When Should a Contractor NOT Recommend Aluminum Siding?

Knowing how to sell a siding product is useful.

Knowing when not to sell it is what separates a salesperson from a trusted exterior professional.

Aluminum siding has legitimate strengths. Aluminum is lightweight, corrosion resistant and widely used throughout the building industry, and current Gentek aluminum siding products offer coordinated colors, profiles and exterior accessories.

But none of that means aluminum should be recommended on every siding appointment. At Suburban Wholesale & Supply, we believe contractors should understand vinyl, aluminum, steel and composite cladding well enough to recognize when another product is the better recommendation.

The Wrong Product Sold Well Is Still the Wrong Product

Contractors sometimes become so comfortable with one product that every homeowner starts receiving the same presentation.

That's convenient for the salesperson.

It isn't necessarily good for the customer.

1. Don't Recommend Aluminum When the Homeowner Clearly Prefers Another Look

Start with appearance.

Gentek's Woodgrain 2000 aluminum siding, for example, is currently offered in a Double 4-inch clapboard profile with a woodgrain texture. Gentek also advises homeowners to confirm final color choices with actual product samples because screen colors can vary.

That's a useful product offering—but it doesn't mean the profile or finish will satisfy every homeowner.

If the customer wants:

• A different exposure
• A dramatically different architectural profile
• A specific board-and-batten appearance
• A particular deep wood appearance
• A color unavailable in the aluminum line
• A look another cladding product clearly delivers better

Don't spend the next 20 minutes trying to convince them they should like something else.

Show them a product that better matches the design they already told you they want.

2. Don't Recommend Aluminum When Impact Exposure Is One of the Homeowner's Biggest Concerns

Every siding material has tradeoffs.

Aluminum can be damaged by physical impact, and contractors should not minimize that concern when a homeowner is particularly worried about impact exposure.

Gentek's current aluminum siding warranty specifically identifies several forms of damage that fall outside manufacturing-defect coverage, including hail, wind-borne objects, physical abuse and other causes outside the manufacturer's control.

That does not mean aluminum performs poorly. It means the homeowner needs to understand the distinction between a product defect and external physical damage.

Ask questions such as:

• Has the home experienced previous hail damage?
• Are there areas frequently hit by balls, equipment or other objects?
• Is impact resistance one of the customer's top priorities?
• Are they specifically asking for the strongest siding system you offer?

If those answers make impact performance the deciding factor, compare aluminum honestly against the other siding systems available to you.

3. Don't Recommend Aluminum Simply Because the House Already Has Aluminum

Existing aluminum siding should trigger questions—not an automatic replacement recommendation.

Ask the homeowner:

• What have you liked about your existing siding?
• What do you dislike about it?
• Why are you replacing it now?
• Do you want the house to look similar afterward?
• Would you like to compare different materials?

You may discover that aluminum remains an excellent fit.

Or the homeowner may tell you that this remodeling project is specifically their opportunity to change the appearance or characteristics of the exterior.

4. Don't Recommend Aluminum When the Customer Wants an Insulated Siding System

Listen carefully when energy performance becomes a major part of the homeowner's goals.

Exterior continuous insulation and insulated siding can be used as part of strategies intended to reduce thermal bridging. ENERGY STAR materials recognize continuous rigid insulation and insulated siding as exterior-wall insulation approaches in applicable wall assemblies.

If the homeowner specifically wants siding with factory-integrated insulation or a defined exterior insulation strategy, don't simply substitute a standard aluminum siding panel and suggest the products are equivalent.

Evaluate the wall assembly and present the products that actually address the customer's insulation objective.

5. Don't Recommend Aluminum When the Desired Color or Profile Isn't Available

Contractors get themselves into trouble when they sell first and verify availability later.

Gentek notes that product colors may not be available in every market and advises checking availability with the appropriate sales representative.

That matters.

Before recommending aluminum, verify:

• The exact product
• The exact profile
• The selected color
• Matching accessories
• Soffit and fascia availability
• Trim-coil compatibility
• Current lead time

Don't build the entire project around a combination that cannot actually be supplied.

6. Don't Recommend Aluminum If Your Crew Is Not Comfortable Installing It

This one is easy to overlook.

The product and the installation cannot be separated.

Gentek's warranty documentation specifically excludes damage caused by faulty or improper installation, improper application and accessories that do not correctly receive or secure the panels.

If your installation team doesn't understand the product, either get the crew trained or recommend something your company can install correctly.

7. Don't Recommend Aluminum If You're Going to Ignore the Wall Behind It

Siding is not a cure for structural or moisture problems.

