The Siding Blog

So you’ve got vinyl siding and you’d like to attach something to it without causing some potentially big issues.

…well here’s what the experts do…

Rule #1) Allow For Movement!

I can’t stress this enough, you must allow vinyl siding to move BECAUSE it typically expands and contracts 1/4″ (one quarter inch) per 12′ (twelve feet).  If you don’t allow vinyl siding to move it will most likely buckle and warp under the pressure.
So MAKE SURE the vinyl siding can slide back and forth at least 1/4″ in all areas. (continue reading…)

Fiber Cement Siding

“… What’s in a name? that which we call CEMENT SIDING By any other name would STILL BE FIRE RETARDANT… ”
~Shakespeare (I’m pretty sure he said that.)

Cement siding goes by many different names so to clear up any confusion the most common “industry” term for cement siding is “Fiber Cement Siding”.  Why does that matter?  Technically, if the “Cement Siding” didn’t have “fiber” in it – it would just crack and fall apart.  So in reality Cement Siding is comprised of layers of cement and fiber then compressed under very high pressure.

Gee Wiz Trivia: In the early years of Fiber Cement Siding several companies and contractors stuck the fiber and cement together to be Fibercement Siding however most contractors and companies have accepted the fiber (space) cement version.

Other Common names for Cement Siding:

• hardie siding
• james hardie siding
• hardy siding
• board cement siding
• hardi siding
• hardie board siding
• hardie plank siding
• hardy plank siding
• siding hardy plank
• hardi plank siding
• hardy board siding
• certainteed cement siding
• certainteed cement fiber siding
• certainteed fiber cement siding
• cement fiber board siding
• fiber cement board siding
• hardie cement siding
• hardi board siding
• james hardy siding
• cement house siding
• cement lap siding

If you’d like an estimate for cement siding <– click here.

Google Trends for Vinyl Siding - ©2008 Google

Now make no mistake, Vinyl Siding is still #1 as far as siding materials goes and vinyl siding is still the #1 most requested siding estimate request in the nation.  We believe the graph above (courtesy of Google Trends’s search for vinyl siding) illustrates the general economic downturn since you will see a similar graph for all siding search terms.

But Wait…

What’s this?  In comparing 2009 & 2010 (so far) with the previous years we can see a stabilizing and possibly indicators of a potential comeback.  At any rate the steady decline in searches for Vinyl Siding appear to have leveled off considerably.

Conversely, the Contractors With Integrity Network (CWIN for short) reports that they have only seen increases in vinyl siding estimate requests over the past several years.  However they are the first to admit that this could be due to their steady increase in popularity and search engine rankings – resulting in an offsetting of the universally felt economic downturn.

Maybe… just maybe… things are starting to turn around. We will keep our eyes peeled and let you know when we can say for sure.

We just launched another useful tool, this one calculates the square footage of a triangle which is useful for calculating a home’s exterior square footage on a gable.  This calculator not only calculates a triangle’s square footage, it also calculates a triangle’s (gable’s) square inches and converts feet to inches and inches to feet. You can also enter inches only, feet only or a combination of feet and inches with decimal point too. Check it out: Square Footage Calculator Triangle

New Jersey Vinyl Siding Estimates #1 Again for April 2010

The April 2010 Siding and Windows Estimate Report was released to us today for April 2010.  Once again New Jersey and Vinyl Siding topped the list.  This report shows homeowners that requested New Jersey Siding  Estimates and New Jersey Window Estimates from the Contractors With Integrity Network™ (Cwin™).

ref.: Contractors With Integrity

C-Win(tm) LEADS REPORT:
Timeframe: from:(Thu, April 1st 2010 7:41am) to:(Fri, April 30th 2010 2:03pm)
============================================================================
FORMAT:
City State Zip – Date & Time
Estimates Requested

============================================================================

[ ] Somerdale NJ 08083 – Fri, Apr 30 ’10 13:57
Windows (General) – Multiple Windows Install
—————————————————————————-

[ ] Pennsauken NJ 08110 – Fri, Apr 30 ’10 09:07
Siding (General) – Full Install
—————————————————————————-

[ ] Pompton Lakes NJ 07442 – Fri, Apr 30 ’10 05:44
Siding (General) – Full Install
—————————————————————————-

[X] Lodi NJ 07644 – Wed, Apr 28 ’10 11:00
Siding (General) – Full Install, Vinyl Lap Siding – Full Install
Project Details: “Two family house currently has aluminum siding. I would like to replace siding with no maintenance siding (vinyl?).”
—————————————————————————-

[ ] Brick NJ 08723 – Wed, Apr 28 ’10 07:35
Vinyl Lap Siding – Full Install
—————————————————————————- (continue reading…)

