Q: Vinyl still dominates, but according to RSI's surveys, its market share is decreasing. Why is this, and how is the industry reacting?

Friedman

Friedman: Throughout the past few years new exterior siding options have become available that offer a differing set of features versus vinyl siding. Yet these new products are not without their unknowns and trade-offs. Recent history offers glaring examples of cladding failures in places such as North Carolina and the Pacific Northwest. And while failures of alternate cladding choices ultimately are as much about installation and maintenance as the product itself, it points to the need for strict quality and installation guidelines. From an industry perspective, it starts with a history of proven performance. The vinyl siding category has been in existence for nearly 50 years and many of today's brands have long histories. Yet history is only one part of the story. In just the last few years the industry has made formulation upgrades that ensure long-lasting color; engineering advances continue to improve wind and impact resistance; and insulated siding has been introduced that adds up to an R-value of 4.0 to a home's exterior industry, which improves a home's HERS index and reduces energy consumption. New siding profiles that provide the look of hand-split cedar shakes, shingles, and scallops help create distinctive home exterior finishes that deliver the look and value of wood with the added benefit of virtually no maintenance.

Haspel

Haspel: Several years ago it was mainly fiber cement eroding vinyl's market share, but over the last few years brick has began displacing it as well. Some numbers I have seen recently show the growth of the competition going flat. When home prices are high, homeowners and builders can afford to install materials that cost more; now that prices are decreasing we'll have to see if the trend reverses. The vinyl siding producers have been fighting back with improved product performance, broader color palettes, and innovations, such as expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam-backed siding. VSI is doing a tremendous job through its America Sides with Vinyl initiative to communicate the benefits of vinyl siding and address the negative perceptions of some people.

Smith

Smith: While the growth of traditional vinyl siding has slowed, the overall category will continue to lead the cladding industry for many years to come. In particular, innovative entrants, such as polymer shake and shingle siding, insulated vinyl siding, and cellular polyvinyl chloride (PVC) trim products, are breathing new life into the category.

Q: Fading and chalking — are these problems history with the newer vinyl siding products?

Friedman: Advancements in vinyl siding color technology have made it possible to offer a range of colors, from traditional white and beige to trend-forward colors, including deep greens, terra cottas, and reds, without the color-fading or chalking issues that have been associated with vinyl siding in the past. The use and continued improvement of high-performance resins and color protection systems provides exceptional protection from the sun, harsh climates, and other factors to maximize long-term product performance. VSI offers third-party certification for color retention that provides the opportunity for manufacturers to expose individual vinyl siding colors to a two-year battery of real-time and accelerated weathering tests and demonstrate resistance to major color changes in a variety of climates. The certification program gives homeowners, builders, and contractors confidence when selecting vinyl siding by looking for the color retention seal to ensure the color has met the industry-acknowledged requirements for color retention.

Fifty years of success is not the only thing vinyl siding has going for it, according to Todd Friedman, Ply Gem Siding Group's director of brand marketing. New siding profiles, such as shakes and scallops, are available, and engineering advances have improved wind and impact resistance. (Photograph courtesy of Ply Gem Siding Group)

Haspel: The products that use alternative capstocks made of acrylics and ASAs (acrylonitrile styrene acrylates) have helped to eliminate chalking and reduce fading to levels that minimize warranty claims. To ensure higher quality and performance and therefore fewer callbacks, your best bet is to use products certified through the VSI Vinyl Siding Product Certification Program. Vinyl siding certified through VSI's program is verified by an accredited independent quality control agency to meet or exceed American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D3679, the long-standing, accepted industry standard for quality vinyl siding. The program also includes colors that have been certified to meet or exceed the color retention requirements of ASTM D6864. In addition to meeting the requirements of ASTM D3679, each color must demonstrate the ability to resist major changes over time in a variety of climates.

Smith: Anything that is exposed to the weather for long periods of time will fade to some degree. However new technologies allow for vastly enhanced color retention performance. For example, CertainTeed has developed the industry's first extended fade warranty and is able to provide lifetime fade protection on its vinyl siding.