For many people, vinyl siding is considered the best material to use in covering your home. After all, it’s durable and cheap, and it never needs painting. Unfortunately, the environmental issues with the manufacturing and disposal of vinyl make it a terrible choice. In the following sections, I fill you in on some other options to consider instead.
Aluminum Siding
Popular in the 1940s and 1950s, aluminum siding offered a maintenance-free option for your home. When less expensive vinyl siding was introduced, it forced aluminum siding from the market. Older aluminum siding is easily recycled, but it’s difficult to find a source for new siding made of recycled content.
Wood Siding
Both vinyl and aluminum siding are designed to copy the look of real wood siding. The best choice is wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to be sustainably harvested. Instead of paint, finish the planks with a water-based stain to allow the beauty of the wood to show through.
Cedar Shingles
Cedar shingles are an attractive and natural option for siding. Cedar forests are disappearing rapidly, so look for shingles made from either reclaimed or FSC-certified wood.
Tip: Shingles do not need to be placed in straight lines. Arranging them in curves can be a fun and interesting way to cover your home.
Fiber cement boards
Fiber cement boards are rigid panels made of Portland cement, sand, wood fiber, and clay. They’re a durable and attractive siding option. Although they hold paint well, the panels can be left unfinished if you don’t mind the gray color. James Hardie (http://www.jameshardie.com/homeowner ) is the largest manufacturer of fiber cement boards, but several other manufacturers offer fiber cement boards as well. The product is available in shingles, boards, and long planks for a variety of design options. Many manufacturers offer a wood grain or sand finish.
Stucco
Stucco is a cement-based product and must be applied or sprayed on by hand. Traditional stucco is really just cement-based plaster — a mixture of Portland cement, lime, sand, and water.
Tip: Synthetic stucco, made from acrylic, is now typically used in place of cement-based stucco. If you use synthetic stucco, you have to use a thin fiberglass mesh. Stick with the natural cement stucco instead.
Although stucco can be painted, an integral color can be mixed into the finish coat, making painting unnecessary. Don’t be afraid to select bright colors. Stucco is available in much more than tan, with a wide palette of fun colors. ....read more
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