Aluminum siding can help give your home better curb appeal while making it weather proof too. People started using aluminum for sidings after the Second World War and since then have preferred it over all other types of siding. The siding’s surface is usually coated with enamel which allows you to create various looks. One of the most popular ones is that of a wooden surface. The weather has a very important role to play when it comes to the installation of aluminum siding. The summer is the best season for its installation. Before you begin the work, have a look at the weather report. Rain can make this task quite a difficult one.
There are quite a few advantages of using aluminum sidings for your home. Let’s list out a few of them:
- It’s both fire and waterproof.
- It requires very little maintenance. The only things you’ll have to worry about are minor scratches and dents. They can easily be fixed by sanding or repainting the surface.
- You will not have to worry about oxidization like you do with steel sidings.
- If you have aluminum sidings on the outer walls of your home, they won’t come in contact with rain or snow. They also stay protected from fungal growth and algae.
- It improves insulation in your home, and this will ensure your fireplace and/or air conditioner work more efficiently.
While it’s possible for homeowners to install aluminum sidings on their own, at least two people are required in order to do it safely and correctly. Aluminum sidings usually come along with instruction manuals to help with the installation. It should also include a list of the tools you’ll need for the installation. You need to ensure the backing surface is even. For this, you will need to get some form of underlayment. Foam boards are the best option here. You will first need to install them while ensuring they are straight. Don’t forget to overlap the adjacent ones at least 2 inches too.
To finish the installation, you need to put the sidings on the walls and nail them in using the factory made holes. Make sure you use aluminum nails so that they don’t damage the siding. Don’t fit the sidings too tight and leave a gap of 3/4ths of an inch for the corner caps too. Once you’ve installed the siding, install the corner caps on the corners of the wall by simply sliding the rims under the panel’s edges and then fix them using the nails.
That’s it; your aluminum sidings are now installed. Wasn’t as hard as you may have imagined, right.