Companies advertising vinyl siding for beautiful home exteriors are a dime a dozen. They tell you that if you use vinyl siding you will never have to paint your house again. They also claim that it will not peel, flake or even rot. Vinyl siding is available in a variety of colors. They even offer a wood look. The question though is whether vinyl siding is worth the money? There are a few pointers worth keeping in mind:

Health concerns

First of all the chemical in vinyl siding, polyvinyl chloride, has been linked to cancer. Most scientists state that the manufacturing process and also the disposal can be very hazardous to your health.

Hazardous chemicals are released during fires. This is because when vinyl siding reaches extreme temperatures it releases the chemicals and can make you very sick and cause damage to your lungs.

Other health concerns that have been related to vinyl siding are – breathing problems, both liver and kidney failure, birth defects, cancer, and neurological problems.

So you may want to explore these health concerns involved with vinyl siding before you go ahead and opt for vinyl siding on your house?

Durability – Is it or is it not?

Advertisers make you to believe that the vinyl siding is permanent, when in fact it’s actually not. It does however last a fairly long time. But when exposed to extreme temperatures vinyl siding will become less durable and tend to start bowing. Also, any type of high wind can get under the vinyl siding and literally rip it off the wall of the house. On the other hand if there is debris flying around as a result of those high winds, it can cause damage to the siding.

Heating

Just like any other siding, vinyl siding will not lower your heating bills. The only way to reduce your heating costs is to put insulation on the inside wall.

Maintenance

Popular assumption is that, vinyl siding supposedly does not require any care or maintenance, but sadly that may not be the case. To maintain the appeal of your vinyl siding you need to wash your siding once a year. But you must be careful when doing this because if any moisture gets under your siding you can have serious problems. This moisture can lead to mold, wood rot and invite those pesky bugs. If you leave this problem alone and do not treat it, damage to your inside walls can take place. This will not be good because you will begin to see mold, peeling wall paper, or flaking paint.

Although vinyl siding has various negatives in its kitty, it is still a nice looking addition to your home as well as a way to raise your property value.