Dark Siding Colors: 5 Materials to Consider

Your home’s exterior siding is one of the most important parts of your home. It protects your indoors from debris and dirt and improves the curb appeal of your home. If you’re planning a siding replacement project, there are so many things to consider, especially the color choice. The color of your siding plays a significant factor in the beauty and even in the energy efficiency of your home. 

Homeowners in the past preferred muted, neutral colors. However, these days, many are choosing either pure white or dramatic dark tones, including pure black. Deep, luxurious black siding elevates the look of your home and helps your exterior stand out in your neighborhood. 

If you’re choosing dark siding, there are some things you should know. Read on as Shine Construction Inc., known for top-quality siding and window replacement services, provides an overview of what you should consider when it comes to dark-colored siding.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Dark-Colored Siding?

With the right siding color, you can change the style of your home. If your home has a traditional look, for instance, a bolder color such as black will bring a contemporary element to it. The contrast of style and use of color is unexpected, making it even more attractive and eye-catching. In addition to that, darker shades of siding are also great at camouflaging flaws. If there is an architectural element you want to be inconspicuous, you might consider cladding it in a darker shade. 

However, in contrast to light colors, dark colors gather more solar energy, which can have a negative effect on your home’s energy efficiency. During hot summer days, the more sunlight absorbed by your siding, the higher the indoor cooling requirements will be. This may cause your air conditioning system to work harder than usual, leading to a rise in your energy bills.

Nevertheless, this should not discourage homeowners from choosing dark colors for their siding. To keep your indoors comfortable, your siding contractor recommends your exterior siding have sufficient insulation. Some siding products may already have an insulating layer underneath, while others require additional insulation before installation. 

What Is the Impact of Dark Colors on the Siding Material?

If you’re choosing a dark color for your siding, your choice of siding material also matters. Let’s take a look at the impact of dark-colored siding on five common siding materials.

1. Vinyl 

Due to a lack of market demand, vinyl may not be the best siding material if you want a completely black look. While there are some shades of vinyl that can be dark, you won’t find a truly black siding. Many manufacturers don’t offer black siding material because some are warranted against “excessive color fade” but don’t specify what constitutes “excessive.” 

Furthermore, you can choose to paint your existing vinyl siding. To avoid issues with expansion due to heat absorption, homeowners typically need to use a paint color not darker than the original color of the vinyl itself. However, there are paint brands that offer a color palette explicitly made for vinyl siding that can be mixed with other paint lines. 

Another element to consider in vinyl siding is molded-in colors. When you cut a piece in half, you’ll find that the color goes through and through. However, molded-in colors may look pale, which often happens if you choose substandard vinyl siding. This can be remedied using paint, but you may need to put up with frequent scraping and repainting. 

2. Wood

If installed over a ventilated rain screen, wood siding can last for a very long time. In fact, with occasional recoating, a stained or painted surface applied to a durable wood siding can last at least 100 years. Without a rain screen, wood can be prone to moisture damage and rot.

Additionally, if the wood siding installed tight to a weather-resistant barrier (WRB) has a dark finish, keep in mind that it may be more prone to cupping. This is because the solar vapor drive pushes more moisture through the wood and allows it to saturate the back of the siding. Therefore, your siding contractor will coat all surfaces before installing the siding. A sturdy, well-detailed rain screen is also a good idea as it allows the back of the siding to dry first before becoming saturated. 

3. Metal

As with other materials, a dark-colored metal siding gets hot. However, if your metal siding is installed without a ventilation gap, you should consider adding a high-temperature underlayment. Otherwise, you risk possibly melting your WRB. 

If you live in an area where it snows a lot and you have a roof overhang, dark siding may also contribute to the formation of ice dams. The overhangs capture the heat rising off from the dark siding, causing the water runoff to get trapped underneath the overhang. To prevent this from happening, you should insulate the overhang and install an adequate ventilation system.

4. Fiber Cement

Fiber cement siding replacement is a smart choice should you plan to use a dark-colored siding. Take note that it may come factory-painted, or primed and ready for painting. If you’re planning to paint your fiber cement siding, you can use 100% acrylic latex paint. While standard factory siding colors from James Hardie® may not be a true black color, they do not place a limit on what colors you can apply nor warranty their siding for third-party paints. 

5. Composites

For composite siding, you can choose between LP SmartSide® and Boral TruExterior®. LP SmartSide is an engineered wood siding. Since it’s available as pre-primed, it doesn’t limit the choice of topcoat color. On the other hand, the TruExterior siding may be painted with any high-quality exterior paint without special conditions. This is because the product is not prone to excessive movements due to heat buildup. For all these reasons, composite siding is a great choice if you’re going for a dark color. 

To ensure your exterior renovation is successful, trust Shine Construction Inc. for the task. Whether you need a siding or window replacement, rest assured our team of contractors is determined to help. Give us a call at (508) 278-3300 or fill out our online contact form to set an appointment.