vinyl siding vs re-paint

[Stan Calow]

I am needing to re-paint the house, and trying to decide if I should have vinyl siding put on instead. I have read all the on-line guidance I can stand, without a clear conclusion. I have Masonite siding now, which is problematic on its own. So I am trying to evaluate replacing the existing siding, overlaying it with vinyl, or just caulking and repainting. My long term plan is to be out of this house in 5 years. If I just repaint, the continued deterioration of the masonite will be more obvious at resale, whereas I doubt I will recoup the cost of vinyl siding, cover up or replace, in that time. Plus the consensus of my friends is that vinyl siding looks cheap.

Any input opinions or suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

[Brian Elfert]

I assume you have lap siding, not flat Masonite. I would think vinyl siding would be hard to put over lap siding. Personally, I would look at replacing with Smartside instead of vinyl. I get a decent credit on my homeowner's insurance as Smartside is less flammable than vinyl. You would gain some on resale too.

The vinyl siding on my house was in bad shape when I bought the house and I planned to keep it, but the contractor replacing windows and doors said the siding needed replacement too. I am glad I listened and went with Smartside to replace that ugly vinyl.

[Frank Pratt]

Vinyl siding is okay for a low cost, low end exterior, but don't forget, in 15 years that vinyl siding is going to look even worse than when you put it on. It is only maintenance free in that you can do nothing to maintain it; it will need replacing.

[Stan Calow]

Thanks Brian & Frank. Good points. I thought vinyl lasted longer than that. Our masonite siding is the flat sheets - we call it (incorrectly) board and batten around here: sheets with regular spaced vertical strips of 1x2s. Its the most common exterior around here. The issue with masonite (that was subject to a class-action lawsuit years ago) is that it swells and deteriorates when wet, so you get nail pops, swollen seams and crumbling edges. I dont know why they thought it was a good idea to begin with. The common practice around here is to remove the vertical strips and overlay with vinyl siding, leaving the masonite sheets in place. Taking the old siding off and re-wrapping and replacing with vinyl siding is more expensive.

[Bruce Wrenn]

First, I doubt your siding is Masonite. They sold off that line many, many years ago. As for over laying with new siding, it can be done, but all trim may have to be "padded out." LP Smart siding is a superior product, with a 50 year warranty. Weighs less than half of Hardee Plank, comes in 16' lengths, vs 12 lengths. Vinyl is a fire trap just waiting to happen. According to "This Old House," it's no longer allowed in California due to fire hazard." Vinyl is final used to be the trade slogan, but it really meant you were stuck with it. Try replacing a broken / damages piece with a color match. Around here, you see vinyl on million dollar homes, so cheap doesn't apply. Vinyl siding reminds me of a Dyson Vacuum in operation, it SUCKS! If you don't replace existing siding now, in five years, you will for the new buyer. In five years replacement costs will have risen also. Enjoy your purchase, replace now. Because you have sheet siding, unless your house is a two story, you could replace siding yourself. Strip the battens off, prime old siding, add a house wrap and side over it. Remember it goes up, one piece at the time. Set a goal of doing 5-10 pieces per day. In less than a month it will be done. Be sure to prime end cuts, and face paint first coat while it's still on the bench. Lot easier to roll in the flat than up on side of the house. Use a premium caulk, not that cheap Alex stuff. Expect to pay $3-$4 a tube for caulking. Made a living replacing rotted siding amongst other things.

[Stan Calow]

Thanks Bruce, yes it is masonite. House was built in '95. I got a small check from the masonite settlement in 2008 after sending in a sample and they had an inspector come and verify damage. You can still buy masonite brand sheeting here at all the big box stores. My builder friend says its what he uses on new homes.

[Jim Becker]

A proper paint job with preparation will make your home look good again without re-siding. That's what I'd do given your commitment to the property is short term at this point. For residing, I wouldn't use vinyl anyway...fire resistant Hardie is my choice there, pre-finished. But that's big-bucks and not something you'll likely want to entertain if you can't personally benefit from it long term.

