Aluminum siding is no longer the default exterior choice it once was, but that is exactly why contractors who still understand it can stand out. Gentek continues to offer aluminum siding products, and there are still homeowners, repair situations and design applications where aluminum makes sense. The opportunity is not to push aluminum—it is to know when to offer it.

Suburban Wholesale & Supply Siding Sales Academy

Why Contractors Should Still Offer Aluminum Siding

Aluminum siding may not be the first product most contractors present today, but that does not mean it should disappear from the product lineup. There are still projects where aluminum fits well, and contractors who understand those situations can serve more homeowners without forcing every project into vinyl or steel.

A lot of contractors have simplified their siding offering.

Vinyl.

Maybe steel.

Maybe composite.

Aluminum often gets left out.

That can be a mistake.

Siding Sales Academy Rule

You do not need aluminum to be your most popular product. You need it available for the projects where it is the right product.

Aluminum Siding Is Still Being Manufactured

Contractors sometimes speak about aluminum siding as if it disappeared from the market.

Gentek still lists aluminum siding in its current product lineup.

Current Gentek aluminum offerings include:

Cedarwood

An aluminum siding option designed around a more traditional wood-inspired exterior look.

Woodgrain Series 2000

A classic woodgrain aluminum siding system for homeowners who want a traditional metal exterior.

Deluxe

A smooth aluminum siding option for customers who prefer a cleaner finish.

Contractors can review the current aluminum lineup in the Gentek Product Directory .

Existing Aluminum Homes Create Real Opportunities

One of the biggest reasons to keep aluminum in the lineup is simple:

There are still a lot of homes with aluminum siding.

Those homeowners may need:

Storm damage repair
Replacement after window or door work
An addition sided
A garage matched
Several damaged panels replaced
A complete exterior replacement

"Before we replace the entire exterior, let's first determine what aluminum product is already on the home and whether a current material can solve the repair."

If your company does not understand aluminum, those calls often go somewhere else.

Aluminum Creates a Repair Business

Repair work can become an excellent lead source.

A homeowner may call because they need three panels after:

Wind Damage

Hail Damage

Window Replacement

Addition Work

That small repair conversation can lead to:

Full siding replacement
Soffit and fascia work
Gutter work
Window replacement
Door replacement

A small aluminum siding repair can be the first conversation in a much larger exterior project.

Aluminum Gives You Another Answer

Good siding contractors do not only carry one solution.

Homeowners have different priorities.

Some want:

Vinyl siding
A metal siding product
Premium steel
Composite cladding
A product that works with an existing aluminum exterior

If you only sell one or two siding systems, you may spend the appointment trying to make the customer fit your product.

A broader product offering lets the product fit the customer instead.

Aluminum Can Fit Customers Who Specifically Want Metal

Some homeowners simply prefer metal siding.

Do not assume that automatically means steel.

Show both.

Aluminum

A proven, lightweight metal siding option with traditional product applications and coordinated aluminum exterior products.

Steel

A more rigid metal siding category that can provide a different durability, coating and premium-performance story.

The customer's priorities should decide which metal makes more sense.

Aluminum Works Well in a Good-Better-Best Presentation

Aluminum does not need to replace vinyl or steel.

It can simply become another legitimate option.

GOOD

Premium Vinyl

Strong value, broad profile and color choices and a lower initial investment for many projects.

DIFFERENT / UPGRADE

Gentek Aluminum

A metal siding alternative that can work especially well for existing aluminum homes and coordinated aluminum exterior packages.

PREMIUM

Gentek Steel

Premium metal construction with greater rigidity and different coating, profile and warranty options.

The purpose of good-better-best is not to manipulate the homeowner into the most expensive product.

It is to make differences easier to understand.

Aluminum Has a Large Supporting Product Family

Another reason aluminum remains relevant is the broader exterior system around it.

Gentek currently offers:

Aluminum siding
Aluminum soffit
Aluminum fascia
Aluminum trim coil
Aluminum siding accessories
Gutter coil

Contractors can review current coordinating products through Gentek's aluminum soffit and fascia offering and aluminum trim coil .

That makes aluminum part of a complete exterior system rather than a stand-alone siding panel.

Color Coordination Is a Legitimate Advantage

Gentek's Color Clear Through program is designed to help coordinate colors across siding, soffit, fascia, trim and rainware.

That gives contractors the ability to move from:

"Which siding color do you want?"

to:

"Let's design the complete exterior and coordinate your siding, soffit, fascia, trim and gutters."

The bigger exterior conversation creates more homeowner value and potentially a larger project.

Aluminum Gives You a Better Repair Conversation

Imagine a homeowner calls because a tree limb damaged one wall of an older aluminum-sided house.

A contractor who does not understand aluminum may immediately say:

"You need to replace everything."

A stronger contractor says:

"Let's identify the siding first, check current material availability and see what repair options actually exist."

That answer earns trust even if the final recommendation eventually becomes full replacement.

