What Is the Most Durable Exterior Siding?

The top two most durable exterior sidings are composite and vinyl siding. Composite siding outperforms vinyl in terms of insulation value, thermal resistance, and environmental friendliness. When it comes to strength and durability, composite ranks higher than vinyl. Since composite expands and contracts due to the temperature, it generally holds up better in hot or cold climates, where vinyl could warp or become brittle. It’s also important to note that composite will last longer than vinyl as long as it is well-maintained.

But compared to engineered wood, vinyl is known to be less expensive, and simpler to install. And cost is something to consider when maintaining a budget.

Exterior Wall Finishing Materials

There are several types of exterior wall materials that are essential when installing the exterior finish. These different components to exterior wall finishing ensure structural integrity and a durable, long-lasting installation:

Metal lath is an attachable foundation for plaster application that also offers a composite cladding, enabling it to more effectively manage the wind loads and static forces that can lead to stress fractures in plaster installations.
Corner beads offer strength and support on each corner of the exterior using galvanized expanded metal, vinyl/PVC, welded wire, stainless steel, or zinc alloy.
Casing beads, also known as plaster or stucco stops, serve to end stucco and plaster where they abut dissimilar materials such as along the windows, doors, and other fenestrations found throughout a building, per ASTM C1063.
Exterior wall starter strips are installed to secure the initial pieces of siding. Every starter strip serves as a perimeter base support for Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS) and Direct-Applied Exterior Finish Systems (DEFS).
Weep and sill screeds, which are metal or vinyl flashing components, serve as a drainage plane to direct moisture away from the wall system.
Control joints are installed to allow for increased longitudinal movement in areas where stress concentrations are anticipated. This relieves wall stress and lowers the risk of expansive cracking in walls and ceilings.
Expansion joints allow structural movement to be controlled and anticipate shrinkage in a building, minimizing the risk of damage to exterior finishes.
Reveals are used to make an architectural break in a wall, resulting in a more visually appealing surface pattern or relief.
Rainscreens can be utilized to enhance a wall system's thermal control, ventilation, and drainage. To stop continuous and unrestricted moisture penetration, a rainscreen's drainage plane is designed to remove moisture from the structure.

ClarkDietrich: Durable and Secure Finishing

With ClarkDietrich products, you’ll be able to install exterior finishes with materials you can trust. We collaborate with teams of architects, engineers, building developers and owners, and contractors on our projects. These projects vary in size, scope, and complexity as the expectations for improved performance in all elements of today's structures increase.

ClarkDietrich focuses on innovation. Many installation and performance difficulties that affect exterior finishes have been addressed by our wide range of innovative solutions—and many of these solutions have been developed specifically to address the problems installers have when using conventional materials.

We manufacture innovative products for interior and exterior framing, interior and exterior finishing, clips and connectors, and floor and roof framing.

Visit our website for more information on our products and innovations with our white papers, blogs, and published articles.

Types of Exterior Finishes