The right siding can add a beautiful and functional finish to a home, and it’s a market that’s seen options of all kinds flourishing, especially in the last few years. It’s a great way to protect the structure and boost your home’s curb appeal. Homeowners have no shortage of choice when it comes to siding, but today’s focus is on why siding matters and how two popular brands — Celect and Everlast — shape up.
The importance of siding
Siding is a fine visual addition, but functionality is its biggest advantage. It provides a barrier between your home and elements of all kinds (yes, even sunshine can cause trouble for your exterior, such as cracking and color fading). Siding will also protect against dirt, debris, insects and excess moisture, the last of which can rot a home inside and out while compromising the health of everyone inside.
It’s vital to check how well-fitted your current siding is and to hire the best team when fitting it new. Any looseness will let water coagulate, trapping it and causing hazards like mold and mildew. This essentially makes siding a protective layer for your entire home, not just the walls. If issues do start in the walls, it doesn’t take long for them to spread to the roof or into the foundations.
Siding can also be a great long-term investment for homeowners when it comes to utility bills. It can deflect sunlight during hot spells, thus cutting down interior cooling bills. while insulating the home during cold ones, reducing the need to crank up that thermostat.
That last fact makes siding an eco-friendly option in one regard: It reduces energy consumption. It also never needs to be painted and has an extended life cycle — which provides further green gains environmentally and financially.
These multiple benefits are why siding is frequently one of the earliest additions to a home under construction: It helps protect the frame and is one of the strongest components in its long-term health.
Celect siding
Celect is a form of cellular composite PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) siding made by Royal Building Products that’s available in many different colors and styles. Cellular composite PVC is known for its ability to handle and look much like real wood, including being 100% recyclable. Celect provides all the functional performance a homeowner could want while making aesthetics a priority.
There are 15 base color options, and Celect’s handy online design tool allows homeowners to find the perfect color complement and even apply a virtual preview of it to a picture to their home. If you prefer a physical comparison over a digital one, Celect also provides free samples. The range is still expanding, with a new 5-inch clapboard option just announced in March of this year.
Royal Building Products stands by Celect, offering a limited lifetime and 25-year color protection warranty. Celect also boasts “superstar UV protection,” which will make sure the siding keeps its color very effectively over time, while the exterior beauty is further enhanced by extremely low visibility seaming and a high resistance to the worst extremes of the elements.
Everlast siding
Everlast is also cellular PVC siding, but it’s made from a triple-composite material that incorporates granular stone and polymeric resin to produce a siding with impressive durability. The third component is a fade-resistant and UV-stable acrylic layer that is chemically bonded to the substrate for superior resistance to color fading.
Everlast can provide an extremely authentic wood-like appearance, dubbed “CedarTouch,” by embossing the product with a texture from roughly sawn planks of real top-grade cedar. This process is available in a couple of horizontal clapboard reveal widths (the reveal is how much of the siding plank is visible): offering a standard 6-7/8” and a narrower 4-1/2″. It is also available in a vertical board & batten-style with an 11-inch reveal on a 12-inch plank.
Everlast siding comes in a wide range of colors with trims to match. It performs strongly against the elements and the manufacturer proudly states that there’s no need for painting, caulking and scraping, and they promise that cracking and chipping won’t be issues.
The product comes with a competitive warranty that can be passed onto the next homeowner should the current residents move on. It’s an extremely low-maintenance material that requires only the very occasional light wash, meaning it won’t become a headache for the next tenants to keep Everlast siding looking its best.
Pros and cons of Celect
When choosing Celect, homeowners gain several benefits. The interlocking joints connect to form a firm barrier against the elements, particularly exterior water. This means moisture won’t get trapped inside the siding layer to cause cosmetic, structural or health-threatening problems.
Next, there’s a big advantage in utility savings, where Celect is up to 70% more efficient than wood as an insulator. Celect is also safer, more durable and more sustainable than wood, which, when combined with a 25-year warranty, makes it an investment to consider. The color of Celect siding is designed to be highly fade-resistant, and it boasts nearly twice the R-value (an insulating material’s resistance to conductive heat flow) of wood and fiber cement.
The newness of Celect means that, for the time being at least, there are no long-term testimonies as to the quality of its performance. This fact may deter some homeowners who prefer siding with a proven historical track record.
Probably the biggest downside with Celect is finding a contractor with the skill to fit it! Since Celect is a relatively new addition to the world of siding, some contractors may be unwilling to fit it (or all too willing to take your money for an untrained job). This is not a problem when you work with Blue Nail, as we have already built significant experience with this next-generation siding product.
Blue Nail is experienced with Celect despite its novelty. We know the process, and that means we can give you an accurate quote on how much it will cost to fit. Don’t let unscrupulous or unskilled contractors overcharge you for a siding job they don’t understand.
Pros and cons of Everlast
As the name suggests, Everlast provides strong resistance to the elements and bold colors that will stand the test of time and don’t require painting. It mimics wood very convincingly, with none of the maintenance headaches or associated risks – swelling, rotting, combustion or becoming a meal for hungry insects are all things you avoid by choosing Everlast over wood.
Wood also presents the problem of expansion and contraction during hot/cold cycles. This contributes greatly to its deterioration, but that’s not a problem with Everlast. Everlast can be installed quickly and easily and is only half as heavy as fiber cement siding, while still providing a beautiful appearance with its 8-inch exposure.
One downside of Everlast is in its composition. Production incorporates petroleum and polymers which, like vinyl manufacturing processes, can be harmful to the environment. Another potential negative for Everlast is its higher price compared to other siding options like fiber cement.
This initial extra expense may put some homeowners off, but this should be weighed against long-term return on investment. Lower maintenance over time is an automatic money-saver, elemental resistance can cut utility bills, and Everlast’s ease of installation means lower costs on labor for that part of the process.
Siding of every kind has its pros and cons no matter the material and manufacturer. It’s up to each individual homeowner to weigh the facts and decide which siding aligns with their own unique requirements, and providing that insight and information is why Blue Nail is here.
Talk to Blue Nail’s siding experts
I hope today’s article has helped. You can also read my earlier blog to learn more on the multi-level value of new siding and repairing your existing siding if it’s wearing down. Blue Nail is a licensed master of the trade regardless of which siding you choose and whether you’re fixing existing siding or going for a whole new finish.
We’re as well-versed in newer materials like Celect as we are in the familiar favorites. Our team combines traditional craftsmanship with tomorrow’s technology to create a service tailored completely to your needs. We also offer a free consultation, so you can discuss your siding goals and get all the information you need to make a smart decision and moving forward.
We stand by the job we do, and you can be certain we’ll provide you with the full picture on your home project. Blue Nail is with you every step of the way before, during and after, so you can make a choice you feel safe and happy with. We’re proud of our high standards and the relationships we’re forming with happy customers in our community.
Get in touch with Blue Nail to learn more about us and how we can make your siding project perfect.
Working with Blue Nail Roofing means coming home to craftsmanship. From the first call to final inspection, we’re with you every step of the way to ensure you benefit from our experience. For more information or a free consultation, drop by our contact page or call 973-937-8876.