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Vinyl siding

Vinyl siding is plastic exterior siding for a


house, used for decoration and
weatherproofing, imitating wood
clapboard, and used instead of other
materials such as aluminum or fiber
cement siding. It is an engineered product,
manufactured primarily from polyvinyl
chloride (PVC) resin. In the UK and New
Zealand a similar material is known as
uPVC weatherboarding.

Approximately 80 percent of its weight is


PVC resin, with the remaining 20 percent
being ingredients that impart color,
opacity, gloss, impact resistance, flexibility,
and durability.[1] It is the most commonly
installed exterior cladding for residential
construction in the United States and
Canada.[2]

History
Vinyl siding was introduced to the exterior
market in the late 1950s as a replacement
for aluminum siding. It was first produced
by an independently owned manufacturing
plant called Crane Plastics in Columbus,
Ohio. The process was originally done
through mono-extrusion, a process of
forming the profile from a single material
into the desired shape and size.[3] At that
time, blending of colors was done
manually.
This original process made it difficult to
produce and install a consistent, quality
product. Beginning in the 1970s, the
industry changed its formulation to
improve the product's production speed,
impact resistance, and range of colors. In
the following decade, vinyl siding grew
steadily in popularity in large part due to
its durability, versatility, and ease of
maintenance.[2]

Modern manufacture
Today, vinyl siding is manufactured by co-
extrusion. Two layers of PVC are laid down
in a continuous extrusion process; the top
layer is weatherable and durable material,
which comprises up to 25% of the siding
thickness. This capstock can include
about 10% titanium dioxide, depending on
the color, which is a pigment and provides
resistance to breakdown from UV light.
Vinyl siding that is exposed to the sun will
begin to fade over time. However, the fade
rate is slower with vinyl than most other
claddings. Most manufacturers offer 50
year warranties that their products will not
fade much over that period of time. In the
past darker colors tended to fade more
than lighter ones, but advancements in
technology and materials can mean this is
no longer the case.
The lower layer, known as substrate, is
typically about 15% ground limestone
(which is largely calcium carbonate). The
limestone reduces cost, and also balances
the titanium dioxide, keeping both
extrusion streams equally fluid during
manufacturing. A small quantity of tin
mercaptan or butadiene is added as a
stabilizer to chemically tie up any
hydrochloric acid that is released into the
PVC material as the siding ages.
Lubricants are also added to aid in the
manufacturing process.[4]

Specs and product variables


Vinyl siding can be observed in a wide
range of product quality realized in a
substantial difference in thickness and
lasting durability. Thickness can vary from
.035" in cheaper grade siding products up
to .052" in the highest grade products
which vary from manufacturer to
manufacturer. Today, the thinnest vinyl
siding commonly used is .040", and is
known as "builder's grade". Vinyl product
can vary in thickness even within one
manufacturer up to .010" of thickness
through varying product lines offered that
range from basic to premium-grade
products. Thicker vinyl products, usually
realized in higher cost, are more rigid
which can add to the aesthetic appeal and
look of the installed, inherently flexible
product and also add to durability and life
expectancy. Thicker grades of vinyl siding
may, according to some, exhibit more
resistance to the most common complaint
about vinyl siding – its tendency to crack
in very cold weather when it is struck or
bumped by a hard object while others feel
that a thinner product may allow more 'flex
before cracking' and is a subject of
debate. However, at "This Old House"
website, this assertion about thickness
and crack resistance is disputed. They
claim to know of test results that indicate
chemical makeup has a greater influence
on impact resistance than does
thickness.[5]

Chemical formulas can also vary


somewhat from manufacturer to
manufacturer which can impact life
expectancy as formulas and possibly
manufacture process can be one of the
most important in terms of product quality
and durability. One important advent was a
UV "coating",[6]utilized by some
manufacturers that was applied to the
surface of the product that filters out UV
spectral light from the sun which would
otherwise degrade the PVC more quickly.
Vinyl siding is manufactured with its own
partial fastening or locking system that is
coupled with nails that 'loose' fasten the
product to the exterior wall. This locking
system can be either a rolled or an
extruded lock depending on the
manufacturing process, either of which
has its own design considerations. This
locking system, either extruded or rolled
has a bottom lock which locks into either a
start piece or onto the top lock of the
panel below. The top lock is then 'loose'
nailed to hold the panel to the wall. This
'loose' nailing allows for float which is
created by expansion and contraction
from varying temperature and weather
conditions. With well designed siding, and
proper 'loose nailing' installation, the
siding can easily expand up, down, in and
out, and left and right without restriction.
Vinyl siding, by its nature, will tend to
expand and contract more with
temperature extremes than any other
common type of cladding.

