CertainTeed Vinyl Siding
Vinyl siding is one of the most popular and affordable forms of home siding available today. Although it is a very durable product, vinyl siding is not often considered by those wanting to be an environmentally-friendly, green home.
Vinyl, it seems, has a bit of a bad reputation. However, it shouldn't be automatically discounted as a siding choice for your green home. If you're trying to keep within a set budget, or simply want the care-free qualities of vinyl siding, there are greener vinyl options available, such as CertainTeed Vinyl Siding.
Vinyl Siding: The Dark Side
Before we look at some of the greener vinyl siding options available, it's important to examine some of the reasons vinyl is typically not considered a green material.
Vinyl siding is made primarily of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a manmade resin. Its use has been discouraged by environmentalists for a number of reasons, including:
- PVC manufacturing can create and release dioxin, one of the most toxic chemicals to humans and other animal life. PVC can also contain phthalates, another carcinogen.
- The burning of PVC products, whether intentional or accidental, can release dioxins and other toxic compounds containing chlorine. During a house fire, vinyl siding is flammable, and the release of these compounds pose a direct threat to firefighters and bystanders, and the toxic fumes can increase the risk of fatality from smoke inhalation.
- PVC is very difficult to recycle, and most vinyl siding is sent to landfills when it is discarded.
CertainTeed Vinyl Siding Products: A Greener Choice
The most important green criteria for a home's siding is durability. Vinyl, even with its drawbacks, is an extremely long-lasting siding option, and should be considered for that reason alone. Fortunately, manufacturers such as CertainTeed are working very hard to lessen some of vinyl's environmental impacts.
As stated earlier, vinyl siding, including products from CertainTeed, is a very low maintenance and extremely durable exterior option.
CertainTeed CedarBoards horizontal and vertical siding contains a minimum of 60% post-consumer and post-industrial recycled materials. The use of recycled materials reduces the amount of energy needed to produce the siding and keeps material out of landfills. It also contributes to the Environmentally Preferred Products category for LEED certification.
While most vinyl siding is difficult to recycle, some CertainTeed vinyl siding products such as the Cedar Impressions shaker and shingle sidings, are recyclable. CertainTeed has taken the lead in creating a program to take back post-consumer siding from homeowners, builders, and manufacturing palnts, creating a 'cradle-to-cradle' system to close the loop on the production of vinyl siding.
Most of the raw materials in CertainTeed vinyl siding products are transported via rail, which uses far fewer resources and creates fewer emissions than trucking.
Manufacturing vinyl uses much less energy than other types of siding such as brick or stucco.
The manufacture of CertainTeed vinyl siding uses nearly 100% of all raw material inputs, eliminating landfill waste from the manufacturing process at their two facilities in Jackson, Michigan and Hagerstown, Maryland.
Durability and Beauty: CertainTeed Vinyl Siding Products
CertainTeed offers several choices to beautify the exterior of your home. All are extremely durable: they never need painting, are resistant to insect damage, and won't crack, split, rot, or fade like other siding products.
Cedar Impressions Shakes offer the natural beauty of cedar at a lower cost and very low maintenance. Cedar Impressions shake and shingle siding is available in over 30 color options, and its deep, authentic cedar grain texture makes it a beautiful and distinctive option.
CedarBoard Vertical Siding offers an affordable option for a traditional look for your home. Made with recycled content, CedarBoard is also available in over 15 colors.
CertainTeed Insulated Cedar Board Siding: The Ultimate in Green Vinyl Siding
For the ultimate in green vinyl siding, CertainTeed has created their CedarBoard insulated horizontal siding. With the expensive look of cedar wood plank siding without the cost or maintenance, CertainTeed insulated CedarBoard siding is made with recycled content and has a built-in layer of insulation to increase your green home's energy efficiency. Available in over 15 colors, insulated CedarBoard siding is NAHB Green Approved and EPA Energy Star rated.
To learn more, visit the official CertainTeed Vinyl Siding website. .
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