Straight & strong: insulated vinyl siding offers good looks, high R-values, and quiet surrounds

Building Products, Jan-Feb, 2005 by Stephanie Herzfeld

Eric Feldt Sr. has seen nearly every brand of vinyl siding introduced during his 30 years as a siding installer. But he's never been more impressed than he has been with the newest category of the product known as insulated vinyl siding.

"It creates very straight walls and offers high impact resistance, which is important in this area," says Feldt of Affordable Window and Siding in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Larry Etman, co-owner of Fairfax, Va.-based Better Homes Remodeling, agrees. "It's shaped to the contours of the house, and it's very firm so it won't push in if it's knocked into" he says. Etman recommends insulated products to his clients, although he installs traditional vinyl siding as well.

Feldt, on the other hand, only applies insulated products because he says they can withstand the harsh weather conditions Michigan sometimes offers up. The siding installer's insulated vinyl projects cost about S450 a square foot installed, 25 percent to 30 percent more than regular vinyl jobs.

A relative newcomer to the market, insulated vinyl siding has rigid foam laminated to the back of its panels. The backing increases the siding's R-value by as much as five times that of conventional backings, which manufacturers claim helps reduce homeowners' energy bills. As important, it blocks out noise and improves the home's appearance because the panels don't cup and won't dent, manufacturers claim. And like standard vinyl, insulated products don't require painting or staining and are low maintenance.

Pat Culpepper, president of Progressive Foam Technologies, the extruded polystyrene (EPS) foam backing manufacturer that's the major supplier to the vinyl siding industry, contends that insulated vinyl is an obvious choice for the remodeling market. But he says it will make inroads into new construction during the next two to three years because production builders want to set themselves apart from their competitors.

One Florida builder, for example, offers clients insulated siding as an upgrade. "When panels overlap and you don't have [foam], they can gap as heat causes them to expand. The backing keeps them stiff and makes the siding look better," says Stephen Drake, director of purchasing for The Villages active-adult community in The Villages, Fla.

Although insulated siding was introduced to the market by Crane about six years ago, most brands were rolled out during the past few years. Crane and most other siding makers use Fullback by Progressive Foam to insulate their products.

In recent months, Alcoa launched Structure, an insulated siding that features Dow's Styrofoam-brand extruded polypropylene (XPP) backing. Justin Lucas, owner of a roofing and sheet metal distribution firm in New Jersey, installed Structure on his home last summer. "The seams lay tight and the backing doesn't flake apart," Lucas says. "It has the best resiliency."

Linnea Johnson, marketing manager for Alcoa's vinyl products, claims Structure's XPP backing retains R-values better and is 30 percent more impact resistant than standard EPS foam. But Structure also is 15 percent to 20 percent more expensive than EPS-backed products, she notes.

Culpepper of Progressive, which also provides the service to laminate the Dow XXP backing to Structure for Alcoa, says when installed beneath vinyl siding on a building, Progressive's EPS foam does not absorb moisture and thus its R-values don't deteriortate over time.

No matter the type of backing, insulated siding will continue to swell in popularity, industry officials predict. "Each traditional vinyl siding manufacturer is either adding an insulated line or expanding existing insulated product lines," comments Culpepper.

As product choices proliferate, pros hope prices will fall. Insulated vinyl products cost about the same as wood and fiber-cement sidings. "All of my clients want insulated vinyl, but not all can afford it," remodeler Etman says.

Progressive Foam Technologies. Fullback thermal support structural insulation backer fits behind the contour of any siding panel to improve the siding's energy efficiency and to keep it uniform and dent-free, the firm says. The product has up to five times the R-value of traditional backers, says the maker It features Perform Guard, an additive that repels termites and carpenter ants. 800-860-3626. www.progressivefoam.com Circle 352.

Alcoa. Structure insulated siding features Styrofoam-brand extruded polypropylene foam from Dow. The siding can improve R-values of exterior walls by up to 25 percent and reduce noise and wind sound transmissions by up to 50 percent, claims the maker. Structure comes in two profiles in a number of colors (including darker hues). 800-962-6973. www.alcoahomes.com. Circle 153.

Crane. Cypress, one of the newest siding hues from the firm, is available on CraneBoard Double 7 insulated vinyl siding. The deeply shadowed double course of 7-inch planks smoothes and straightens walls, the maker claims. Coordinating insulated accessories are available for the Progressive Foam Technologies-backed product line. 800-366-8472. www.cranesiding.com. Circle 151.