Properly maintaining your siding is one of the best ways to keep your home protected over the years. Siding helps to displace serious damage caused by the weather and keeps your home looking its best. While siding isn’t the most exciting home maintenance project, it’s one of the most important. When your siding begins to deteriorate or show signs of damage, it can create a whole mess of expensive complications and repairs. That’s why homeowners across the country should know the top 10 causes of siding problems and how to avoid them.
1. Moisture or Water Damage
Your siding is meant to keep water out from your home and reduce moisture damage to the interior frame. When your siding is damaged, water can begin to accumulate, which results in serious problems when left untreated. Regardless of what part of your home is affected, moisture is one of the biggest concerns regarding your home’s outer layer of protection. If you notice any signs of moisture, contact a professional as soon as possible. When moisture is left unaddressed, the damage will inevitably extend into your home’s walls, ceiling, and frame. This can lead to leaks within your home and extensive work on the frame and siding. To avoid moisture or water damage, properly maintain your siding and get professional inspections when needed.
2. Termites and Pests
Wood siding is particularly susceptible to problems caused by termites and other pests such as carpenter ants, carpenter bees, and even certain species of beetles. Unfortunately, a lot of damage caused by pests isn’t visible to the trained eye. To avoid ongoing problems, keep an eye out for any signs of wood rot or even damage caused by woodpeckers. Woodpeckers are drawn to insect activity and will try getting through your siding to find their next meal. You can avoid ongoing pest problems by treating your wood siding with insecticides. If you no longer want to deal with pests, consider getting a different type of siding installed during your next upgrade.
3. Roof Problems
Your roof and your siding work together to keep your home protected, so the two systems are interconnected in some degree. In general, the overall quality and shape of your roof will have an impact on the stability of your siding. If your roof begins to show signs of damage or deterioration, addressing the issues will help you keep your siding in good shape. Make sure that you schedule yearly roof inspections to catch any problems before they progress. If you need a roof replacement, try to schedule it for sooner rather than later to avoid spreading the problem.
4. Extreme Weather
Another major cause of siding problems is extreme weather. While your siding is built to protect your home from bouts of rain, hail, snow, sleet, wind, and ice, over the years the damage can add up. When not properly maintained and addressed, damages from extreme weather can result in homeowners needing to replace the entire area. This is especially true if water gets into cracks and freezes. Over time, this thaw-freeze cycle can lead to significant damage. To avoid further problems from weather, always do a full inspection of your home—including the siding and roof. Walk around and check for any signs of damage, big or small. If you’re not quite sure what to look for, call the professionals at First Star Exteriors for help.
5. Bad Installation
The quality of a siding installation will depend on the experience and qualifications of the siding professionals. Unfortunately, some homeowners try to save a few dollars and use a cheap company without checking references or licensing. This can result in bad siding installation, which can lead to an array of problems down the line. To avoid this, make sure that you thoroughly research your siding professionals and ask to see their certifications and licensing. Look through their reviews on popular sites like Yelp or Kelly Blue Book. You’ll need to hire a new siding professional to fix the bad installation. This may result in needing to do a complete reinstallation, but it’s worth it as doing so will save you money on problems in the future. Regardless of the time of the year, good siding installation will help protect your home for years.
6. Fading or Peeling Paint
If siding is not properly cleaned and maintained, the paint can begin to fade and peel faster. However, fading and peeling paint is also a result of old and aging siding. This can decrease your home’s curb appeal and property value, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that you need brand-new siding. If your siding is in good condition, you can revamp your home and improve the aesthetics with an exterior paint job. This can help extend the life of your siding while simultaneously making it look brand-new. While you might not think that a new paint job is worth the investment, it is. The new coat of paint can help protect your siding and therefore, extend the time between needing to completely replace it. Make sure that you properly clean your siding periodically and call the professionals if you’re ready to get a fresh coat of pain.
7. Noisy Siding
Some people begin to notice that their siding is loud enough to be heard while they’re inside. This is not supposed to happen. You shouldn’t ever “hear” your siding, regardless of the weather outside. Noisy siding can occur due to a bad installation or damage to your siding. The noise most often occurs when it’s particularly windy outside or when the temperatures fluctuate. If your siding beings making any strange noises, contact a professional for an inspection.
8. Cracks and Damage
Regardless from how they occurred, cracks and damage on your siding is a problem. This often happens from bad or extreme weather, but cracks can also occur from sports balls, rocks, nearby landscaping, or accidents around the home. While installing the proper siding using high-quality materials results in a durable end-product, the materials can still be vulnerable. Once a crack occurs, it’s important to fix it as soon as possible to avoid further damages. There are options to use siding patch kits or call a professional to get a comprehensive inspection and address all of the damage—whether visible or not.
9. Buckling and Warping
Buckling and warping should not occur on your siding. If you notice this problem, it could be a result of a poor installation or water damage. Unfortunately, whatever is causing your siding to buckle or warp needs to be addressed to avoid more expensive, larger scale repairs. Siding should be installed so that it has enough room to expand and contract with the changing temperatures. When it doesn’t, it can lead to buckling or warping as well as increased noise heard inside of your home. You can prevent having to deal with these problems by hiring a reputable siding company like First Star Exteriors. Our professionals are well versed in signs of bad siding installations and will work with you to find a solution that fits your needs.
10. Poor Maintenance
Finally, poor maintenance will lead to all of the above siding problems and more. While you don’t have to go out and care for your siding every week, you should include ongoing care and siding maintenance throughout the year. This keeps your siding in the best condition possible and gives you an opportunity to notice small damages before they spread.
To avoid siding problems from the start, make sure that you work with a professional siding contractor that has the proper certification, licensing, and experience. Don’t be afraid to ask for references and look into their website for project pictures. First Star Exteriors is a professional siding company that works with some of the best brands in the industry. Our diverse options allow for unique customization and style, regardless of your home’s current aesthetics. We install a variety of types of siding to fit all of your needs and use materials from James Hardie, NapCo, Mastic, and LP. Our siding contractors are also experienced in installing shake, lap, Board and Batten, and any traditional siding style that you may like.
If you notice any siding problems on your home, don’t hesitate to call us at First Star Exteriors. We work using a personalized approach to make sure that your siding needs are taken care of. Regardless of if you need to get small, localized repairs or completely new siding, First Star Exteriors is here to help. To learn more about our siding options or to get a quote within 48 hours, contact us at (479) 267-4800 or fill out our contact form here.
