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When was the last time your siding was replaced? Unlike many other home improvement projects, you might not think about your siding until an urgent problem arises. Siding is not all about aesthetics, as it also protects your home from rain, wind, snow and insects. But as with anything else in or on your home, siding ages. It wears, cracks, chips, falls off, and shifts and should be replaced before it causes any major (and possibly expensive) damage to your home.
So how do you know that you need to replace your siding?
Thanks to SidingMagazine.com we who have identified specific things that indicate your siding may need to be replaced. Not only can this give your home a facelift (siding does fade over time after all) but it can help prevent potentially catastrophic damage before it happens.
Frequent Painting: If you are painting your home every 5 or 6 years then something might be wrong with the existing siding. Good siding should keep its paint a minimum of 8-10 years. If the paint is chipping, cracking, or peeling, it is a sign of a fundamental problem with your siding and likely needs replacement
Rotting or Warping: Warped siding in and of itself does not improve a home’s look, often making it look “wavy”. However warped siding can be a sign of an even greater issue of rot beneath it. A simple check is to identify warped siding and poke under it with something sharp, such as a screwdriver. If the layer under your siding has begun to rot and is soft, you likely need new siding.
Cracked or Loose Siding: One or two loose or cracked boards after a storm do not require your whole home to be re-sided. It is often possible to replace or fix one or two pieces. However, if the layer underneath is damaged, or there are multiple areas or large areas of your home that are cracked and missing, this can indicate greater risk to your home and should be addressed before adverse weather conditions such as cold and wet cause severe and expensive problems.
Peeling Paint or Loose Wallpaper Inside the Home: It is not always immediately obvious, but peeling paint or wallpaper that is pulling away from a wall inside a home can indicate faulty siding. Siding that has gone bad allows moisture to seep its way underneath and can percolate through the wallboard and lead to significantly damaging the interior of the home.
Fungus, Mold or Mildew: Growth on siding, especially at or near seams, can be an indication that water is penetrating it and may be held inside the wall, releasing slowly and leading to the growth. While not all mold, mildew or fungus is a cause for alarm, it is important to investigate as it could be a warning sign.
Severely Faded Siding: Nothing lasts forever. If your siding is so old and weathered that it has lost its color, or severely faded, it can indicate that your siding has outlived its life expectancy and waterproofing. Faded siding is not a definite sign that your siding needs to be replaced, but it is a good indication to watch for.
Bubbles in the Siding: The presence of bubbles just underneath the surface of siding is a sure sign that your home needs new siding. It is an almost certain indication of water trapped under your siding which is an immediate red flag as the one thing siding is meant to do is keep moisture away from the walls underneath.
Holes in the Siding: Even small holes can be a cause for concern. In general, holes in your siding are usually caused by insects. If insects have made their way into your siding, not only are they causing trouble on their own, but they allow for rain and snow to get into and under your siding.
Dry Rot: You can reveal dry rot problems before they become visible by tapping on your siding with the handle of a screwdriver. Dry rot begins below the surface of siding and then eats away the main body of siding, leaving just the top layer intact. This means that it is possible for the siding to look good to the naked eye, while the interior has rotted away.
Worried about the condition of your siding or interested in replacement options? Give us a call and schedule a free, no-obligation quote from Sunset Ridge Exteriors.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