Virginia Vinyl Siding Estimates #1 Again for April 2010

The April 2010 Virginia Siding and Windows Estimate Report was released to us today. Once again Vinyl Siding tops the list for VA estimate requests. This report shows homeowners that requested Virginia Siding Estimates from the Contractors With Integrity Network™ (Cwin™).

ref.: Contractors With Integrity

CWIN(tm) Estimate Request REPORT:
Timeframe: from:(Fri, April 2nd 2010 8:27am) to:(Thu, April 29th 2010 6:27pm)
============================================================================
FORMAT:
City State Zip – Date & Time
Estimates Requested
============================================================================

Richmond VA 23238 – Thu, Apr 29 ’10 18:27
Vinyl Shake Siding – Full Install
—————————————————————————-

Virginia Beach VA 23454 – Wed, Apr 28 ’10 18:22
Vinyl Lap Siding – Materials Only
—————————————————————————-

Rocky Mount VA 24151 – Wed, Apr 28 ’10 00:50
Vinyl Windows – Multiple Windows Install
—————————————————————————-

Virginia Beach VA 23451 – Tue, Apr 27 ’10 16:03
Fiber Cement Lap Siding – Materials Only
—————————————————————————-

Heathsville VA 22473 – Tue, Apr 27 ’10 10:09
Vinyl Lap Siding – Full Install
—————————————————————————-
(continue reading…)

MA Siding Estimates Report for 1st Quarter 2010

The 1st Quarter 2010 Siding and Windows Estimate Report for Massachusetts was released to us today. Once again vinyl siding estimates tops the list. This report shows homeowners that requested MA Siding Estimates from the Contractors With Integrity Network™ (Cwin™).

ref.: Contractors With Integrity

CWIN(tm) Estimate Request REPORT:
Timeframe: from:(Sat, January 2nd 2010 4:27pm) to:(Wed, March 31st 2010 7:00pm)
============================================================================
FORMAT:
City State Zip – Date & Time
Estimates Requested
============================================================================

Fairhaven MA 02719 – Wed, Mar 31 ’10 19:00
Vinyl Windows – Multiple Windows Install
—————————————————————————-

Needham MA 02492 – Wed, Mar 31 ’10 14:55
Vinyl Shake Siding – Full Install, Windows (General) – Multiple Windows Install
—————————————————————————-

Marblehead MA 01945 – Tue, Mar 30 ’10 06:07
Vinyl Lap Siding – Full Install, Vinyl Lap Siding – Repair
—————————————————————————-

Medford MA 02155 – Mon, Mar 29 ’10 16:37
Vinyl Lap Siding – Full Install, Soffits (General) – Full Install
Project Details: “”
—————————————————————————-

Woonsocket RI 02895 – Mon, Mar 29 ’10 15:41
Vinyl Windows – Multiple Windows Install
—————————————————————————- (continue reading…)

Do It Yourself (DIY) Asbestos Siding Removal…  Is it a good idea?  Can it be done?  Should it be done?  Is it worth the risk?

Answer: ONLY Trained Asbestos Abatement Professionals should ever attempt to remove asbestos.

It’s surprising to us how many people are not familiar with the serious risks involved with removing asbestos siding yourself… that is why we are addressing this very serious issue again.

It seems surprising that asbestos siding is still an issue in today’s day and age but with around 130 million housing units in the US alone and asbestos siding being widely popular from the 1930′s to the 1970′s (when asbestos cement siding was banned) one can begin to see how big of a problem asbestos abatement really is.

[ Read More: Asbestos Siding Removal ]

Contractors With Integrity network’s March 2010 Siding and Window Estimate LOGS for New Jersey state.

A siding estimates report was released to us today for New Jersey siding and window estimates for March 2010. It clearly shows that vinyl siding estimates are once again #1 for the area. This report shows homeowners that requested Siding and Window Estimates for New Jersey from the Contractors With Integrity Network™ (Cwin™).

ref.: Contractors With Integrity

============================================================================
C-Win(tm) LEADS REPORT:
============================================================================
FORMAT:
City State Zip – Date & Time
Estimates Requested

============================================================================

[ ] Allentown NJ 08501 – Wed, Mar 31 ’10 06:25
Vinyl Lap Siding – Full Install, Soffits (General) – Full Install, Vinyl Windows – Multiple Windows Install
—————————————————————————-

[ ] Red Bank NJ 07701 – Wed, Mar 31 ’10 01:53
Vinyl Shake Siding – Materials Only
—————————————————————————-

[ ] Lodi NJ 07644 – Tue, Mar 30 ’10 18:51
Vinyl Shake Siding – Full Install
—————————————————————————-

[ ] West Orange NJ 07052 – Tue, Mar 30 ’10 17:22
Vinyl Windows – Multiple Windows Install
—————————————————————————-

[ ] Vauxhall NJ 07088 – Tue, Mar 30 ’10 08:30
Siding (General) – Full Install
—————————————————————————- (continue reading…)