There are different kinds of materials that you could use as your home’s siding, namely brick, mortar, stucco, fiber cement, and cedar, but recent studies by the Vinyl Siding Institute and Sustainable Solutions Corp. have shown that vinyl is a more sustainable material than most other types.
The report, published on PlasticsNews.com, says that compared to other materials, vinyl had overall better results when it comes to impact on human health, material costs, and toxicity, making it a highly recommended material by reputable Maryland siding contractors like DryTech Roofing.
The study was conducted by gathering information from the Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability software developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The study basically compared different kinds of materials and the information given by their manufacturers to check performance throughout the material’s life cycle and the impact it has to different areas, such as fossil-fuel depletion or global warming, for instance.
Although some materials would score higher on particular areas, when it came to the overall result, vinyl siding stood out the most. For example, when it came to performance, cedar siding outperformed other materials although vinyl remained near the top. However, when it came down to economic performance, vinyl prevailed because of its cheaper price, ease of installation, and low maintenance costs.
Another area that vinyl dominated was impact on human health. Note that impact is based on emissions throughout the material’s life cycle stages. Vinyl was seen to have the lowest toxicity and nearly zero impact on human health, whereas brick and mortar have around 300 times the impact of vinyl, and fiber cement more than 200 times the impact.
In terms of performance, vinyl makes a good choice as cladding because it is able to do its job well, which is to create an additional insulation barrier, beautifies your home, and keeps moisture out of your walls. Although vinyl is a type of plastic, this material can be manufactured to look and have the texture of premium materials, such as hardwood and slate.
Whether you’re having a new home constructed or wish to have your old sidings replaced, vinyl siding installation is fairly easy. All it takes is a phone call to trusted Maryland vinyl siding contractors who can rip your old siding off and install a lovely, cost-effective siding in its place.