If the inspection reveals deteriorated sheathing, significant water damage, unstable substrates or other underlying problems, address those conditions before treating the project as a routine re-siding job.

Gentek's warranty language also makes clear that failures involving the underlying wall—including settlement, distortion, warping, failure or cracking of the wall or materials to which the siding is attached—are not simply manufacturing defects in the siding.

Diagnose the wall first. Then select the cladding.

8. Don't Recommend Aluminum When Another Product Clearly Solves the Customer's Priorities Better

This is the hardest one for product-focused salespeople.

Sometimes another siding simply fits better.

Perhaps the homeowner values:

• A particular vinyl profile
• A specific insulated siding system
• The characteristics of steel siding
• A premium composite appearance
• A board-and-batten design not available in your aluminum offering
• A specific warranty feature offered by another product

Your product knowledge should help you recognize that situation instead of preventing you from seeing it.

9. Don't Recommend Aluminum Just to Hit a Price Point

Price matters, but price should not be the entire diagnosis.

If aluminum happens to fit within the customer's budget and also satisfies their design and performance goals, that's useful.

But don't choose a material first simply because its estimated installed price lands where you want the proposal to be.

A good-better-best siding presentation should show meaningful differences in product and project scope, not simply three increasingly expensive numbers.

10. Don't Recommend Aluminum Without Showing the Homeowner the Actual Product

Aluminum siding often suffers from an image problem.

Some homeowners picture older aluminum siding they have seen on homes for decades rather than the current product you're proposing.

If you're going to recommend aluminum, bring a current sample.

Show:

• The profile
• The texture
• The finish
• The color
• The butt depth
• The coordinated soffit and fascia options

Gentek's Woodgrain 2000 product, for example, currently features a 1/2-inch butt, Double 4-inch exposure and woodgrain texture. Those details are much easier to understand when the actual siding is sitting on the table.

11. Don't Recommend Aluminum Without Reviewing the Warranty

Never make warranty claims from memory.

Gentek maintains a current warranty specifically covering Deluxe and Woodgrain 2000 aluminum siding and soffit. Its warranty documentation explains coverage, remedies and exclusions.

Use that written document.

If a homeowner's purchase decision depends heavily on hail coverage, finish coverage, transferability or another specific warranty feature, verify the actual language before making the recommendation.

The Five-Minute Aluminum Qualification Test

Before presenting aluminum, ask yourself:

1. Does the homeowner like the appearance?
2. Is the desired profile available?
3. Is the desired color available?
4. Does aluminum address the customer's biggest priorities?
5. Are impact concerns properly understood?
6. Does the homeowner want an insulated siding system?
7. Is the wall condition appropriate for the planned installation?
8. Can our crew install this product correctly?
9. Have we reviewed the correct current warranty?
10. Would another material honestly solve this project better?

That last question matters the most.

Sometimes "No" Is the Best Aluminum Sales Presentation

Imagine telling a homeowner:

That's powerful.

You've just demonstrated that your recommendation isn't being driven exclusively by the product you happen to want to sell.

And when you recommend aluminum on the next project, your recommendation carries more weight.

Sell the Right Siding, Not Just More Siding

Aluminum remains an important building material. The Aluminum Association identifies durability, corrosion resistance and a high strength-to-weight ratio among the characteristics that have supported aluminum's long history in building and construction.

Gentek continues to offer aluminum siding and coordinated aluminum exterior products.

None of that changes the contractor's responsibility to match the product to the project.

Build Better Product Recommendations With Suburban Wholesale & Supply

Suburban Wholesale & Supply works with professional siding contractors throughout Davenport, Bettendorf, Moline, Rock Island and the surrounding Quad Cities, Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois.

Our team can help contractors compare siding categories, obtain current samples and literature, understand product differences and develop stronger good-better-best presentations.

The objective is not to force every homeowner into one material. It is to understand the products well enough to recommend the right exterior system with confidence.

Sources & Additional Resources

• Gentek Building Products — Woodgrain 2000 Aluminum Siding: Current Woodgrain 2000 product information, profiles, colors and resources
• Gentek Building Products — Aluminum Siding Warranty: Deluxe and Woodgrain 2000 Aluminum Siding and Soffit Warranty Resources
• Gentek Building Products — Product Directory: Aluminum siding specifications and product information
• Gentek Building Products — Aluminum Soffit and Fascia: Hi-Tensile Aluminum Soffit and Deluxe Fascia
• The Aluminum Association — Building & Construction: Aluminum characteristics and building applications
• ENERGY STAR — Insulation Resources: Exterior continuous insulation information