Written by Eric Fleming

Metal siding was created to address the costs of maintaining traditional wood siding -- in both money and time. Cost efficient and durable, metal siding is often used in industrial buildings or for structures with a modern (or retro) feel. Like all siding options, metal siding is not the perfect solution for everyone, but definitely has its advantages.

Types of metal siding

The first popular type of metal siding was aluminum. Aluminum siding was quite cheap and very durable. However, it was also noisy and prone to hail damage. This led to vinyl coated aluminum siding, which is quieter and doesn't have problems with paint fading or chalking, but which is much more expensive. Another type of metal siding is steel siding, which will rust but is not prone to denting. You will also find corrugated galvanized steel sheet siding, which is most commonly used for utilitarian buildings such as barns and sheds.

Pros and cons of metal siding

Every siding option has its pros and cons, and metal siding is no exception. Aluminum siding, as mentioned above, is very prone to denting and hail damage. Steel siding rusts. Any type of metal siding, because of its composition, uses nonrenewable resources, and most are noisy – especially aluminum. Also, metal siding isn't often installed by homeowners, instead requiring a contractor or professional for installation. Finally, the look of metal siding isn't right for many homeowners.

However, when compared with other siding options such as wood, vinyl, stucco or cement fiber, metal siding has many obvious advantages. Compared with natural siding such as wood, metal siding is incredibly durable. It also requires very little maintenance and is fire resistant. Although metal siding is made of a finite resource, old metal siding can be recycled. In addition, metal siding is bug and rot resistant, so installing aluminum or steel siding should end any infestation problems. It's also relatively inexpensive compared to many other siding options.

Use a professional installer

While metal siding can be installed by homeowners, there are definite benefits to having it installed by a professional. For one, special tools are required -- tools the everyday homeowner won't have available. There are different techniques used in metal siding installation, as well, that that only apply to metal siding. However, metal siding is fairly cost efficient. When compared with other options such as stucco, brick or concrete, you often find metal siding two or three times cheaper to purchase, so the added installation costs should definitely not break the bank.

Find out much you could save — fill out our quick and easy free price quote request form and you'll hear from multiple competing suppliers who will let you know how much you could save by choosing metal siding.