When you’re designing your home in today's market, you want to use the latest and best building supplies.  When it comes to siding, you may wonder what’s best.  How do you choose between the beauty of natural wood, the convenience of vinyl? Which siding is best for your next home project? Let’s take a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of each type!

Natural Wood Siding

There’s no doubt that natural wood siding is beautiful!  However, it won’t stay that way if you don’t repaint or retreat it every three-five years.  If your natural wood siding gets exposed to water, it’s prone to rotting. Your home is vulnerable in a fire, as wood siding burns quickly.  The bugs and the birds love natural wood and will damage it while they snack on it.  So, to sum it up, natural wood siding is gorgeous but won’t hold up well, especially in the elements!

Vinyl Siding

Vinyl siding comes in a wide array of colors, and that’s a good thing because you can’t change your mind and paint it later! Vinyl siding has been the standard in home construction for many years, but there are a few things you should know about it.
When you decide to clad your home with vinyl siding, you actually lower the home’s resale value.  Although the installation of vinyl siding is simple, it’s not foolproof!  Any installation errors and problems can occur in the siding, including cracking, bulging, warping, and expansion. Even with the proper installation, vinyl siding is prone to breakage.

What’s more, when your siding develops a problem, you can’t patch and paint it… you must replace the whole plank… and risk an inaccurate color match.

Is Vinyl Siding Safe for the Environment?

It may surprise you to learn that plant managers must take special safety precautions with the workers that produce vinyl siding.  The chemicals produced when they make the product are unsafe, and exposure should be limited. As vinyl siding ages on your home, it releases low levels of these same harmful chemicals produced during the manufacturing process.  
When vinyl siding is disposed of, it is often incinerated, which releases toxins into the air.  If buried, it will release these toxins into the soil of the landfill.  Either scenario contributes significantly to the chemical pollution of our environment.

Nichiha Fiber Cement Siding – The Ideal Solution

When you need durable siding for your home, and you’re also hoping for the best appearance, you should consider Nichiha Fiber Cement siding.  This company turns out a beautiful product that can give you the beauty of natural wood siding, the color selection of vinyl siding, and the durability to withstand the elements.  Their fiber cement does not rot or warp.  It is crack-resistant and holds up in all kinds of weather.  The bugs and birds are the only ones that don’t like it… they leave it alone!  It’s fire-resistant and environmentally neutral! 
In addition to its quality, durability, and beautiful appearance, it comes with a great warranty. The limited warranty on Nichiha products is for thirty years.  Can you imagine quality siding that holds up in all weather for thirty years?  It’s projected to perform well for longer than that! 

Where Can You Find Nichiha Fiber Cement Siding?

At American Cedar & Millwork, we are proud to carry the Nichiha Line of siding and cladding products made of fiber cement.  The material has so much going for it that customers rave about its performance.  If you are a custom builder or contractor, call to arrange a briefing on your clients' beautiful Nichiha products.  If you’re having a custom home built, urge your builder to call us today!  We’ve got just the right siding for your new home. In a wide variety of styles and colors, Nichiha is guaranteed to please!