Homeowners spend a lot of time, money, and energy on ensuring that their home exterior looks great and performs well. That includes making sure that whatever siding they choose is going to meet these criteria.
There are a lot of choices on the market today for siding, all with positive and potentially negative attributes. Some materials, however, may not be as well understood as they could be.
Myths Related to Problems with Steel Siding
Steel siding, for example, has many myths surrounding it that could be keeping homeowners from seeing the benefits. Steel siding is versatile, low maintenance, and durable – all things that homeowners are looking for in a siding product. Learn the truth behind some of the myths associated with steel siding to better understand how it may benefit your home.
1. Steel Siding Is Loud
Old metal buildings were not pleasant places to be. They weren’t insulated and anything bouncing off the metal made a lot of noise. Hailstones, wind, even rain could echo indoors if it bounced off the siding.
But today’s steel siding is different. Properly insulated and installed, it’s not any louder than other materials on the market today. Being inside a home sided in steel is no different than being in one-sided with wood or vinyl unless you consider the fact that an insulated steel-sided home is going to be comfortable as well as quiet.
2. It Will Dent and Warp
A lot of people confuse steel siding with aluminum; a softer, lighter-weight metal siding. Aluminum has a nasty habit of denting and warping easily whenever something bangs into it, or it’s exposed to excessive heat. Steel siding is much more durable than aluminum. A stray baseball isn’t going to harm steel siding the way that it would aluminum or even vinyl which can crack from impact. A home clad in steel siding is going to be protected from wind, rain, hail, and storms that can throw tree limbs and other projectiles at the house.
3. It’s Plain and Boring
Older types of metal siding were pretty flat and metallic looking. They came in one size, one shape, and one, flat finish. They had little to no options for trim, and even from the curb, it was clear that it was not wood siding. Anyone looking for a siding that would let them create different styles for their home or one that could complement different architectural styles needed to look far and wide.
Steel siding has come a long way, however, and now comes in a very wide variety of shapes and styles. Steel siding can still be found in traditional lap siding, but now with a better texture and appearance. In addition, it can also be found in a board-and-batten style and it can even be found in log-look siding styles that can give your home the appearance of a real log cabin. Today’s steel siding is anything but plain or boring.
4. It’s High Maintenance
Older metal buildings and aluminum sidings were a lot higher in maintenance than they were billed to be. They could rust and any color applied tended to fade and become chalky after just a few years, which meant they needed to be painted again and again.
Today’s steel siding is meant to be much lower maintenance. It comes in a variety of colors and finishes, including beautiful naturally looking wood stains. And that color lasts for years without peeling, chipping, or fading. And with the color-protecting the metal underneath, you don’t need to worry about rust either. For a complete overview of the material, see our metal siding guide.
5. Insulation Problems
Metal all by itself is a very poor insulator, which means that if you simply took plain metal siding and put it on your home, it wouldn’t do a very good job of creating a thermal break. But no siding on the market is a good insulator all by itself. Vinyl, fiber cement, and even wood don’t do a good job of insulating on their own.
However, steel siding paired with a good insulation makes an excellent material for cladding your home. Log look steel siding is even better at this, because it’s shaped in a way that lets the insulation fill in the cavity, providing even more protection for your home from the cold.
6. It Will Interfere with Your Cell Phone and Wifi
This is a very common myth surrounding metal buildings and metal sidings, and it has no truth behind it at all. Steel siding does not interfere in any way with television, radio, cell phones or wifi. The same coverage and connectivity you currently experience is what you will experience if your home were to be clad in steel.
7. It Will Move with Changing Temperatures
Most materials on the market today will expand and contract with changing temperatures. This is normal, and your home is designed to absorb this, usually through the inclusion of expansion joints. So yes, while your steel siding will expand with heat and contract with cold, this will in no way interfere with how your home is looking or performing. And this expansion and contraction won’t hurt the steel, unlike with vinyl or wood which can both warp over time.
Get to Know Steel Siding
Steel siding is attractive, durable, and low maintenance. It’s also long-lasting and comes in a wide range of styles. If you’ve been considering re-siding your home, make sure you give steel siding a closer look; it’s likely a better option than you may have been led to believe.
