Vinyl siding is durable, doesn't rot, is lightweight, and comes in all sorts of different colors. Often, people focus heavily on color when selecting siding. This is understandable since color plays a huge role in determining the overall look of your home. However, color is not the only thing to consider when selecting vinyl siding. Here are some other things to consider before making your choice.

Texture

Some vinyl siding is really smooth to the touch. Other vinyl siding has a slightly rough texture. It may have little grooves in it to make it feel like wood, or it may have little pock marks to make it look a little stone-like. If you want your home to have a more polished look, then smooth vinyl is probably your best option. Vinyl with more texture tends to give a home a more rustic, country-like look. Also consider how easy the vinyl will be to clean. Smooth vinyl will come clean easily with a power washer, whereas textured vinyl may require a little more work to get the dirt out of the grooves. You may not want to use textured vinyl if your home is really close to a road where a lot of debris gets kicked up.

Length

How long are the pieces of the vinyl siding? Some siding comes in shorter lengths than others. This means that there will be more overlaps in the siding once it is installed on your home. If you have a really tall house, choosing vinyl that comes in shorter lengths often makes sense as it makes it easier for the installers to carry the vinyl up the ladder. But otherwise, buying longer lengths of siding tends to be better since you'll have fewer seams and therefore fewer chances for leaks to occur.

Warranty

Vinyl siding should come with a warranty, but the length and terms of the warranty tend to vary between companies. If you are torn between two types of siding, go with the one that has a longer warranty. Not only does this extend the time during which you're protected from paying for repairs, but it may also mean you get a better product. The company assigning a longer warranty to their siding surely has confidence in the quality of their product.

When choosing vinyl siding, be sure to pay attention to more than just color. Warranty, siding length, and texture should all come into play as well. A company like FB Roofing & Siding, Inc. has more information on this topic.