Innovative Siding Options That Are Durable and Low-Maintenance

When it comes to adding curb appeal to your home, there is arguably no building material that plays a more significant role than the siding. While roofing, window trim, and doors all play their role, the sheer amount of eye-level surface area that the siding covers makes it a premier factor in giving your home a striking appearance.

To this effect, homeowners have always had an affinity for the rustic when it comes to their siding of choice, with the natural wood look possessing some of that pioneering charm that is uniquely American.

While natural wood shingles and lap siding are extremely common on houses, they come with a variety of concerns that may not make them the best choice for protecting your home. They are highly susceptible to rot and insect damage and must be treated with fresh paint or oil every couple of years in order to retain any of their weather-resistant properties.

If your rustic wood shingles are showing mold spots, cracks, gaps, and/or rot, it is likely time to replace your siding–especially if your utility bills have been running uncharacteristically high. When looking into replacement materials, it would be wise to consider any of the following innovative solutions, all of which maintain the curb appeal and rustic charm of wood shingles while significantly reducing the amount of maintenance required.

Vinyl Siding

Vinyl shingles and lap siding options make for a superior alternative to natural wood siding. In addition to being significantly more cost-effective than natural wood, vinyl siding requires essentially no upkeep to maintain its weather-resistant properties.

There are many vinyl shingles that are easy to install and come in color options that look almost exactly like natural wood but carry none of the risks of cracking, molding, or fading.

Quality vinyl siding can last up to 20 years with little maintenance required on the part of the homeowner. While this is a significant upgrade over natural wood shingles, it may not be quite as good as some other newer, more innovative options.

Steel Log Siding

Nothing screams “tough” like the word steel, so if you are looking for a durable, low-maintenance siding option, steel log siding may be the ideal choice to protect your house.

Steel log siding is a great choice for any climate and offers a number of benefits that cannot be matched by natural wood shingles, including:

• Elite fire resistance
• Resistant to insects and pests
• No mold or rot concerns
• No fading, cracking, buckling, or warping
• Will not be damaged in extreme weather conditions

While steel log siding is guaranteed to last at least 30 years, the reality is that it will likely last the lifetime of your house. And if you are afraid that using steel siding will make your house look like an industrial factory, think again: there are a number of steel siding color options, such as Colorado pine, red cedar, and autumn brown, that will make your house look just as rustic as natural wood.

Fiber Cement Siding

If you are looking into the most innovative home siding options on the market, fiber cement should be at the top of the list. Made from a mix of cellulose fiber, sand, and Portland cement, this unique siding provides an elite initial layer of insulation for your home while holding up effortlessly over time in the face of sun exposure and extreme weather.

Despite its durable nature, fiber cement can be expertly molded into a wide variety of rustic house siding options, giving the appearance of farmhouse boards and simple wooden planks just as well as natural wood itself. Unlike natural wood, however, fiber cement does not need to be treated or repainted, giving your home breathtaking curb appeal with next to no maintenance for many, many years.

Matt Lee is the owner of the Innovative Building Materials blog and a content writer for the building materials industry. He is focused on helping fellow homeowners, contractors, and architects discover materials and methods of construction that save money, improve energy efficiency, and increase property value.