Source: Jason Gluckman

Siding is a covering installed on the exterior of your home or any other building. Since the first thing to be seen by people is the exterior, it is a good option to invest in pleasing and protective siding. Siding is placed on the top of your home's existing exterior. Thus, if you are aspiring a new look for your home, you do not need to rebuilt the exteriors, but instead just put up a new siding!

Plenty of siding materials, designs and colors are available to give a fresh look to your home. Wood is the traditional siding material, and gives a warm feeling. It is offered in a variety of patterns and thicknesses, and is nailed onto the exteriors or made to interlock. With regular maintenance, wooden siding can last many years. But wood easily gets rotten and pest-infested, and is prone to fire. Siding is also done using metals like aluminum and steel, although they are made to look like wood. They are more durable as well as expensive. They can be painted in any color but are not good during thunderstorms since they conduct electricity. Stucco siding, made of sand, lime, water, and Portland cement, is suitable for warmer climates. It resists fire, does not crack much with temperature changes and can last for about 50 years. Then there is the revolutionary fiber cement siding. It has the appearance of wood or stucco. It is durable, natural-looking, fireproof, termite-proof, and can last for fifty years. It is quite affordable also. Nowadays, vinyl is being used by a lot of homeowners for siding. It comes in a variety of different patterns and colors. It also requires very little maintenance and can last for 40 years or more. It provides excellent insulation and does not need to be painted. It is not prone to termites and weather variations. No wonder about 90% of siding is being done in vinyl!

Before you go to buy siding, calculate how many square feet you will need. Select the type of siding based on its durability, visual impact, cost, and ease of maintenance and repair. It is a good idea to check how the exteriors will look before placing the order. Get prices from a few suppliers and assess their quality. Siding is measured and sold in "squares," which stands for 100 square feet. Siding prices range from $60 to $200 per square. It should also be taken into consideration if previous siding needs to be removed before installing new siding. You can get the siding of your choice at your local building materials shop or from the Internet.