Environmental aspects
Vinyl siding features a chlorine base,
making it inherently slow to ignite and
flame retardant. All organic materials (that
is, anything containing carbon) will ignite,
but the higher the temperature a material
has to reach before it flames, the safer it
is. PVC won’t ignite, even from another
flame, until it reaches about 730°F (387°C)
and won’t self-ignite until about 850°F
(454°C). Those ignition temperatures are
significantly higher than common framing
lumber, which ignites from a flame at
500°F (260°C) and self-ignites at 770°F
(410°C). Also, ASTM D2863 tests show
that rigid PVC’s high Limiting Oxygen Index
means that it needs unusually high
amounts of oxygen to burn and stay
burning. Rigid PVC (vinyl siding) will not
independently sustain combustion in air
with a normal concentration of oxygen
(about 21 percent) — so it extinguishes
more easily.[7]

Concerns by Organizations

Because of its thin profile, vinyl siding may


be more likely to ignite due to exterior fire;
for example, the National Institute of
Standards and Technology found that, in
tests involving vinyl-clad structures in
close proximity, fire was observed to
spread between two vinyl-clad test
structures located six feet apart in fewer
than five minutes.[8] Additionally, vinyl
siding can release toxic fumes when
burning, particularly dioxins, and smoke
containing high amounts of Hydrochloric
acid. This is not only an environmental
concern, but the fumes can be dangerous
to firefighters and bystanders, and the
toxic fumes released may increase the
likelihood of fatality from smoke inhalation
for anyone trapped in the burning
structure.[9]

The National Association of Home


Builders (NAHB) recommends using
building materials that require "no
additional finish resources to complete
application on site" for green home
builders as they reduce waste and
materials used.[10] Installing vinyl siding
involves neither paint, stain, nor caulk and
thus meets this NAHB requirement.
Though vinyl siding does actually require
caulk to seal seams where the siding J
(border trim that the sliding slides into)
meets windows and doors.

The Environmental Building News


validated the issues raised by Greenpeace
and said it was not the only organization
with environmental and health concerns
about vinyl. They emphasized the risks of
additives like the plasticizer DEHP.[11]

The position of the International


Association of Firefighters, which
represents fire fighters in the U.S. and
Canada is: "Due to its intrinsic hazards, we
support efforts to identify and use
alternative building materials that do not
pose as much risk as PVC to fire fighters,
building occupants or communities."

Health Concerns
The PVC used in vinyl siding used to be
produced in open vats until 1971, when
angiosarcoma, a rare cancer of the liver,
was traced to vinyl chloride exposure
among PVC workers, and strict workplace
exposure limits were established by the
Occupational Safety and Health
Administration. These changes required all
vats to be tightly sealed, which led to
greater capital costs and a concentration
in the number of producers.[4]

References
1. "CertainTeed Master Craftsman
Education & Development Program" .
CertainTeed. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
2. "About Vinyl Siding - VSI - The Vinyl
Siding Institute" . Vinylsiding.org. Retrieved
2012-10-12.
3. "Benefits of Co-Extrusion Over Mono-
Extrusion" . http://everlastseawalls.com/ .
18 Dec 2012. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
External link in |publisher= (help)
4. Should We Phase Out PVC?
5. Feirer, Mark. "For the Love of Vinyl
Siding" . Home>How to>Siding.
thisoldhouse.com. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
6. "Helious Technology" . Retrieved
28 August 2017.
7. Vinyl Siding Institute "Siding with Safety"
[1]
8. Lab Experiments Simulate House-to-
House Fire Spread
9. Need2Know: All About Vinyl Siding
10. NAHB Model Green Home Building
Guidelines (2 ed.). National Association of
Home Builders. 2007. Retrieved
3 September 2015.
11. Environmental Building News (2 ed.).
Environmental Building News. January
1998. p. 3.

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