KeepYourVinylSidingLookingLikeNew
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Chancesare,whetheryouliveinacondominium,townhouseorsingle-family
home,vinylsidingisprobablyinusesomewhereonyourhome.Accordingto
NAHBresearch,approximately39percentofnewhomesbuiltin2000
utilizedvinylsidinginsomefashion.That39percentfigurewasthesame
forhomesbuiltin1999,whereitpeakedafterfiveyearsofsteady
.
Vinylsidingisadurable,low-maintenancematerialthatisbothattractive
andcost-efficient,whichmakesitapopularchoicefortheexteriorsof
homes.One-thirdofallrespondentsinNAHB’s“What21stCenturyHomeBuyers
Want”preferredvinylsidingasthecost-efficientexteriormaterialforthe
backandsidesoftheirhomesandnearlyone-fourthofallrespondents
preferreditasthematerialforthefrontoftheirhomes.
Despiteitshighdurability,thevinylsidingonyourhomeisexposeddaily
totheharsheffectsoftheelements,butsomesimpleperiodiccleaningand
maintenancewillhelpkeepitlookinggreat.TheVinylSidingInstitute(VSI)
recommendsthefollowingtechniques:
CLEANING
Washvinylsidingwithasoftclothorordinarylong-handled,softbristle
brush.Fortexturedsurfaces,useonlyasoftbristlebrushtoavoid
smearingstainsintothegroovesofthetexture.Topreventstreakingfrom
soapandwaterrunningdownthehouseduringcleaning,startatthebottom
ofthewallandworkup.Rinsethecleaningsolutionwithwaterbeforeit
dries.Ifyourhomehasbrickfacing,coverthebricksothatitisnot
affectedbytherunoff.
Vinylsidingcanbewashedwithapowerwasher,althoughyoushouldreadthe
washerinstructionsthoroughlybeforeuse.Whencleaning,holdthepower
washerstraightateyelevel.Donotaimthepowerwasherupward,asthe
watermaycollectbehindthesiding,leaklater,andproducestreaksor
couldremainandcausedecay.
Smallspotsofmoldandmildewcanbehandledwithcleanerssuchas
Fantastik®orWindex®.Forlargersections,asolutionofvinegar(30
percent)andwater(70percent)hasprovensuccessful.
Alternatively,youalsocouldtrythefollowingsolution:1/3cup(22/3
ounces)powderedlaundrydetergent,2/3cup(51/3ounces)powdered
householdcleaner(e.g.,Spic&Span®,Soilax®,orequivalent),1quart(32
fluidounces)liquidlaundrybleach,and1gallon(128fluidounces)of
water.
Besuretospotcheckanygeneralorstainspecificcleanerbeforeusingit
onalargesectionofsiding.Afterremovingthestain,rinsethoroughly
withwater.Donotusecleanerscontainingorganicsolvents,undiluted
chlorinebleach,liquidgrEasyeremover,nailpolishremover,orfurniture
polishorcleaners.Theycanaffectthesurfaceofthesiding.
GeneralcleanerssuchasSimpleGreen®,Nice&Easyy®,ArmorAll®,orthe
equivalentcanbeusedtocleandirt,birddroppings,andspiderwebs.
CleanerssuchasFantastik®,Lestoil®,Murphy’sOilSoap®,Windex®orthe
equivalentcanremovesomestainssuchasbubblegum,crayon,oil-based
caulk,felt-tippen,grassstain,lithiumgrEasye,motoroilorrust.Try
cleanerssuchasSoftScrub®ortheequivalentforpencilorpaint*.
Rinseallcleanerswithwaterbeforetheydry.
MAINTENANCE
Toprotectvinylsidingfromdiscoloration,coveritwhenusingstains,
sealants,andwetconcreteaspartofhomerenovationprojects.Toavoid
potentialstainingfrominsecticidesorherbicides,consulttheproduct
labelsand/ortheinsecticideorherbicidemanufacturerbeforeapplying.
Vinylsidingismadefromorganicmaterialsandwillmeltorburnwhen
exposedtoasignificantheatsource.Homeandbuildingownersshouldalways
takeprecautionstokeepfiresources(e.g.,barbequegrills)and
combustiblematerials(e.g.,dryleaves,mulch,trash)awayfromvinyl
siding.
Thetypicalheatdistortiontemperatureofvinylsidingisapproximately160
Fto165F.Whentemperaturesreachtheselevels,thesidingislikelyto
distort.Reflectedorradiatedheatsourcescanincludewindows,roofing,
pavement,andcertainunderlayments.Installingscreensandawningsand
plantingbushesorotherlandscapingcanalleviatereflectionsorradiation.
Ifavinylsidingpanelispermanentlystainedorotherwisedamaged,itis
Easilyreplaceable.Placean"unlocking"toolbehindthebottomofthepanel
abovethepaneltobereplacedandunzipitfromthelockofthedamaged
panel.Gentlybendouttheupperpanelandremovethenailsfromthedamaged
panel.Removethedamagedpanel.Lockonthenewpanelandnailitup.Use
theunlockingtoolagaintoziptheupperpaneloverthelockonthenew
panel.VSIproducesa“VinylSidingInstallationHow-ToGuide”thatcan
providefurtherinstructiononthistopic.
Ifyouwishtopaintyourvinylsiding,consultwithyourvinylsiding
manufacturerfirst.Manymanufacturersvoidtheirwarrantiesifthesiding
ispainted.
Finally,ifyouarereplacingyourvinylsidingorbuildinganewhome,be
suretocheckifyourproducthasbeenindependentlycertifiedforquality
assurancethroughtheVinylSidingInstitute.Thebetteryourproductis,
thebetteritwillstanduptothetestsoftime,weather,heatandimpact.
powerwash
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VinylSidingPA
NewYork
Texas
Connecticut
California
NewJersey
Massachusetts
Washington
LongValley
NJ07853
contactusTel:1-908-750-5065
withanyquestions
UpdatedJanuary2/2008/11:49:00PM
SeamlessVinylSiding
VinylSiding
Home
Improvement
Remodelers
Formoreinformationonvinylsiding,visittheVinylSidingInstitute’sWeb
siteatwww.vinylsiding.orgorcall1-888-FORVSI-1.
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vinylsiding