[Kevin Jenness]

If I were residing I would install over furring strips for a good job. Maybe not cost effective for reale, but still better for longevity of the siding and sheathing. https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com...viseable-or-no

[Mark Bolton]

Sounds like the 5 year exit will be your mental hurdle to get over as other than paint, and probably taking a hit on the resale for the masonite, may be your only cheap option though it has the roll-of-the-dice as to the hit you will take on the sale.

If you dont feel you will recoup the cost of any of the other siding options out there at least those are tangible hits.

I completely disagree with the notion that vinyl will look bad in 15 years. I really hate vinyl but have installed a lot of it in my years as a GC and if you get a good installer, and you dont buy the builder grade "vinyl is final" siding, and have someone who is really good and fast and crisp/clean with a brake, it can look pretty impressive on day one and day 15 years +1. Unfortunately so many people looked at vinyl as a cheap slap it up option it got a bad name.

No argument on the fire issue but if your not in a fire prone area and its allowed, then its allowed.

Again, Im not a fan of the stuff. It attracts bugs that like to reside underneath (flies, wasps, and so on), it allows water behind the vinyl by design, and so on. But a decent job with a higher quality product, will look great for a long time. Will it fade, yes, will it chaulk, yes.

Any of the other option will require enough work to address openings that they could get very spendy very quickly and your in the same lot of not recouping any of the investment.

If your siding is not in horrible (not able to be addressed with some sanding/caulking/sealing) the paint option would seem the best as long as the same applies, that you can find a good painter, not some slap jap hack.

[Bill Bukovec]

I would tear off what you have and replace it with LP Smartside. Buy a siding installation tool like a Gecko. The tool really speeds up installation.

We sold our house four years ago, put in all kinds of upgrades. An attractive, well maintained house will sell faster. Our upgrades paid for themselves plus some. We had three offers within a week, well above the asking price.
The buyers may not notice the siding, but the house inspector will.

There are a lot of people who don't want to spend the time and money on home repairs.

[Gary Ragatz]

I think siding is something that most buyers won't pay much attention to unless it obviously needs to be repaired/replaced - or maybe if it is out of place in the neighborhood. Nobody says "Ooh - I want that house, because it has really great siding!"

Take a look around your neighborhood and see what everybody else has for siding. If they mostly still have the Masonite that you have, some re-caulking and a paint job might serve you just fine when you sell in a few years. If your neighbors have switched to vinyl, making that same change now will help to keep you at market when you sell, and save you some maintenance effort in between. If you decide to switch to vinyl, just don't get too "creative" with your color choice.

[Stan Calow]

Thanks everyone for the great advice. When it warms up for more than a day (it was 90℉ on Wednesday, freeze warning for tomorrow night) I will make a thorough inspection of the exterior, and go from there. Its great to have a bunch of smart experienced people share their opinions this way.

[Wade Lippman]

FWIW Our vinyl is now 15 years old and looks like new.
A realtor will tell you that crappy siding will turn off potential buyer before they even go in the house, and better siding is a prudent investment. I have serious doubt about that; I figure the lower price will allow the new owner to upgrade if he wants. But what do I know?

[Brian Elfert]

FWIW Our vinyl is now 15 years old and looks like new.
A realtor will tell you that crappy siding will turn off potential buyer before they even go in the house, and better siding is a prudent investment. I have serious doubt about that; I figure the lower price will allow the new owner to upgrade if he wants. But what do I know?

There is a big trend in real estate today where buyers only want move-in ready homes with no major repairs or upgrades needed. Real estate agents state that buyers often over estimate the cost of upgrades to a house. The other issue is that buyers often sink all their cash in the down payment and moving so they have no money left over to replace siding or make other major repairs.

I did the opposite of most and bought a house that needed a $100,000 renovation. It was a foreclosure that had serious damage, but they didn't damage the house when they moved out. It was just total neglect over the years plus a serious water leak around the chimney that damaged the house. I ended up with a completely new house for less than the cost of a new house.

[Roger Feeley]

We put on vinyl once and I wouldn’t do it again. The manufacturer went under so there wouldn’t be any way to replace a panel. Anyway, the color change due to UV was inevitable. We had a hailstorm bad enough to total the ac compressor. It made some little tiny cracks but didn’t ruin any panels.

our current house is hardiboard.