Your Complete Guide to Choosing Vinyl Shingle Siding Colors for Your Home
Searching for creative ways to raise your property value before putting your home up for sale?
The good news is that it’s a seller’s market. There is a nationwide shortage of housing, and home prices have increased every month for the last six years. If you’re thinking about selling your property, now’s the time!
But how can you make your home stand out amidst fierce competition?
There are always the typical recommendations — things like landscaping your property or fix your driveway. But, one of the most inexpensive ways to increase your asking price is to change the siding color and style of your home.
If you are thinking of investing in new siding, then this article is for you. We’ll talk about different types of siding and help you pick the right vinyl siding colors while also giving you tips on finding the best local contractor for the job.
Will A New Siding Color Help YOU?
Before you start calling contractors, make sure that you actually do need new siding. Take a look at your home or business. Are pieces loosed, warped or falling off? Is the color faded (or just downright hideous)?
Another way to tell that you need new siding is to check your electric bill. Does it seem like your heating and cooling costs keep going up? The culprit could be your aging siding or shingles.
If you have leaky siding, you could be damaging your foundation without realizing it. You may also leave yourself open to wildlife infestations, black mold, or even termite damage.
Having attractive, new siding is a great way to welcome house hunters and increase your home’s “curb appeal.” So, let’s take a look at some of the most popular types of home exteriors.
Types of Exteriors
As you start to consider different siding colors and materials, it’s important to check with your local homeowner’s association. They may have a pre-approved list of colors that you’ll need to follow.
If you have free reign, however, there are dozens of vinyl siding colors to pick from (and you’re not going to have that same flexibility with other types of home exterior options).
Brick Veneer
Brick siding can be an attractive option, but there are some major problems that you should know about before you buy.
Unless your home is built with brick walls from the ground up, you’re going to be stuck with a siding material called brick veneer (or faux brick). Brick veneer is made from the same material as bricks but doesn’t give any support to your home’s frame.
If you’re using brick veneer, you should know that it has a limited color range and can be susceptible to water damage. It’s also not recommended for parts of the country that have hail or earthquakes.
Stucco
If you don’t live in the Southwest, you may not have heard of stucco as a siding option.
When properly applied, stucco can be a durable siding material.
The issue with stucco, however, is that it can make the inside of your home unbearably humid. You may also find that stucco siding is prone to cracking in moist climates.
Stucco can work well for drier climates but is prone to insect infestations in other parts of the country. And, if you’re re-doing your siding, the last thing you want to do is encourage termites or ants to make their home in your walls.
Another reason to skip stucco is that it turns color as it dries. (You might think that you’re getting a medium blue home but end up with a house that’s more of a light blue.)
Cedar Shingles
Cedar shingles are a siding option often popular in the Northeast.
Cedar shingles can serve as good insulators, however, they do require a lot of maintenance. If you don’t power wash your home regularly, you might find that you’ve got a nice growth of moss on your siding.
Additionally, wooden shingles are typically more expensive than other kinds of siding and don’t come in a wide variety of colors. They are not recommended for areas that see a lot of rain, and there is always the potential for mold, dry rot, and infestation.
Vinyl
The thing to remember about siding colors is that you’ve got a rainbow of options with vinyl siding. There are dozens of colors to choose from, and you can coordinate your siding with your roof and landscaping.
Vinyl siding tends to be less expensive than other siding options and holds up in every kind of weather. If you order custom siding, you may need to wait a few weeks for your shipment to arrive, but it’s definitely worth the wait.
When putting in a custom order, make sure to talk to your contractor about a realistic installation timeline. Be sure to give your vinyl manufacturer enough time to complete your custom order, inclusive of shipping.
Another thing that you may not know about vinyl is that it can be made to mimic wooden shingles. You can get vinyl siding that has the look and feel of cedar shingles, but in a wider range of colors. This is a perfect option for homeowners who want the luxurious look of cedar shingles with the customization and long lifespan of vinyl siding.
Choosing the Perfect Siding Colors
So you’re in the process of choosing siding colors, but how do you know when you’ve found the right one? Vinyl siding can last for 75 years or more, so it’s vital that you find the perfect shade.
In general, you should start by checking out the homes in your neighborhood. Is there a particular color scheme that everyone is sticking to? Of course, you can always break the mold, but it might be easier to sell your home if it blends in with the surrounding homes.
If you live in a warmer climate, you’ll probably want to go with lighter colors. You might find that changing the color of your vinyl siding will help lower your cooling costs. White siding is always a good option, but it can show dirt. Instead, try neutrals like beige, grey or even light blue.
If you live in a place that has a long winter, darker green or blue are often popular in order to minimize heating expenses.
Also, remember that vinyl siding can be more than one color. You can do the bottom portion of your house in a darker blue or brown and then you can have a tan or grey top to make your house “pop.”
Home vs. Business Siding
If you have a business, the process is similar to choosing siding color for your house. You should try to blend in with neighboring businesses, but you can still stand out by choosing exciting accent colors.
If you have a Victorian house or other historic building, you might want to install siding that matches the original paint colors. (Again, talk to your contractor about your vinyl siding options).
Wondering how to pick siding colors for a hotel or restaurant? You might want to go with a bold red, yellow or green. Anything you can do to attract people walking or driving by is always good for business.
Another option for business siding is color coordinating with your landscaping. Do you have a particular tree that blooms white in the spring? Or do you have evergreens that stay beautiful all year?
If you’re not sure what color would be best for your home or business, see if your contractor has a visualizer tool. This software allows you to upload pictures of your business and see what different colored siding would look like. That way, you don’t have to blindly choose what may or may not look good for your home.
Until you’re absolutely sure, wait to commit to a new siding color.
How to Find the Right Contractor
As you’re researching siding colors, you should also be researching contractors. Don’t go with the first one you find unless they come highly recommended.
Make a list of three to five local contractors and contact them for quotes on your project. Let them know your timeframe and see if they are available to get yours on their schedule.
Questions?
We have more than 80 years of experience and offer the highest quality vinyl shake shingles available on the market. Our molding process allows us to create the most authentic-looking vinyl shingles, with wood grains and knots so realistic that people often mistake them for authentic cedar shake once installed!
If you love cedar but want more siding color options, send us an email or get in touch by phone. We’ll get you set up with an estimate and help you figure out the best shingles for your home improvement project!
