If you’re planning to replace the siding on your home, you can opt for a number of different materials – fiber cement, as well as wood and aluminum all have their strengths and weaknesses. However, many people stick with the most common material, namely vinyl. For this reason, in today’s article we will look at the products of one of the most popular companies in our industry, CertainTeed.
Is CertainTeed Premium Brand?
The issue is a bit more complicated than it might seem. First of all, in the United States, there are many siding companies, and practically each of them offers a very wide range of products. They offer budget series, as well as those dedicated to more demanding customers with a thicker wallet. If we were to compare CertainTeed to other brands, we would say that its products are somewhere between the market average and the premium segment.
Looking through CertainTeed catalogs, you will find siding costing both $4 and $9 per sqft. This is quite a lot, but there are brands offering much more expensive products. At the same time, it is worth noting that the prices fully reflect the quality – the siding produced by CertainTeed preserves its quality and, interacting with it, you feel that you have bought a premium product. In other words: CertainTeed is a premium brand, although its price is relatively affordable.
CertainTeed Product Range
The company’s offer is very broad, so it is divided into several large segments:
Restoration Classic
CertainTeed has developed the Restoration Classic series with homes with a rich history in mind. Although we are once again dealing with vinyl siding, it has been designed to resemble natural wood as much as possible.
Restoration Classic includes 5 siding styles, offered in 3″, 4″, 4.5″ and 5″ widths, resembling natural cedar or smooth-painted wood. The basic thickness is 0.044″, but CertainTeed also offers double panels (0.088″). The color range is, as usual, very wide and includes as many as 30 colors.
The Restoration Classic series will appeal especially to lovers of tradition, who care about maintaining the maximum classic look of their homes. It’s a very solid, elegant material that looks great on suburban homes.
Encore
Encore is the cheapest and most basic model in CertainTeed’s product range. Decent quality, aesthetically pleasing appearance and a thickness of 0.40″ make it an excellent choice for homeowners on a tight budget who care about basic vinyl siding. Once again, there are as many as 30 color variations, but this time, the finish is more matte. You are sure to find a product that meets your expectations.
MainStreet
MainStreet series consists of 7 models available in 25 color variations. Depending on your needs, you can choose 3″, 4″, 5″, 6″ or 8″ wide segments. The horizontal, classic layout, traditional colors and .042″ panel thickness make this the perfect midgrade siding for homeowners looking for an affordable, durable and elegant facade product.
Monogram
The Monogram line is distinguished by even higher quality than the Mainstreet series. Siding boards are available in as many as 39 color variations, 3 lengths (16′, 20′ and 25′). The higher price is also justified by the thickness – in the case of Monogram, it is as much as .046″. Boards are also wider, as CertainTeed offers them in 4″ and 5″ sizes.
The Monogram series products are recommended for those who are looking for a more expensive, but also highly resistant siding that they can use for many years.
Carolina Beaded
Carolina Beaded collection is another special series of vinyl siding. CertainTeed has achieved a hand-sanded wood effect. The 6.5” wide boards with characteristically rounded edges are available in 15 color variations, the vast majority of which are light shades. The thickness of the panels is a standard 0.044”.
American Legend
American Legend has been in CertainTeed’s portfolio for many years. Faithfully imitating wood, this collection will work well for classic projects with a slightly higher budget. Slightly larger than standard, the thickness at 0.042″ provides good mechanical performance. The range consists of 21 colors in 3 width variants.
Board & Batten
The Board & Batten model is a proposal for vertical, traditional siding consisting of fairly wide (7″ or 8″) cedar boards. CertainTeed itself suggests using the siding not only on the entire wall surface, but also as an addition, for example, to horizontal boards or bricks. Board & Batten is offered in 22 color variations, and is 0.052″ thick.
CertainTeed Insulated Vinyl Siding
CertainTeed also offers additional insulated siding, which, as the manufacturer advertises, helps reduce heating expenses. In fact, the savings are indeed noticeable, but they take place at a much higher initial cost. Depending on the variants you choose, insulated siding can be as much as 50% more expensive than conventional siding, and the potential savings will still be much less than using other technologies, such as Henry Blueskin self-adhesive membranes.
Are The Technologies Used by CertainTeed Worth Their Price?
As we have already mentioned, siding from CertainTeed may seem expensive. In this case, however, the price is completely justified.
TrueTexture
By using TrueTexture technology, CertainTeed achieves an extremely realistic effect of natural cedar wood. The very process of creating this design is extremely interesting – pieces of wood are pressed against the vinyl, leaving imprints. The result is really good – CertainTeed is currently at the forefront when it comes to producing realistic woodgrain siding.
PermaColor
By using this technology, CertainTeed is reducing the fading of its siding. The problem of color loss of vinyl was for many one of the arguments against choosing this material. CertainTeed is so sure of the effectiveness of their solutions that their siding comes with a lifetime fade warranty. This is certainly a huge advantage for this brand, but you have to consider that more and more companies are offering exactly the same thing. Moreover, from a product at this price ($4.50-$9.00 per sqft), this level of durability is demanded.
RigidForm
Another solution CertainTeed boasts is RigidForm technology (only available in part of the range). In practice, it involves the use of stronger nail hems, resulting in much more stable boards, even after a long time. RigidForm technology comes in two variants – 160 and 200, which guarantee that the siding can withstand wind speeds of 160 and 200 mph, respectively. While the reinforced fasteners don’t sound impressive, you have to admit that CertainTeed has developed a very effective system. A big positive.
The list of solutions used is longer, but we felt there was little point in listing them further – these are details of interest primarily to CertainTeed siding installers. We can unquestionably say that regardless of the series you choose, you are getting a very technologically advanced product. If you have the means and don’t want to overhaul or have repairs done every few years, CertainTeed definitely deserves your attention. Yes, competition in the industry is acrimonious and other companies such as Mastic are also doing their best to get the most modern and refined products possible, but it seems to us that CertainTeed is generally a healthy compromise between price, quality and design.
Is CertainTeed Safe?
Resistance to cataclysms is another advantage of siding from CertainTeed. Vinyl siding is divided into 3 classes of fire protection – A, B and C, while some products are not rated at all. As you can already guess, the entire CertainTeed range received the highest grade (A). This is a performance close to that of fiber cement or steel, for example, but much better than that of ACM panels, for example. Fire resistance isn’t as crucial for Illinois and other states in colder areas of the country, but homeowners in California and Texas should definitely pay attention.
Siding from CertainTeed is also highly resistant to wind – product series certified to 200 mph probably have the highest possible certification, or at least we couldn’t find a manufacturer that offered better performance. Even the lower level of protection up to 160 mph is a very good result. This would not have been possible had it not been for the reinforced mounts we wrote about earlier.
Is CertainTeed Siding’s Warranty Lifetime?
One of the aspects CertainTeed points out is the warranty they offer. Indeed, it is lifetime, but you must remember that if the house was sold after the siding was installed, the protection is shortened to 50 years. Further, it is a very good result, but it is less impressive.
Is The Maintenance of CertainTeed Siding Easy?
Unlike the maintenance of wooden siding, vinyl boards require virtually no work. Cleaning is done with a soft-bristled brush and detergent, which can even be dishwashing liquid. Plastics are very easy to maintain, although you must remember that siding styled with natural wood will have a porous surface, which holds dirt much more.
Nevertheless, try to keep dirt-generating objects out of the immediate vicinity of the house. Parking a car very close to a wall can cause darker stains, while smoke from a barbecue will damage a much larger area. Of course, this is not a quick process – problems only appear after some time, but siding repair in Chicagoland is not necessarily a cheap service, so take care of your walls from the very beginning.
