Siding, What A Front

byAlma Abell

Siding is an attachment to the outer walls of a home or building, designed to protect it from various and all weather conditions. Many homes have siding as one of the more aesthetic features as well as for practical reasons, but it is one of the main types of cladding used in American homes. Siding can be made from a variety of materials including wood, vinyl and aluminum. Otherwise known as shingles in some places, siding plays a vital role in the outer protection of a home and is kept solid by using overlapping and interlocking joints, like rabbet or tongue and groove. This is important because most building materials, especially wood, will contract and expand with different weather temperatures and the joints give expansion room.

Methods and Options

Wood siding is made from shaped and treated wood which is affixed to the outside of the home in either a horizontal or vertical fashion, using overlapping or tongue and groove. Other options include wood shingles which are cut smaller and laying a brickwork fashion with overlapping work to follow the style of architecture of the Queen Anne period.

Bevel siding is another choice that some people make for the shingle on their homes. This style is better known as the ‘clapboard’ style with horizontal bards laid slightly on top of one another to overlap just barely. Siding contractors in Columbus OH will very likely use Eastern White Pine wood as one of the main materials when completing siding work on a home. Other options for wood choices are cedar and redwood, depending on availability and cost. Those woods are generally preferable because they show distinct rot-resistant traits and are less prone to typical diseases that affect wood.

If you observe some of the homes in the New England region of the North Eastern United States you are very likely to spot decorative shingles and you may see them in older cities around the country as well. Storage facilities will use metal siding as a form of outer decorative protection to finish the sides of a buildings, as well as garages, motor vehicle facilities or mechanics workshops. In these cases wood is not the most ideal of materials but metal will keep good for many years.

To find reliable siding contractors in Columbus OH contact Newlook Sidings for an idea of their services and prices. Click here to know more.