Thinking of changing up your exterior siding? Whether your siding has seen its final days or you’re switching things up for aesthetic reasons, one of the biggest decisions you need to make is whether you’ll use horizontal or vertical siding. The style you choose will affect your curb appeal and the first impression you make with your home. There is plenty to consider, so we’re helping you out in this post with four things to keep in mind when choosing between horizontal and vertical siding!
1. All About Aesthetics
If you’re looking to go the more conventional route for your home exterior, stick with horizontal siding. If you look around your neighbourhood, you’ll likely find that horizontal siding is more prominent, and if you want your home to fit in among the others, horizontal siding is for you. It’s simple, timeless, and beautiful, and you can pretty much guarantee it will never go out of style.
However, if you want your home to have a sense of uniqueness, vertical siding is the way to go. It will help your home stand out and catch the eye of anyone who walks by. Although it’s not as conventional as horizontal siding, it’s still extremely elegant and timeless, and appeals to a wide range of people. If you’re interested in vertical siding, Gentek’s Board and Batten Vertical Siding is beautifully crafted and offers historic appeal blended with modern elegance. It holds our widest selection of colour so you can find the one that suits your home perfectly.
2. Durability
When it comes to durability, it’s really more about the material you choose than whether your siding is vertical or horizontal. For example, both horizontal and vertical siding in materials like vinyl, aluminum and fiber cement will be durable. If you opt for a material like wood, you’re going to have more problems with horizontal siding than vertical. With horizontal siding you run the risk of rainwater damage, which can overtime lead to mold and mildew. Vertical siding allows water to run right off it, so it is not as much of an issue.
3. Installation and Budget
Since horizontal siding is much more common than vertical siding for home exteriors, the installation process is typically quicker and more straightforward. Vertical siding requires more steps in the installation process, requiring a layer of furring strips to be placed down horizontally before the siding. This is done to smooth the surface and ensure a clean, aligned look. As a result, vertical siding tends to take longer to install and can be more expensive. The price of the siding will also depend on the material you choose to use.
4. Maintenance
All siding requires maintenance, but the amount of maintenance varies with the type of material used. Vinyl siding typically requires the least maintenance since it requires no repainting or frequent replacing, and wood requires the most. When it comes to cleaning, horizontal panels can lead to water leakage, so require a more complex cleaning regimen. Vertical panels can be cleaned easily with a power washer without worrying about any leakage. If you choose to go with Board and Batten Vertical Siding, the watertight properties are increased since the filler strips cover any seams in your siding.
Don’t forget, you can always use a mix of vertical and horizontal siding for a beautiful visual effect. This is a great option if you love the look of both and can’t decide what to use! Take a look at Gentek’s full siding range and find the siding you love most!
