Reasons to Consider Prefinished Siding

by Rachel Lyon, Editorial Director for Direct from the Designers™

It’s harder for the average person to choose exterior products for their new home than interior finishes, but that’s no reason to be an uninformed consumer! If you’re starting to look at siding, you might be wondering if prefinishing is worth your while. It turns out that prefinished siding is actually perfect for the average consumer, and here’s why!

Quicker Completion On-Site

Prefinished siding is painted and ready to go as soon as you receive it. Just choose your colors ahead of time and the finished pieces will be delivered to your building site! The earlier time investment pays off because you won’t have to find a subcontractor to paint the exterior of your home—which would mean coordinating schedules and paying attention to the weather. Painting on-site requires fairly specific conditions to be done well, and waiting for them is a test in patience as the elements have their way with your unfinished home. Choosing prefinished siding is one way to give yourself greater peace of mind during the stressful process that is building a house.

A siding installer can finish the job in a matter of days, depending on the size of the project, how many people are working on it, and the size of the siding pieces you’re using. Siding has to be cut to size, and that requires a little bit of primer and paint to cover the raw edges, but it’s nothing compared to painting the whole house. All that time saved means money saved, and your new home will look like a welcome addition to the neighborhood rather than a construction site that much more quickly.

Impressive Durability with Consistency

When siding is finished in factory-controlled settings, you can expect more from it. The unfinished precursor is usually stored inside and away from temperature fluctuations and moisture, preventing swelling and shrinking in order to achieve consistent results. Machines sand and clean the surface to make sure the paint sticks, spray it evenly to preserve the siding’s texture and prevent uneven wearing, and then it’s all baked in an oven to cure the finish for long-lasting beauty and durability. That’s a lot more than you could expect from an on-site painting job.

Doing away with environmental variables like unfavorable and/or fickle weather and windborne dust and dirt that challenge the integrity of the finish is usually enough to convince people that prefinished siding is a good idea, but there’s even more to it. The paint used in the factory is different from what you can pick up at the store. It has a higher solid-to-solvent ratio and high-quality mineral pigments are heavily favored, and that means the coating left on the siding is less prone to fading, chipping, and other damage. What’s more, prefinishing companies are familiar with the siding they work with, so rest assured they know exactly how to produce the best results. Your home benefits from every part of the process!

Plenty of Options and Guarantees

Some people eschew prefinished siding, thinking that it can’t possibly offer what they have in mind, but the possibilities are actually practically endless. Lap, shingle, panel, board and batten—the variety of siding looks are all there. Each company typically offers a few dozen colors including solid and wood-look tones that you can mix and match to create a beautiful, unique design. If this still doesn’t work for you, custom colors are also widely available; provide the prefinisher with a sample of what you want and they can replicate the pigments to use for your siding. So, there’s no reason to automatically write off prefinished siding thinking that it can’t provide for your style vision—it might even be able to do it better.

With all the great benefits that prefinishing offers, you probably want to see some proof that it’s as good as it seems. Take a look at the warranties offered by different companies—they can be quite attractive! Measured in decades rather than years, you know that prefinishers are confident in the quality of their product. And it does more than just look good on a house, because that durable coating protects the siding beneath and helps contribute to a higher caliber structure overall.

If you’re looking for amazing siding to complete your home, check out LP® SmartSide® Trim & Siding and their SmartGuard® process. Engineered with real, sustainably harvested wood and waxes, binders, and zinc borate, this siding is exceptional in its beauty and resistance to moisture, impact, fungal growth, and termites. It’s no wonder there are so many Preferred Prefinishers that trust LP® SmartSide® to produce the best siding around, and you know LP® wouldn’t give just anybody the preferred title unless they were a perfect complement to their already outstanding product. Find a prefinisher that serves your region and get ready to complete your dream home!