your siding pretty regularly. This will keep your wood looking beautiful and protected from the moisture.

Don’t forget that you’ll need to paint your wood siding as well. The paint will chip when faced with hail and heavy winds which will make the siding look terrible. The only way to maintain the look of your wood siding is to paint it.

It goes without saying that none of this is cheap. It could cost $2,000 – $4,000 to stain a two-story, 2,300 square foot home and $3,000 – $5,000 to paint it. If you prefer to DIY the project, know that it takes 4-5 days for each and about $500. Pile that on top of its already high initial cost and you have one expensive exterior.

Cleaning Wood Siding

Cleaning your wood siding is pretty easy. Start from the top and work your way down so dirty water streams don’t contaminate already clean siding. Also, divide the home into 20-foot sections and wash them one at a time.

It’s also safe to use bleach on your wood siding. In fact, you’ll need to in order to clean tough mildew stains. Bleach needs to be mixed it with water in order to dilute it so  your siding isn’t harmed. Also, make sure you wear eye protection.

Get Ready to Pay for Wood Siding Maintenance

With the exception of cleaning, maintaining wood siding is very difficult. While it may look beautiful at first, you need to spend a lot of time and money to keep it at its best. Whether it’s painting, staining or protecting, you’ll end up spending thousands of dollars on siding maintenance. That’s not even considering repair costs from warping or rotting wood.

Vinyl Siding Maintenance

Vinyl siding is a fantastic option for Midwest homeowners as it’s built to handle the harsh weather. Not only is it extremely durable, but thanks to it’s foam backing, its very energy efficient.

We’ll go over why vinyl siding is the perfect home exterior for Midwest homes and how you can maintain it.

Vinyl Siding is Low-Maintenance

There’s no siding material that’s as low maintenance as vinyl. Since the colors are baked into the panel when they’re made, you don’t have to worry about painting or the color fading. There are even wood grain finishes so you can have the look of wood without the hassle of upkeep.

As you know, vinyl siding has a foam backing which prevents heated and cooled air inside your home from escaping but it does even more than that. The foam absorbs shock when your siding is struck. This can be anything from weather to children at play preventing dents and dings from forming.

Vinyl is also resistant to warping and rotting. It’s built to withstand moisture problems from occurring. Since there’s no wood rotting, the likelihood of mold growing lowers if your siding is properly cleaned. Speaking of which…

The Proper Way to Clean Vinyl Siding

You need to know how to clean your vinyl siding. Thankfully, it’s an extremely easy process. Start by mixing your solution. We recommend not using bleach or harmful chemicals and opting for a more natural solution. Vinegar and water mixtures are the best option but you can also mix water with dish soap.

Much like wood siding, section off the house into 20-foot areas so it’s easier to clean. It’s also important to pick a cloudy day so the sun doesn’t evaporate the solution causing water spots.

If you don’t want to mix your own solution, there are manufactured vinyl siding cleaners that you can buy. They’re specifically made to handle tough grime and clean vinyl properly.

Use a fine bristled brush to gently scrub each area of your home. For harder to reach areas and second stories, we suggest using a pressure washer. This will break up and get rid of the most difficult to remove stains. You can read more about cleaning vinyl siding here.

It Doesn’t Get Easier Than Vinyl Siding Maintenance

There’s no other material that’s easier to maintain than vinyl siding. Other than washing it every 6 months-1 year, the siding maintains itself. It doesn’t warp, rot or damage due to weather. It basically cares for itself.

When Midwest homeowners need vinyl siding, they turn to Feldco. Our experts will make sure you get the perfect home exterior and that it’s installed properly. Get a free quote now and see why over 400,000 homeowners have trusted us with their home improvement projects.

Stucco Siding Maintenance

Stucco is a style of siding that has been used for hundreds of years. It’s a mixture made from cement and sand that’s installed over a wood wall and galvanized metal screening.

While stucco is very durable, it has its fair share of problems that you need to look out for when it comes to siding maintenance.

Look Out for Cracks

Stucco is a very durable siding but it is prone to cracking. The hairline cracks look terrible and could become much worse over time.

In order to fix cracks and holes in your stucco, you’ll need to purchase a sealant. It may not be expensive, but it’ll take time to fix up all of the cracks and holes that come up.

What about second story cracks? If you’re not comfortable getting up on a ladder to fix your siding, you’ll need to hire a professional. This is where stucco can get real expensive.

How to Clean Stucco Siding

Unlike vinyl siding, stucco shows dirt and grime and will need to be cleaned more frequently. This is especially true if you get the much more popular smooth finish.

Cleaning your stucco siding can be a major process that takes 30 minutes per 20-foot section. This is because you’ll need to keep your stucco very wet through the entire process.

Start by mixing your solution. It can be made with bleach and water, water and dish soap or a manufactured cleaner. Once you’ve done this, you’re ready to start cleaning.

Power wash your 20-foot section and then apply the solution. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes and then scrub the area with a rotating brush. You may need to perform these tasks multiple times in order to get out tough stains.

Stucco Siding Maintenance is a Chore

No, siding maintenance for stucco isn’t easy. Between frequent cleanings and cracking, there are many better options available for your home cladding. The trade off of work to beauty isn’t worth it with more beautiful options such as vinyl and wood. Stucco? More like yuck-o!

Aluminum Siding Maintenance

One of the less common siding styles is aluminum siding. It might not have the looks of wood and vinyl, but it does have its benefits.

That being said, aluminum siding has a few siding maintenance problems that you should be aware of. Read below to learn how you can care for your aluminum siding.

If You Don’t Like Dents, Aluminum Might Not Be the Best Option

The biggest problem with aluminum siding in terms of maintenance is how frequently it dents. Whenever it’s struck, you’re at risk of having a large ding in your siding that’s difficult to remove.

You’re probably thinking, “ok, I won’t hit my siding”. That’s great but Mother Nature may have other plans. From hail and debris blown by heavy winds, there are many things that you’re not in control of that can damage your siding.

You can remove dents from your siding but it can be pretty tricky and requires you to screw into the dent itself creating a hole. If you do want to remove the dent, it may be in your best interest to hire a professional, but that costs a lot of money.

Cleaning Your Aluminum Siding

Much like vinyl siding, aluminum siding is very easy to clean. Just mix your solution and scrub it down. Also, feel free to use a pressure washer for those hard to reach areas and second story siding.

Aluminum Siding is Easy to Maintain, But Not the Easiest

Compared to wood and stucco siding, aluminum siding is a breeze to maintain. You can clean your siding with ease and it won’t warp, rot or crack like the other two. That being said, it isn’t the easiest siding material to maintain.

Since aluminum dents and dings often, vinyl siding is way easier to keep looking great. It doesn’t help that removing dents requires you to create a hole in your siding or spending a ton of money on a professional.

What Siding is the Easiest to Maintain?

By far the material with the easiest siding maintenance is vinyl. It has no problems and is extremely durable. With the exception of a yearly cleaning, you have to do nothing. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Feldco’s vinyl siding is beautiful and can withstand Midwest weather. The foam backing is perfect for shielding your home from excessively cold or hot temperature and won’t crack and dent when facing hail or debris. Fill out our online form for professionally installed, beautiful vinyl siding from Feldco.