Every industry has their common terms, and siding is no exception. As you take steps toward siding replacement, in order to understand the details about your new siding—take a look at these common siding terms so you are armed with knowledge as you communicate with your siding replacement company.
At Dependable Home Services, we understand how stressful exterior remodeling can be for homeowners. That’s why we provide detailed estimates, answer all your questions, and perform expert installations for homeowners in the Richmond, VA area. Get the solutions you’re looking for and more with our superior products and experienced team of installation specialists.
Common Siding Terms
- Siding Face—The portion of the siding that you see when looking at your home is the siding face.
- Fascia Board—The straight board that plays a large role in your siding’s longevity. It goes along the lower edge of your roof.
- Flashing—A strip made of aluminum or other durable metal. It prevents unwanted moisture penetration along your home’s windows and doors.
- Soffit—The space between your roof’s overhang and the very top of your home exterior’s wall. It has vents to help air circulate in your home’s attic.
- Lap—The overlap of siding or trim materials that accommodates the natural expansion of materials that occurs when the temperature changes. It is primarily used in vinyl and wood siding installations.
- Miter Joint—The miter, or miter joint, is the 90-degree angle where two edges of siding panels come together.
- Gauge—This describes how thick the siding material is. The thicker the gauge, the better the siding performs.
- Lug—Ensures the proper siding size and helps avoid excessive overlap or material hang. Home lugs are used to fasten siding properly without the need for nail slots.
- Battens—These are used in wood siding. Modern “board and batten” siding replacement refers to the authentic old wood siding that has boards and battens to fill in gaps between boards.
- Buttlock—This is the very bottom edge of a vinyl siding panel.
- Nailing Hem—Siding isn’t nailed just anyplace when attaching it to your home exterior. Nails or staples are situated in nail slots or fastening holes contained in the nail hem.
- Face Nail—Face nailing is something you don’t want when you invest in new siding. When new siding is installed by putting nails through the face of siding, the nails become exposed, and that’s not good. They should be hidden!
- Course—This refers to a row of material that spans the length of the wall it’s installed on. A course of lap siding may be part of your siding replacement. It runs from one side to the other of a wall on a horizontal siding installation, or from the top of your home exterior to the bottom of it on a vertical siding installation.
- Weep Holes—These keep moisture from accumulating, and give it a natural place to bleed out. Weep holes are located at the bottom edge of siding.
- Starter Strip—This is the base for fastening the first round of material during your home exterior’s siding installation.
- Wind Load—The sustained wind speed that your home’s new siding can withstand without being damaged or torn off is the siding’s wind load. The quality engineering of today’s siding products offers the ability to withstand up to 100 mph (basically a category 2 hurricane).
- Drip Cap—This piece of trim helps deflect water away from the overhead of your home’s vertical siding. It keeps water from entering behind the structure—like gutters do. It can be used over windows or doors to deter water run-off.
- Water Table Band—This wide trim board is located at the bottom of a wall (the same level as your home’s first floor), and installed before the first piece of siding.
Good siding is a wise investment. It boosts the overall look of your home exterior with eye-catching curb appeal you’re sure to love. And quality siding products endure year-round exposure to the elements, yet maintain their beauty for years to come. Increase the resale value of your home with new siding, and you’ll enjoy a favorable result from your home sale.
Fiber Cement Siding
Dependable Home Services offers James Hardie fiber cement siding, which is America’s favorite siding product. Our team of installation pros are specifically trained to install James Hardie siding, so you can enjoy the durable, long-lasting product along with its impressive warranty. Its low maintenance will thrill you, and you’re sure to love the long-lasting, baked-on James Hardie color options. It is non-combustible and approved for fire-rated construction, making it a safe siding option for your home.
Vinyl Siding
Budget-friendly vinyl siding is a favorite for first-time home buyers and investors with rental properties. It offers money saving features like extreme insulation for your home, which helps you save on monthly utilities. Homeowners love the energy savings they receive when they install vinyl siding. It’s an exterior upgrade that’s affordable and beautiful.
The Best Benefits of New Siding
- New siding improves your home’s overall insulation, saving you money every month on utilities.
- Replacement siding boosts the overall look of your home exterior, so you can come home to beauty.
- The low maintenance features of new siding make maintenance a breeze.
- New siding shields your home from the hassles of insect infestation including termites.
- Replacement siding resists damage from weather, including extreme heat, extreme cold, rain, and humidity.
We’re Called Dependable—for a Reason!
Get siding replacement from a siding contractor you can trust at Dependable Home Services. Our customers love our lifetime warranty on labor. Learn what others are saying about our services. Get a free quote and siding consultation, and you’ll be well on your way to a beautiful home exterior.