Extraordinary Exterior: 10 Inspiring Vinyl Siding Ideas for Your Home

Is your house paint cracking, chipping and peeling again? How many times have you had to paint your house already?

If you’re like most homeowners, you dread the cost and work involved in painting your house every few years. Peeling paint can be an embarrassment and an eyesore in your neighborhood. So, how can you fix the problem once and for all?

Vinyl siding is a sensible choice if you want to refurbish the exterior of your home. New technology and fresh ideas are making vinyl siding practical and aesthetically appealing.

More and more homeowners are opting for vinyl siding instead of paint. The new textures available in siding look just like wood, but you won’t have the maintenance.

Are you ready to switch to the rich, deep colors available in vinyl siding?

Read more about the top 10 vinyl siding ideas to spruce up your home.

1. Traditional Clapboard

It’s hard to tell the difference between clapboard siding and real wood. It has straight faces with sharp edges. It’s the most popular siding for homes today, but it’s been around since the colonial days. The style of long, thin boards started with log cabins, eventually evolving into cutting logs into long, horizontal boards.

When you look for clapboard vinyl siding, you’ll see that it comes in six-inch single, four-inch double and three-inch triple profiles. The single, double and triple are the number of rows for each siding panel. The numbers are the height of each row.

Clapboard siding comes in several vinyl siding colors ideas, multiple textures and various lengths. Plus, it doesn’t rot and insects can’t damage it. Also, with clapboard vinyl siding you can wash your house with the hose instead of painting it with a brush.

2. Beaded Clapboard

The first beaded clapboard was hand carved. The woodworkers cut a curved notch on the bottom edge of each board. This created a shadow along the whole board. This was an expensive option because of the hand woodworking involved and was a sign of wealth.

Beaded vinyl siding gives you the same wealthy appearance but not the expense of real wood. It’s often used on Georgian style homes.

3. Dutch Lap Clapboard

The idea for Dutch lap clapboard originally came from northern Europe. When early settlers came to the U.S. and settled in the Mid-Atlantic States, they brought the Dutch lap style with them.

This vinyl siding features strong shadows from the curve of each row. Popular Dutch lap vinyl siding profiles are double and triple from three-inch height to six-inch height. French Colonial style homes often use Dutch lap vinyl siding.

4. Vertical

Vertical vinyl siding is becoming a big seller in the U.S. The style originated in Norway, Sweden and England. It’s also known as board and batten and barn siding. The siding runs vertically rather than across. This became popular for barns in farmland across the U.S.

Vertical vinyl siding design ideas include alternating wide panels with narrow ones. The wide panel is the board and the narrow one is the batten. You can install vertical siding as an accent or on the exterior of your whole home.
Most people choose vertical siding profiles in six, seven and eight-inch sizes.

5. Cedar Shake

Cedar shake is often used for vinyl siding ideas for small homes. It’s very popular for Cape style homes. You can see shake vinyl siding all over the Northwest and East coast of the U.S. Hand-made wooden cedar shakes protected homes from the harsh seacoast weather.

Today, vinyl cedar shake siding has the same traditional rugged look of wooden cedar shakes. This siding has two styles. One is straight with all the shakes the same length. The other style is staggered. This gives a rustic look to your home.

6. Log

If you love the look of log cabins, you might want to think about choosing log vinyl siding for your home. It looks just like real logs and can transform your home into a log cabin.

Log vinyl siding ideas for ranch style homes are becoming the choice for country living.

7. Shingle and Scallop

During the 19th century, shingle siding was used throughout the northeast U.S. Most people choose them as accents for dormers and gables.

Shingle vinyl siding ideas are hexagons, octagons, fish scale and mitered for corners. Scallop shingles are another vinyl siding design idea for accenting purposes. Victorian homes often have a combination of clapboard, shingle, fish scale and scallops.

8. Mix ‘n Match

This is when your creativity can run wild. Create vinyl siding design ideas by mixing and matching the different styles of siding available. You can personalize your home by thinking about vinyl siding color ideas, accents and siding styles and choosing the siding that suits your home.

9. Vinyl Decking

Just like the siding on your home, wooden decks deteriorate over time. You have to replace rotten boards, and stain and waterproof them if you want your deck to last. That’s not even to mention the work involved.

When you’re thinking about vinyl siding ideas for your home, don’t forget about your decking. You can also install vinyl decking and railings, which are maintenance free and environmentally safe. It doesn’t get hot like wood decking so you can use it even when it’s hot outside.

You can also have your vinyl decking custom built to match the style of your home. Vinyl decking is available from these top brands: Duradek, Tufdek, Dek-Master, Weatherdek, Dec-K-Ing, dec-Tec and Deksmart.

10. Colors

Once you choose which vinyl siding style you like, it’s time to choose a color for your home. Just like the siding, you can use accent colors to add character and a personalized touch.

Today’s vinyl siding color ideas are extensive. You can choose earth tones or vivid colors. If you’d rather keep it neutral, you can do that too.

Feel free to mix and match your colors and textures. Remember, vinyl siding and decking lasts a lifetime so choose colors and styles that give you the look you’ve always dreamed of.

Vinyl Siding Ideas to Spruce up Your Home

Now that you know the top 10 vinyl siding ideas, pick siding for your home that adds curb appeal and always looks new. With vinyl siding, you’ll never have to worry about painting your house or replacing your deck again.

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