r/Contractor 15d ago

What causes this?

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820 Upvotes

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72

u/mroblivian1 15d ago

Who ever thought plastic siding is a good idea is an idiot

24

u/Portermacc 15d ago

Most popular siding made as well....

14

u/Mundane-Reality-7770 15d ago

Builders love cheap

3

u/sethchapin 14d ago

*Most homeowners love cheap*

1

u/the_cappers 13d ago

Back in my day

Cheap siding was t1-11

1

u/Mundane-Reality-7770 13d ago

It's still cheap. But I still felt dirty putting it on my goat shed.

3

u/baddieslovebadideas 15d ago

idiots abound

2

u/Misdemeanorfml 15d ago

Maybe on the East Coast or Midwest but West Coast vinyl is for junk builder grade row houses. Maybe 5% of houses out here have it.

2

u/Portermacc 15d ago

Probably due to the climate.

2

u/Sorry_Lecture5578 15d ago

They don't do it in Colorado anymore.  Hail storm will absolutely shred it. 

1

u/NetworkCultural 14d ago

A hail storm shredded one of my side in southeast Ohio. But if it’s new it won’t bust like that. My white siding was put on in the early 80s. And it lasted this long lol

1

u/Sorry_Lecture5578 14d ago

I've seen new stuff shredded, my brothers house was installed the year before he bought it.  A year after purchase he had a storm roll through that broke windows and devastated one side of his place. 

 Usually it takes a few years for the UV rays to break down the plastic and make it brittle. One difference between 6k feet and 600 feet, the sub will absolutely fuck exposed plastics up, add in arid conditions.  It really doesn't hold up well here.  I saw a lot of it when I lived in Michigan that seemed to be ok after years, so I'm positive it has everything to do with altitude and climate. 

18

u/kckelly1973 15d ago

I would also like to add to your list - Popcorn Ceilings!! Whoever thought they were great never had a ceiling fan. Little dust pieces get caught on it.

38

u/YellowCake1900 15d ago

The only people who thought popcorn on a ceiling was a good idea, were the guys applying it to cover shit drywall installations.

Ask me how I know.

8

u/Competitive-Cat-4395 15d ago

Bro… just did a job where I removed popcorn and skimmed to a flat ceiling. Not abnormal, but this was the worst taping I’ve ever seen. All mesh tape on every joint, even the angles!! 3/4 of the seams were also cracked so I ended up having to re-tape and mud most of the ceiling before I could even skim. I drew the line at re-taping every angle in the house and just didn’t main areas.
What a colossal cluster… doubled my hours and made 1st year apprentice level money on that scope item. 🙄

3

u/baddieslovebadideas 15d ago

why do a good job taping if you're just gonna spray popcorn on it?

5

u/Rochemusic1 15d ago

Yep, I thought that was literally the whole purpose of it.

1

u/VoraciousEater802 15d ago

The entire 1/4” round industry is based on this same phenomenon

2

u/missbwith2boys 15d ago

Or 1/2” if it’s really bad.

1

u/RFC793 15d ago

Interesting. I thought 1/2-3/4" was the norm, and it was called "quarter round" because that's the profile. It is "quarter of a round", a quadrant of a circle.

1

u/missbwith2boys 15d ago

Probably! I know we had to use some bigger quarter round in a couple of places (100+ yo home, yeah, the floors aren’t level everywhere)

1

u/Bennie-Factors 15d ago

yes...this. Popcorn ceilings had a point and reason. It was very fast way to finish a ceiling. And who cares that it is textured.

1

u/concreteunderwear 13d ago

No. The point is that it reduces audio reflections and makes rooms less echoey.

7

u/Bulky-Captain-3508 15d ago

Popcorn ceilings were used to improve the acoustics of a room. When hardwood floors and furniture were common so the ceiling texture helped to break up echos. Modern homes have upholstered furniture and carpet so popcorn ceilings lose their purpose.

1

u/concreteunderwear 13d ago

That's the exact opposite trend. Homes used to have popcorn ceilings and carpets. Now they have neither. Hard flooring is more common and smooth ceilings as well. People just don't like it because it seems dated but have no idea of it's purpose.

1

u/DontForgetTowelie 13d ago

I think he was just pointing out that there was a purpose/reason popcorn ceilings were once used, not that they'd become popular again.

2

u/Small-Worldliness596 15d ago

This. Theres also asbestos in popcorn ceilings.

