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Siding plays an important role in every home’s exterior. The siding you choose for your home will not only help dictate its style and the way that it looks, but it will also help to protect your home from the elements where you live. This can be as simple as improving your energy efficiency, or it can be as complex as keeping out the rain and snow.

Wood siding can lead to problems like blistering paint that mean your home can begin to look rundown or uncared for in a very short period of time. The excessive heat can also dry the wood, leading to shrinkage of the boards. On those rare occasions when it rains heavily, the dry wood can now soak up more water than average, leading to swelling, warping, and wood rot.

Vinyl siding is made from a type of plastic, prolonged exposure to UV light and the sun’s heat can actually cause the material to begin to melt. Over time, this results in warped, twisted siding or siding that has a bubbled or rounded appearance. This means that the siding will need to be replaced within a few years of being installed, increasing not only maintenance but costs as well.

Other sidings may also be impacted by the heat. Metal siding such as aluminum or steel can become super heated to the touch. The finish on this type of siding can also bake right off, turning chalky in color, and rubbing or wiping away easily.

None of these types of siding are also particularly good at insulating, which is an important component of any type of construction

If you like the look of traditional homes and sidings, but don’t want to deal with these issues, consider installing fiber cement siding on your home. Fiber cement isn’t impacted by the heat or dry air.

Fiber cement siding combines the durability of cement with the beauty and flexibility of wood. The boards don’t shrink and expand the way that wood does, they don’t become superheated like metal siding, and they won’t melt like plastic vinyls. The finish also doesn’t bubble, peel, or flake, so there’s less need for scraping or repainting, and therefore lower maintenance and associated costs over the lifetime of the siding.

Fiber cement siding installs easily over insulation, helping to keep your home cool and more energy efficient during the hottest days of the year as well. And because the material is more environmentally friendly than wood or vinyl, you can feel good about your choice of siding and its impact on the area you live in.

Best of all, no matter what style of home you have, there is a fiber cement siding product that will match its style. From cedar-look shingles to architectural panels, it’s possible to recreate nearly any look or style, while still getting the same benefits the material offers in horizontal lap siding.