5 Disadvantages Of Vinyl Siding You'll Wish You Knew Sooner

If you're looking to redo your home's siding, you'll need to make a host of decisions about material, color, or design. It's quite the investment, so it's best to look at all angles when choosing the material, since there are so many different types of house siding to consider. One siding option, though, has become particularly popular with homeowners for its affordability and clean aesthetic. Vinyl is a modern, attractive choice that boasts several benefits. 

Vinyl's proponents love how it can give you the look and aesthetic of certain other sidings — like wood — but without the maintenance, and most importantly without the hefty price tag. What began as the newfangled material-of-tomorrow in the 1950s has improved exponentially in its durability, making it a serious contender. But as with any home improvement decision, there are both pros and cons to consider. And, like other kinds of siding, vinyl has disadvantages home owners need to understand.

While the quality and strength of vinyl siding has improved tremendously, it is still less durable than traditional sidings such as stucco or brick veneer. Vinyl is particularly susceptible to dents, for example, and something as simple as a power wash or a moderate hailstorm can bend it easily. Its malleability makes it less than ideal in areas that may experience harsher weather. 

To add an extra layer of inconvenience, vinyl can also be finicky to replace, especially piece by piece. Even though vinyl is considered somewhat low maintenance compared to alternate materials, replacing a single vinyl plank is sometimes an arduous task. Vinyl siding is installed in an interlocking, overlapping pattern that makes extracting just the one dented sheet tricky. You may find tearing out the entire wall of vinyl is what you'll need to do just to patch one bent area, which increases the cost. So if you're in an area susceptible to projectiles — near a baseball park or in a hail-prone town, for example — vinyl may be more of a hassle in the long run.

This is another weather-related factor to consider in choosing vinyl siding. Over time, sun exposure will discolor and bleach vinyl, an irreversible process that can be quite the annoyance. The only fix is to either replace the faded section — which, as we've mentioned, could be a big pain since replacing one plank at a time is complicated — or you can try painting the vinyl with special vinyl paint. For the latter, it is essential you choose the right type of paint for your vinyl siding as incorrect material or application can actually cause even more damage, such as warping. Peeling paint is the next concern, since vinyl paint can peel away from its surface over time.

Thus, if you're located in an area that gets a lot of sun, the additional maintenance needed to keep up with discolored vinyl – especially on the part of your home that faces South – may not be right for you. However, if you really want to give vinyl a go and do live in a sunny spot,  try applying a UV-coated sun protectant. This will help mitigate heat absorption and can help prevent sun-bleaching.  

Moisture issues, including mold, are among the biggest concerns when it comes vinyl siding on a house. Ventilation and good installation are key for preventing moisture from getting behind the vinyl planks, but if rain or other water ever does get where it's not supposed to be, moisture damage can compromise your home's structural safety. Errant moisture can lead to rot, mold, and mildew inside the walls, and mold can form on their exteriors, too — most often on north-facing walls, due to lack of sunlight and dirt accumulation as well as excessive moisture.

While it's possible to banish mildew on your vinyl siding with cleaning materials you already own, it can be a recurring issue. At best, mold accumulation will give the house an unwanted grunge factor, while at worst, mold inside the planks can cause structural damage. If this kind of upkeep is a concern for you, it may be better to choose a material like dense wood siding.

Though vinyl siding design has come a long way since the '50s, it can still be limiting in design choices. If you have a hyper-specific color or aesthetic in mind, it may be tough to achieve that look with the limited color options vinyl offers. Customization is not as readily available as with alternate choices, and you may find that the look vinyl gives your home is a bit too "standard" for your tastes. You'll see many neutral options, but anyone hoping for something bolder or more unusual will have to look elsewhere, or need to investigate vinyl paint, which, as we've discussed, may prove more of a hassle than it's worth.

All in all, if your design method thrives on a multitude of choice — or the ability to change your exterior's color frequently — vinyl siding may end up cramping your style. However, if you love the look of a clean, standard neutral to serve as the canvas against which you design other decor elements, such as landscaping, this may be less a deterrent than a design benefit. And vinyl manufacturing is increasingly stepping up its design game, so it may not be long before you can choose from a much bigger selection of colors and textures.

Being eco-friendly is often a priority when it comes to design or homebuilding, and vinyl siding is not as sustainable as you may hope if you're trying to be Earth-friendly. Vinyl is made up of a polyvinyl chloride resin – that is, plastic — and theoretically, it can be reused in other plastic forms after the siding's lifespan is over. And of course, vinyl siding made from such recycled materials is an option that boosts vinyl's sustainability. Overall, though, using vinyl siding is not generally considered a green practice due to its composition and manufacturing.

Some homeowners also may have difficulty finding a recycling center that will accept old vinyl siding for reuse. And plastic is not a material that degrades well, since its oil composition can contaminate its surroundings. There is a kind of vinyl, though, that may help offset vinyl's non-sustainable production. Insulated PVC vinyl siding helps regulate heat inside the home, which helps homeowners decrease their energy usage in the long run. This is an option to consider if you're committed to vinyl siding, but still want to be a bit more sustainable.