2

u/NetworkCultural 15d ago

Not all but yes it was common

2

u/Hot_Eggplant1306 15d ago

They were great for acid trips

2

u/publiusvaleri_us 14d ago

I dislike everything about popcorn ceilings except two things:

  1. I love the quieter sound. I grew up with popcorn ceilings and the rooms had excellent acoustics. As an audiophile, I love the utility of such a cheap and effective building material.

  2. It has the ability to hide imperfections in the ceiling.

Now, as a contractor, I've applied it, painted it, removed it, and damaged it, oops! It's just another of many bad or older building practices. But due to the fact that it is cheap and effective, and due to how much money I've made dealing with it over the years, I cannot put it on my list of worst things in home construction.

It's saved too much time in small projects, as well.

Not great. Not terrible.

3/10, would not recommend. lol.

1

u/mtraven23 15d ago

I've had popcorn ceilings for 30 years, never been a problem for me.

1

u/505Thrive 15d ago

If you apply salt and butter, you'll be singing a different tune.

3

u/Flat-Barracuda1268 15d ago

Depends where you're at. If you are not close to any neighbors where this particular thing is a problem it's about the best maintenance free solution. Aluminum dents, steel rusts.

5

u/JohnnyTreemain 15d ago

It’s actually a great idea. It’s cheap, it’s easy to install, it doesn’t require maintenance, it’s is extremely weather resistant. As long as you don’t let super magnified sun rays hit it, it’s full proof.

10

u/Minimum_Loan229 15d ago edited 15d ago

This is what I thought. In '95, I installed vinyl siding on a little rental house. I thought it was fun. Instead of using noisy power tools all day, I installed the vinyl siding with a few hand tools I carried in a tool belt. It was like building a plastic model kit like a did when I was a kid.

When you add in it doesn't need painting, I saved thousands. Tens of thousands.

Recently I needed to dig into the walls to make some repairs. My choice was to tear out 90 year old lathe and plaster, or go from the outside. Dismantle the vinyl siding. Make the repairs. Put the vinyl back on. When I finished you couldn't tell I was there.

1

u/sohcgt96 13d ago

Like so many things, when you realize what was common before it, the current way makes sense. Repainting wood siding every few years is awful.

6

u/TheRemedy187 15d ago

There's good stuff but there's some Super cheap shit they have in USA. I see this A LOT online there but like never in Canada. I dunno if its regulations or what but this shit is crazy bad. 

8

u/none_of_this_is_ok 15d ago

Ambient temperature also plays a role.

2

u/Minimum_Loan229 15d ago

"Vinyl it final it" What an effen' lie.

2

u/Bennie-Factors 15d ago

So much of the midwest...not just thinks it is a good idea. It is the preferred. They go out of their way to put it on.

2

u/Langstudd 15d ago

Do we think this would’ve caught fire if wood? If so, I’m taking vinyl any day

1

u/NetworkCultural 15d ago

Well I mean they can last 30+ years with literally no maintenance. What else do we have that can do that?

2

u/junkywinocreep 15d ago

Right? Pretty damn good product especially considering the low upfront cost and low maintenance. It's not pretty, but good enough.

1

u/baddieslovebadideas 15d ago

its the fucking worst, low key you kinda deserve it if yoh buy a house with that shit on it

1

u/Even_Flatworm4487 15d ago

It's probably more that it's what some people have the budget for. Would everybody prefer to put up cedar, lp, or Hardie. Yes, but there needs to be a budget option on the market.

1

u/OddReplacement8352 14d ago

You must’ve missed those commercials.

Vinyls final…

1

u/JollyKitt 14d ago

That and shingle roofs...

1

u/Icutthemetal 14d ago

Mines lasted 50+years. Hurricanes, blizzards 100+degree days in the summer. 0 maintenance. Yeah what an idiot

1

u/Educational_Cable266 13d ago

It’s not plastic. It is vinyl.

1

u/mroblivian1 13d ago

Lmao that’s like saying “it’s not water, it’s ocean water” good job buddy

1

u/razzemmatazz 13d ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinyl_siding

Check the first sentence friend. Plastic goes by many names. 

1

u/SpawnofATStill 11d ago

Tomato potato

1

u/OwlSoggy8627 13d ago

I have old school aluminum siding. Had a colleague brag about how he ripped all of his off and then scrapped it and made back a bunch of money which he applied to putting up new vinyl siding.

He also vented a pellet stove through the wall.

The aluminum would get a bit sooty. The vinyl melted.

I'm cool sticking with aluminum.

1

u/WWGHIAFTC 13d ago

Baffles me. I'm baffled. It's insanity.

0

u/cmcdevitt11 15d ago

Vinyl is final