The exterior of the house is just as important as the interior. This is why a lot of thought is put into selecting the right siding material for the house. The right choice can improve the curb appeal of your house and also protect it from moisture and other elements. Siding companies can help you choose the best siding. That said, here is a comparison between stucco and vinyl siding.
Differences Between Vinyl Siding And Stucco Siding
The Material
Before diving deep into the properties of each siding material, it’s important to know about these materials in general and how they look and are made.
Stucco Siding
Stucco is made from cement and a mixture of sand and other minerals including sand, silica, and other binding agents that give stucco its characteristic appearance and quality. The result is a material that is amazing in appearance, has a natural finish, and gives your house exterior a lot of character and durability.
Stucco is one of the most popular choices of siding out there and for a good reason. It seems like the best of both worlds where you get durability and beauty all in one material.
Vinyl Siding
Vinyl is also a very popular material used in exterior sidings. It is made out of polyvinyl chloride or PVC. Vinyl siding is extremely common in a lot of houses and one of the biggest reasons why that’s the case is that they’re easy to manage, maintain, and install.
There is also a variety of colors in vinyl siding, so there’s something for everyone, even if you’re super picky and specific about your siding preferences, making vinyl a seemingly perfect material.
Durability
Since the siding is an exterior part of your house, durability and longevity is a huge concern for a lot of people. You want your siding to be long lasting and the material you choose plays a huge role in this factor as well.
Stucco Siding
Stucco is a highly durable material. It’s made out of cement, so it’s going to be strong and long-lasting. But that doesn’t mean that it won’t get damaged by weather or moisture in the long run. Even stucco can get fungus and mold in the interior side of the foundation and that can slowly and steadily ruin the entire siding within a matter of a few months.
This is why you must keep an eye on it during the installation so that there is no way for water or moisture to seep in.
Vinyl Siding
Vinyl is also durable based on the fact that it’s made out of indestructible plastic. Plastic is truly an amazing material if you want to forget about issues of fungus and mildew formation because plastic is not going to entertain any of these things. It’s virtually free from natural degenerative elements, but its lifespan is still lower than stucco.
Cost
The cost and overall price including the installation charges are also important to consider when choosing a siding material. You don’t want to overspend on a siding material, but you also won’t desire to pick a material that’s the rock bottom in price as well as quality. So, it’s crucial to think about these things before making a final decision.
Stucco Siding
Stucco can cost anywhere between $6 to $10 per square foot.
Vinyl Siding
On the other hand, vinyl siding can vary in cost, but it’s not nearly as expensive as stucco. $2 to 5$ is the maximum price range for vinyl sidings.
Overall Look Of The House
The exterior of your house doesn’t only need to be durable. It also needs to have a beautiful and stark appearance.
Stucco Siding
Stucco has a very rustic, rocky appearance that is to die for. A lot of people tend to go for stucco mainly because of its appearance and it gives this material extra brownie points because, like hardwood, there’s just something so classic and beautiful about a stucco siding that you’re tempted to get this material installed as your house siding.
Vinyl Siding
Vinyl siding is the master of mimicry. It can mimic the style and appearance of almost all types of siding materials out there. There is a huge variety available in vinyl exterior siding and while it does look great on its own, a lot of people can opt for vinyl siding because of its quality of impersonating other materials.
It can be made to look like wooden siding, tiles, rocks, cement, and even stucco and that’s a great versatility trait of vinyl siding because you can get the same effect and look of any material, without having to spend too much money on it.
Better Insulation
One of the many purposes of an exterior siding is to ensure that there is no sound and heat penetration through the walls. In some areas of the house, there can be spots where too much heat accumulation can lead to a warmer house and that’s not comfortable at all.
Stucco Siding
Stucco has a great resistance against heat, but that is achieved by applying 3 coats of the material and that’s a time-consuming process. It has an R-value of 0.65 with 3 coats. That sounds enough, but many materials can surpass this value.
Vinyl Siding
Vinyl, for instance, has an R-value of 1.7, especially if it’s coupled with foam backing. It’s going to protect your house from heat accumulation and buildup and it’s a great insulator of sound as well because foam can absorb just about any and every sound coming from the outside.
All of this is achieved by a single layer of vinyl with a backing of foam. So, it’s less tedious and reasonable in price to get vinyl siding as it’s going to tick all of the boxes.
Installation & Maintenance
Installation and general maintenance of both vinyl and stucco are vital to consider. A lot of the time, a material can have exceptional qualities and durability, but the pain in the neck will come in the form of either its installation or the maintenance and that’s where people can get a taste of how the material performs.
Stucco Siding
Stucco is hard to install. The mixture of cement and sand is sprayed on the walls and you need an experienced contractor to get this job done. It also takes a lot more time to get stucco siding installed as compared to vinyl.
Vinyl Siding
Vinyl is a pretty easy material to install. There isn’t a lot of rocket science that goes into installing vinyl panels on the walls as siding and it takes half or even less time than stucco to get installed and ready for use.
As for maintenance, both stucco and vinyl are considered to be low maintenance. Although vinyl siding can last up to 60 years, stucco siding is a permanent siding that’s going to be there for the rest of time and it’s a great choice since there’s no maintenance involved.
Conclusion
There are many types of siding materials to choose from and this comparison between two of the most popular ones will make the choice easier for you. Once you reach a decision or if you want a second opinion, consult siding contractors Long Island.
