# vinyl siding



## KeithBall (Aug 19, 2011)

What is the best thickness for vinyl siding?


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## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

The thicker the better. I use nothing less than a .046


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## dpach (May 12, 2009)

.046 is good. The thicker the better, against wind, hail, etc. I've heard the thinner stuff can "hum" on windy days as it vibrates. We put .046 on our house and we've had 100 km/hr winds and no issues (no movement, damage or "humming"). We also used a Cedar shake style on the front to help with some definition for the house, so don't be afraid to check out different styles.

Also check the way the panels hook together; some designs are better than others for wind resistance.

You can get siding with insulation attached to the back if you want real ridgid siding, and and an R-value, but it is not cheap. 

Here's a before and after of our house (the windows have also been updated to triple pane low E, argon, etc since the pics).

Good luck.


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## msaecdaily (Mar 1, 2012)

*Vinyl Sidng*

For some more information about vinyl siding check out this free online course through AEC Daily. The link to the course is below.

http://www.aecdaily.com/course.php?node_id=1425816&tabidx=viewcoursedetails&company=Ply+Gem


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## HomeSealed (Jan 3, 2008)

The available thicknesses are .040, .042., .044, and .046. I will install no less than .044, but .46 is definitely preferred. Many contractors will start out at .042, but I just can't do it. .040 is for hacks only. You may as well donate your money to a charity.


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## framer52 (Jul 17, 2009)

I have used the cheapest 20 years ago, and it still looks like the day it was installed.

Thickness has little to do with how long it will last. What is critical is that it is installed correctly.

Shoot, I even installed the old wolverine that was grey on the back with the color on the front. That I sold as a "green" alternative years ago, to my cheapest customers. If the pictures weren't in film version I would share them with you.....


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## HomeSealed (Jan 3, 2008)

framer52 said:


> I have used the cheapest 20 years ago, and it still looks like the day it was installed.
> 
> Thickness has little to do with how long it will last. What is critical is that it is installed correctly.
> 
> Shoot, I even installed the old wolverine that was grey on the back with the color on the front. That I sold as a "green" alternative years ago, to my cheapest customers. If the pictures weren't in film version I would share them with you.....


Your right, it will last, it will just be wavy and buckling all over the place. :laughing: The thickness is a major factor as to how the siding will look upon completion and years down the road. If you have 20 yr old .040 siding that still looks good then that is called luck. The thicker, the better. That is just common sense.


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## cleveman (Dec 17, 2011)

It depends on the construction of the siding as well, or a plastic cup for that matter.

If you have a plastic cup with no indentations on the bottom, no ridges along the sides, and no lip at the rim, it will bend all over.

Ridges and bends make for strength and rigidity.

Therefore, go with a triple 9 or triple 8, definitely not a double 10 or double 9.


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## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

cleveman said:


> Therefore, go with a triple 9 or triple 8, definitely not a double 10 or double 9.


Can't say I've ever seen those flavors before.


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## HomeSealed (Jan 3, 2008)

cleveman said:


> It depends on the construction of the siding as well, or a plastic cup for that matter.
> 
> If you have a plastic cup with no indentations on the bottom, no ridges along the sides, and no lip at the rim, it will bend all over.
> 
> ...


Huh?!


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## 4just1don (Jun 13, 2008)

daughter had .050 with the seamless(very long panels) professionally installed on her 3-400,000 house. Looks great old siding was sorry rotted out 4 x 8 stucco looking stuff with battens.

New siding is very straight

What also looks great is the real wide large j-trim they used

I want to buy .050 to install on my house but cant find any. How can commercial companies have it but d-i-y er cant get it??


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## cleveman (Dec 17, 2011)

You guys have never seen a piece of siding 9" wide or 8" wide made to look like three pieces of clapboard? Or a 10" or 9" made to look like two pieces?


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## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

cleveman said:


> You guys have never seen a piece of siding 9" wide or 8" wide made to look like three pieces of clapboard? Or a 10" or 9" made to look like two pieces?


Sure but that would be a triple 3 or a double 5 or 4.5.

Cant say I've ever seen a triple 2.7 though.


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## framer52 (Jul 17, 2009)

HomeSealed said:


> Your right, it will last, it will just be wavy and buckling all over the place. :laughing: The thickness is a major factor as to how the siding will look upon completion and years down the road. If you have 20 yr old .040 siding that still looks good then that is called luck. The thicker, the better. That is just common sense.



Sorry but that is just incorrect.

If you have a flat surface to begin with a .40 will look the same as the thicker.

You have been brainwashed. it is all in the installation, not the thickness. Remember the difference between a .40 and .44 is only 10%.:yes:


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## Arky217 (Aug 18, 2010)

framer52 said:


> Sorry but that is just incorrect.
> 
> If you have a flat surface to begin with a .40 will look the same as the thicker.
> 
> You have been brainwashed. it is all in the installation, not the thickness. Remember the difference between a .40 and .44 is only 10%.:yes:


I agree completely.

I sided my garage 10 years ago with the box store .40 and it looks the same as the day I put it on.

I think there are a lot of diy's who buy the .40 siding and nail it tight.

This has probably contributed to the thinking that you can't do a decent job with .40 siding.

That said, however, the thicker, more expensive siding is probably better formulated to resist physical and uv damage.

I just finished putting .46 siding on my retirement house and it certainly appeared to be stiffer and of a higher quality than the .40. (It was a closeout and I got it at a good price, else I might have gone with a lesser siding)

However, as I said, the 10 year old .40 siding on my garage looks as good as the day I installed it.

You can't just nail or screw vinyl without allowing for expansion and expect it to remain looking good.

I have seen a number of cases where the siding was buckled and coming loose and discovered that it was put on with a staple gun.

That kind of installation may be more common than realized, especially with uninformed diy's who probably typically get the .40 from the box stores.

Arky


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## HomeSealed (Jan 3, 2008)

Installation is very important no doubt, but facts are facts. Is a vinyl window with a thinner wall going to perform or last as long as one with a thicker wall? No. You can use the same logic for other materials and products as well. Thicker will be stronger in most cases. I am not saying that every .040 siding job will look terrible or fail, but it is far more likely to do so than a thicker product given the same design and installation quality. That is just pure common sense. You may as well argue that the sky is not blue if you want to argue against that. 
.040 is the entry level, bargain basement vinyl siding product. Name any product or industry where the *cheapest* thing that you can buy is "just as good" as the best.:no:
I'm sure that I could sell a lot more siding jobs if I just told people that the cheapest stuff out there is "good enough", but I could not sleep at night if I did.


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## Tom Struble (Dec 29, 2008)

an old rule of thumb is the cheaper the material the better the installer needs to be:wink:


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## firehawkmph (Dec 12, 2009)

I started out hanging aluminum siding (remember that stuff?) back in the seventies, before vinyl was sold. Then when vinyl came out, there was a learning curve, and the product improved over the years. There is such a thing as too thick. Alside used to make a panel back then called 'Endura'. It was an .072 panel, yes .072". It was so thick that even installed properly, the seams looked terrible, they actually cast a shadowline. And if you looked down a long wall where you had 3-4 full panels in a row, they all looked tilted, due to the thickness of the panel cocking itself at the overlaps. They discontinued it after a short time. Suffice to say, most of your premium panels are in the mid 40's. Some manufactures have added stiffeners to the panels that really do make a difference. Alside's 'Charter Oak' series is one of the nicest panels I have hung. It stays straight, locks up very snug, and looks great on the house. 
Mike Hawkins


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