Siding FAQs

Can I replace my siding myself? Can I have a friend  or relative of mine replace my siding?

Technically, anyone can replace their own siding. The real question is can I competently install my replacement siding so it stays maintenance free, and doesn’t leak air and water? Do you have the right tools and time to replace the siding? Are you willing to do the hard work of removing your existing siding, if needed, or furring-out before placing the sheets of insulation board and installing the siding?

It takes a competent professional siding crew of four, who installs siding daily, about a day to remove the siding and two to three days to install new insulation and siding on a larger ranch or smaller colonial home. How much longer do you think it would take someone who has never replaced siding to do the same job? What happens when you run into issues where you have to replace wood, re-flash around a window, box in soffits, cut rafter ends, or plumb walls for siding installation? Do you have access to an aluminum break to wrap the exterior trim around the windows, doors, roof line, fascia and porch beams to keep them waterproof and maintenance free?

Did you know that improperly installing your replacement siding will void the manufacturer’s warranty? If you or your friend/relative installs your siding and trim, who takes care of warranty work for materials and workmanship? Can either of you drop whatever you are doing to perform warranty work when it is required? If things go wrong and warranty work is required, is it going to strain your relationship with the friend or relative who installed your siding and trim? At Easy Windows & Siding, LLC our composite cladding and workmanship includes a lifetime warranty that includes installation materials, and all components. If your siding has an issue, we take care of the problem!

Do you have access to the right materials and tools? Local hardware stores sell lots of different grades of materials for improving your home and offer very little expertise in helping you to select the right material to ensure a job that will last a lifetime. As remodeling professionals, we have access to the best materials on the market recommended for your job that are not always carried in the local hardware stores. Since we are professionals who install windows and siding daily, we also have the tools to complete the job correctly without making costly mistakes. How many times have you bent aluminum coil stock and wrapped exterior wood trim around windows, doors and other trim capped in aluminum trim? This is not an easy task and is almost like an artform to ensure a beautifully completed window and/or siding installation.

You may be able to buy replacement siding, but will the siding, soffit and trim you buy resolve the issues you are trying to solve? This is where having a trusted expert advisor like one from our company, who is a specialist in replacing siding, soffit and trim, can really help you to make the best decisions to solve your siding pains. Different siding, soffit and trim problems require different solutions, as their is no one solution that solves all problems. We use an extensive needs assessment when inspecting your home’s siding, soffit and trim to ensure our expert advisors provide you the best solutions to your exterior cladding problems at an affordable cost.

Without performing an inspection and needs assessment, how would we be able to know that our siding, soffit and trim would resolve your exterior cladding issues? This is why it is hard to buy replacement siding, soffit and trim over the phone or email.

The biggest mistake a homeowner could do is to buy a builder grade siding, soffit and trim and install it in a home. Buying these materials from big box stores like Home Depot or Lowes, is guaranteed to sell you outdated technology that will not protect your home. What’s more, if you do not install it per the manufacturer’s instructions the warranty is voided.

Our company is also an EPA RPR Lead Safe certified firm trained on how to contain lead dust to prevent inadvertently poisoning your family, friends, pets, neighbors and future home inhabitants. Most homeowner’s are not qualified and insured to deal with the idiosynchronies required by the EPA for lead dust containment procedures, and should leave home renovations on homes older than 1978 to professional remodelers. 

Which replacement exterior cladding or siding is the best?

This is a very subjective question, as it is asking for an opinion. However, we feel the Alside’s Ascend composite cladding is the best on the market due to warranties, construction, energy efficiency, color options, and value for the customer. The composite cladding include a non-prorated lifetime warranty transferable to the next owner as a 50-Year pro-rated warranty, in combination with our lifetime labor warranty that includes installation materials.

Alside’s Ascend composite cladding was developed and then tested in the Arizona desert heat in dark colors. This was done to see how well the product would stand-up to the high heat that vinyl siding cannot stand up to. In this area, vinyl siding would warp, twist, bow and melt in light or dark colors, whereas the new Alside Ascend composite cladding was not affected by the heat. Ohio’s summers reaching 90 degrees for 5 days or 3 days at a 100 degrees can begin to distort vinyl siding. Vinyl siding is also distorted by low-e glass reflection that does not adversely affect the composite cladding.

For these reasons plus the fact the composite cladding installs straighter, has an R-value equivalent to insulated vinyl siding that can be easily increased with flat insulation board, it looks like real wood, and is cheaper than fiber cement board, it’s our choice!

Having giving our opinion on the best replacement windows, replacement cladding in the United States comes in wood, aluminum, steel, vinyl, composite, and fiber cement. In addition, all of the materials have impact modifiers, chemicals to prevent fading, and are warrantied differently. Aluminum coil stock for wrapping windows, doors, porch beams, fascia, rake and other trim is available as a standard finish, no mar finish, and a vinyl coated finish.

Each exterior cladding material has installation requirements that must be met to prevent voiding warranties, protect the home from water damage, prevent air infiltration, prevent premature cracking of fiber cement, prevent wavy vinyl siding due to installing too tight, and prevent vinyl siding from blowing off of the building.

Different grade materials exist for the installation of siding for example are you using a stainless steel starter strip or a plastic starter strip for vinyl siding? Painters latex caulk or silicone caulking? Neopor based foam insulation backer or standard foam insulation backer? Is the siding installed with flat insulation board or is it fully backed with molded insulation board that’s 3x stronger due to impact and 2.7x more energy efficient?

Replacement siding, soffit and trim is anything but a standardized commodities. This is why you need a trusted expert advisor from Easy Windows & Siding, LLC to come out and perform a needs assessment on your home, measure your siding, soffit and trim, show you available options and colors, and give you a quote that is good for one full year. Hopefully when you are ready to get the siding replaced, you will call us.

What areas does Easy Windows & Siding, LLC do work?

We cover the NE Ohio areas of Cleveland, Akron, Canton, and surrounding areas. We cover the following counties of Lorain, Cuyahoga, Lake, Medina, Summit, Portage, Wayne, Stark, Holmes and Tuscarawas.

How can I pay for my replacement siding, soffit & trim?

You can pay cash, by credit or debit card, electronic check, or finance replacing your windows using either 18-months same-as-cash zero percent financing, traditional unsecured financing. Financing is available for Tier 1 or 2 qualified customers, and some Tier 3 customers.

You can apply for financing by clicking the “Apply Now” button above.