Does Vinyl Siding Shrink In Cold Weather?

Vinyl siding has benefits galore, from how it elevates your home’s curb appeal, to how you don’t need to worry about peeling paint with colored vinyl siding, to how it helps to protect your house, and more. However, vinyl is a plastic product. This makes people who live in places where it gets cold worry that it will shrink in cold weather or become brittle and break. Siding is an investment, and you want to ensure that the type of siding that you have installed will work for you.

Here’s what you need to know about whether or not vinyl siding will shrink in cold weather and other similar concerns people have about this type of siding in the winter months.

Does Vinyl Siding Shrink In The Cold?

In short: yes, but you typically don’t need to worry about it if the siding was properly installed. 

Due to the nature of the material, it’s only natural for vinyl to expand and contract with temperature changes. If the installer does not account for this, then you can run into problems like buckling. Improper installations create a bad name for siding as a whole, but it’s important to note that if you work with experienced professionals, they know how to work with vinyl in order to prevent damage.

How Do Professionals Work With Siding’s Growth And Shrinkage?

Siding professionals know how to cut vinyl siding and nail it down to prevent damage from natural expansion and contraction. There are many different factors that they take into account in order to ensure that your siding lasts as long as possible. 

Cutting The Panels To Proper Lengths

When the panels are cut to proper lengths, they accommodate the growth and shrinkage, making worrying about if it will shrink in cold weather a non-issue. When cutting the panels, your installers will also pay heed to your window and door casing. After all, if the siding expands in the summer and is pressed up tight against the casing, this can result in buckling.

Nailing To Allow For Movement

In addition to cutting the siding to proper lengths, siding installers also need to be mindful of how they nail the siding in. Nail the panels too tightly, and they don’t have room to grow and contact. Nail them in just right, and you can enjoy beautiful siding for years to come. Just like in how they cut the panels, when they nail them, they need to ensure that the nails allow for the vinyl to expand and contract without risk of damage.

Does Vinyl Siding Get Brittle In The Cold?

Alright, so, so long as the siding is properly installed, you don’t need to worry about the shrinkage, got it. But what about it getting brittle? Won’t this impact the integrity of your home?

Again, this is where professional expertise comes into play. Because yes, this type of siding can indeed get brittle in the cold. However, if it’s been properly installed and you don’t live somewhere that gets too cold, you usually don’t need to worry about it breaking. 

This is one of the cases where where you live matters. If the temperatures drop down to extremes frequently, then your vinyl won’t last as long as another siding option could. It can be more susceptible to cracking and breakage and require more frequent replacement. 

Note how we say extreme cold here, though. Generally, if it just gets cold and not extremely so, you don’t need to worry too much about your siding getting brittle for some years.

The Quality Of The Siding Matters

As with anything else, the higher quality your siding and the better your installation, the better off you’ll be come winter. Many people enjoy vinyl siding, especially insulated vinyl siding, for how it can help to keep their homes protected and improve their homes’ energy efficiency. 

However, the lower quality the siding or the worse your installation, the more likely you are to run into problems with it when the weather gets cold. 

Unlimited Siding is here to help you with all of your siding needs. We can do winter siding installation – provided the temperature is above 40 degrees Fahrenheit. We can also advise you on how to maintain your siding in the winter months. If you’re uncertain about what type of siding is best for your specific needs, we can provide you with professional guidance to help you make the right choice for you. We provide vinyl siding, LP Smartside siding, and board and batten siding.

Contact us today to learn more about our siding services.