Even though vinyl siding has out sold every other form of exterior siding in the US material for years, it still has a negative image in many areas of the country.  In my opinion this is due to three main factors, 1. bad installation.  2. inferior product lines  3. false claims’. 4 not properly maintained. These four elements have combined to take a  product that when properly installed, can offer a homeowner the most energy efficient, low maintenance, and "Green" exterior available and scared them away.

The Vinyl industry must take the brunt of the responsibility for this situation.  Manufactures of vinyl siding have traditionally never taken an active roll into monitoring the installation of the product. They will basically sell to anybody.  No training is required, no proof of experience is required, no proof of financial stability is required; if you can pay they will sell it to you. Sometimes no proof of a contractor's license is even required.  As with any home improvement product proper installation of the product is essential.  The properties that make vinyl siding such a good choice also make it very different that the other options. Just because you have installed wood, brick or stucco does not make you an expert in vinyl. Proper installation of vinyl siding requires training and experience,which is expensive, thus the contractors that invest in this training must sell at a higher price.  When homeowners make the price of the improvement  the main factor in purchasing the product and manufacturers sell to contractors with no training or financial stability, poor installations are inevitable.  Once a bad installation has been completed, it stands as a billboard for the product for years and years and will give thousands of potential homeowners a negative impression while a proper installation will mostly go unnoticed.  

Due to price pressures and lack of long term thinking on the manufactures, contractors and property owners, the manufactures have made inferior lines of vinyl siding along side the great lines of vinyl siding in order to cut costs and capture market share.  With vinyl siding, the quality of the product's ingredients which contribute to its ability hold up from year to year at effect cost, can not be seen in the finished product.  All vinyl sidings basicly look the same except for shape. What that means is to the average person, all vinyl sidings are the same so if they see an installation of inferior vinyl, all vinyl is bad.  

The nextl factor is false information.  Vinyl siding has been attacked by so called environmentalist with false claims for years and the vinyl industry has remained silent.  They have done so due to the large market share they have had. Unfortunately, if lies are repeated often enough, it has a tendency to be perceived as the truth.  The funny thing is, vinyl siding is a great choice for the environment.  First of all, vinyl siding is almost always sold with insulation.  It makes the property much more energy efficient.  It is 100% recyclable at the end of its life.  It is a by product of natural gas and salt. It never needs to be re-painted thus reducing toxic chemicals from being introduced into the environment    Under the US Green Building Council and its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, insulated vinyl siding can earn more points than any other exterior covering.  Thus it is the "Greenest" option.

Vinyl siding is a low maintenance option but it is not a NO maintenance.  Unfortunately since vinyl siding requires such little maintenance most homeowners do absolutely nothing.  All we ask is our customers periodically hose it down and if any of the siding becomes damaged, give us a call so that we can repair it free of charge.  If these simple steps are followed, vinyl siding will continue to look as great as when it was first installed. The siding comes with a great warranty that covers almost anything.  But the siding can not make the call to report an issue, 

At Vinyl Designs, we firmly believe that properly installed top of the line insulated vinyl sidings are the best option for any homeowner that wants a freshly painted lap or shake siding look without the constant maintenance.  They want their home to be as energy efficient as possible while using as green a product as they can afford.  In order to accomplish this goal, Vinyl Designs has had every one of its installers trained by VSI (Vinyl Siding Institute).  VSI has the only nationally recognized installation training program. We have also had each and every installer qualified as Master Contractors under the CertainTeed training program.  We will only us the highest line of Vinyl siding offered by the manufacturer.  This is why we partnered with Associated Materials and their Preservation program.  I feel so strongly about our products that I have had these products installed on my home.

If homeowners would take some time to check out the new insulated siding options we are confident there old impressions will be shattered.

Stephen Kuhlke

President

Vinyl Designs Inc.