Homeowners often don’t quite know when’s the best time for replacing vinyl siding. Luckily, our experts at Paramount Siding and Windows in Denver are happy to help out with all of your home maintenance questions. When it comes to home siding, and especially vinyl siding, the time of year you choose to carry out the installation can make a big difference in results.
In our experience, re-siding a home during extreme temperatures can lead to problems once the season changes. So, when’s the best time for replacing vinyl siding? We’ve found that fall can be a good time, and it’s the season recommended by other siding experts for a number of different reasons. Let’s take a look.
Winter Difficulties
Installing vinyl siding during a freeze, or even in temperatures below 50°F can present a number of challenges to the installation crew. First, vinyl siding panels become much more brittle in cold temperatures. It is more likely for your siding to crack and break apart while being nailed to the outer walls during the winter than at other times of the year. A broken panel is not repairable, so you may end up having to reorder new panels, which delays the installation and requires you to pay for more materials than actually necessary.
Also, in freezing temperatures, the vinyl contracts, causing it to shrink in size. This can cause big problems when it comes to measuring joints and spacing each panel. As temperatures heat up again in the spring and summer, the panels will expand. If the panels are placed too close together, or too close to the casings of windows or doors, they may push against these casings. If the installation crew does not allow enough space to accommodate this expansion, you can end up with buckling panels, or casings that are eventually damaged from the pressure.
Summer Struggles
If asked, many people answer the question, when’s the best time for replacing vinyl siding, with summer. It makes sense since there are long, warm days that are ideal for home projects. However, re-siding your home during summer presents the opposite problem of winter. Heat causes the vinyl panels to expand and become more flexible. This makes them easy to install a and very unlikely to break, but it means that the future shrinkage in cold temperatures must be taken into account. If your installation crew doesn’t take sufficient precautions when nailing in vinyl siding panels, you can face problems with your siding in just one year.
Each vinyl panel will have a number of nailing slots along their length. When nailing the panels to the wall, the nails should be carefully driven into the center of this slot, stopping before the nail head touches the panel. This will allow for even contraction of the panel once temperatures drop. If panels are nailed in unevenly, too tight, or with the nails set at an angle, there may be a lot of pressure put on these joints in response to the thermal shrinkage.
Spring Showers
We all know that the purpose of siding is to protect your home from the elements. Once it is installed, your siding should form a strong barrier against heat, humidity, wind, rain, and snow. The short amount of time it takes to rip off old siding and install the new siding is a brief window of vulnerability for your home. In Colorado, spring can mean the arrival of sudden showers or even hailstorms. If a sudden downpour does occur while your siding is being installed, your crew will have to pause the work and do their best to cover the exposed areas quickly.
If moisture does reach the inner layers of your insulation or wall sheathing, it can encourage mold within the structure of your home. An infestation of mold or mildew can cause extensive damage to your home, health problems to the people living in the home, and be costly to fix. To avoid this risk, do not to schedule vinyl siding installation during the rainiest part of the year.
Fall Favored by Professionals
So, to answer the question – when’s the best time for replacing vinyl siding – many professional contractors know that temperatures and weather conditions in the fall make for a successful siding replacement with little complication.
In spite of the complications associated with spring and summer installations, most homeowners go with that time of year to get their new siding put on. This may be in response to a harsh winter in which they discovered their siding was not up to scratch, or just a general preference. Whatever the reason, this leads to certain advantages for homeowners who skip summer and spring and go with fall for their vinyl siding replacement.
With a slower schedule, siding contractors are usually more available to cater to your preferred dates during the fall. Taking advantage of the slow fall season can result in a great deal and the undivided attention of your siding contractor. At Paramount, we’ll keep an eye out on both the temperatures and potential for rain, carefully planning around any early appearances of winter weather. We’ll stick with perfect autumn days for proper installation of your siding.
Preparing for Winter
Having your home siding replaced during the fall means that your home will be primed and ready for winter. If you know that your siding needs replacement, it is better not to take a gamble and wait until during or after the winter. Old, weakened or loose siding may not be up to the challenge of protecting your home from chilly winds, or snow build-up and melt. Having new vinyl siding installed just before the winter weather hits means that you will have peace of mind during the harshest weather. Replacing your siding is also an excellent opportunity to improve your home’s insulation or to add a house wrap to prevent heat loss during the colder months.
You no longer need to wonder when’s the best time for replacing vinyl siding. Now that fall is here, and winter is rapidly approaching, don’t wait to get this vital home protection project completed. Contact Paramount Siding and Windows right away for professional help with your vinyl siding. We’ll give you the best price and provide an expert installation for absolute peace of mind.