Aluminum Siding vs. Vinyl Siding

The choice of siding material for your home's exterior certainly influences the look of your home. But the specific siding that you choose has other implications, as well, such as how long it will last before you need to replace the siding, what kind of maintenance is required, and how well it withstands changes in temperature and weather.

Aluminum siding and vinyl siding are two of the most popular choices in exterior siding materials, and for good reason. Aluminum and vinyl are both relatively inexpensive, but they hold up well, require very little ongoing maintenance, and can be manufactured with the look of wood or other natural materials.

While they have many similarities, there are a few differences to consider when evaluating vinyl and aluminum siding. For one thing, the thickness of vinyl siding is greater than the thickness of aluminum siding. This means that vinyl is slightly more durable than aluminum.

Vinyl siding is manufactured with an integral pigment so that the color is part of the siding, while aluminum siding is coated with color after it is manufactured. Vinyl's color holds up better when the siding is scratched, since the color itself runs all the way through the siding material rather than just in the top layer. Color considerations for aluminum are not too much of a problem, since most high-quality aluminum siding products are accompanied by a warranty that guarantees the performance of the color coating for a certain number of years.

Vinyl siding cannot be painted, but aluminum siding holds up well to paint. This makes aluminum siding the better choice if you think that you may change your home's exterior color in the future.

Vinyl siding can become slightly brittle in extremely cold weather, while aluminum siding retains its flexibility regardless of the temperature. On the other hand, vinyl is a better insulator, since aluminum conducts heat or cold much more rapidly.

Aluminum siding is a more flexible material than vinyl; it is much easy to bend an aluminum trim piece to fit, but vinyl trim must be molded or extruded into a desired shape. For these reasons, it is common to see home exteriors that feature vinyl siding with aluminum trim pieces.

Both vinyl siding and aluminum siding can provide many benefits for your home's exterior. Once you evaluate the pros and cons associated with each material in conjunction with your priorities, the best choice should be easy for you to make.