Aluminum Helps With Additions and Garages

Home additions create another natural aluminum opportunity.

If the existing home has aluminum siding, the homeowner may want the addition or garage to coordinate rather than replacing the entire house.

Contractors should investigate:

Existing manufacturer
Existing profile
Existing color
Current Gentek options
Whether an acceptable visual match is possible

The ability to offer aluminum gives the homeowner an option before forcing a complete exterior replacement.

Do Not Promise Perfect Matching

Offering aluminum does not mean every old aluminum exterior can be matched perfectly.

Older siding may have:

Discontinued profiles
Discontinued colors
Different textures
Natural weathering
Different panel dimensions

Always compare physical samples.

"We may be able to find a very good aluminum solution, but I want to compare the actual profile and color before I promise you a match."

Aluminum Can Be a Lower-Resistance Metal Conversation

Some homeowners like the idea of metal but are not ready for a premium steel investment.

Aluminum gives the salesperson another path to explore.

Do not frame it simply as:

"The cheaper metal."

Instead:

"If you like the idea of metal siding, we can compare aluminum and steel so you can decide which construction, appearance and investment level make the most sense."

Aluminum Also Gives Contractors Something Competitors May Not Offer

A narrower product category can create an advantage.

If another contractor says:

"Nobody can get aluminum anymore."

and your team can explain current Gentek options accurately, you immediately become a more useful resource.

Knowledge creates differentiation.

Contractors Should Offer Aluminum—Not Push It

This distinction matters.

Keep aluminum available.

Understand it.

Show it when appropriate.

But move to another siding system when that product better solves the homeowner's priorities.

The goal is not to sell more aluminum. The goal is to close more siding projects by having more correct answers.

Five Customers Who Should Probably See Aluminum

1. The Existing Aluminum Homeowner

Especially for repair, addition and matching conversations.

2. The Metal-Siding Customer

Give them aluminum and steel options instead of assuming metal means one product.

3. The Addition Customer

Current aluminum may offer a better visual relationship to the original house.

4. The Coordinated Exterior Customer

Aluminum siding, soffit, fascia and trim can become part of one broader exterior package.

5. The Homeowner Who Wants More Options

Aluminum may not win, but showing it reinforces that your company offers choices instead of one predetermined answer.

What Should a Salesperson Never Say?

Avoid	Better Language
"Aluminum siding is obsolete."	"Aluminum is a smaller category today, but current Gentek products still make sense for certain projects."
"Nobody makes aluminum anymore."	"Gentek currently offers multiple aluminum siding products and supporting aluminum exterior products."
"Steel replaced aluminum."	"Steel and aluminum are different metal siding options that fit different projects."
"We can match any old aluminum."	"We'll identify the existing siding and compare current profiles and physical samples before promising a match."
"You should use aluminum because that's what you already have."	"Since you already have aluminum, it is one option worth comparing with replacement vinyl and steel."

The 30-Second Kitchen-Table Presentation

Siding Sales Academy Script

"Aluminum isn't the first siding product I recommend on every house, but it is still a real option. Gentek continues to manufacture aluminum siding, and it can make a lot of sense on an existing aluminum home, an addition, a repair or for someone who specifically wants metal siding. I would rather show you aluminum, vinyl and steel and explain the differences than force you into whatever product I happen to sell the most."

The One-Sentence Answer

"Contractors should still offer aluminum siding because there are still real projects where aluminum is the most practical, compatible or homeowner-preferred solution."

Siding Sales Academy Takeaway

More product knowledge gives you more ways to solve the project.

Keep aluminum available for repairs, additions, existing aluminum homes, metal-siding customers and coordinated aluminum exterior packages.

You do not need aluminum to win every project. You need enough product knowledge to recognize the projects aluminum can win.

Find Aluminum Siding Through Suburban Wholesale & Supply

Contractors who still understand aluminum can serve a part of the siding market many competitors simply ignore.

Suburban Wholesale & Supply helps siding contractors throughout Davenport, Bettendorf, Moline, Rock Island, East Moline, the Quad Cities, Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois compare siding systems and current product availability.

Explore siding products available through Suburban Wholesale & Supply or contact our Davenport team to discuss a current aluminum siding project, addition or repair.

Contractors can also compare Gentek steel siding when homeowners want to evaluate multiple metal siding options.

Do not write off an entire siding category because it is not the industry's largest category anymore. Understand where it fits and use it when the project calls for it.

Sources & Contractor Resources

Gentek Building Products — Product Directory — current manufacturer directory listing Cedarwood, Woodgrain Series 2000 and Deluxe aluminum siding along with aluminum soffit, fascia, accessories and trim products.
Gentek Building Products — Woodgrain Series 2000 — current product information for Gentek aluminum siding.
Gentek Building Products — Deluxe Aluminum Siding — current product information for Gentek Deluxe smooth aluminum siding.
Gentek Building Products — Aluminum Soffit & Fascia — current Gentek aluminum soffit and fascia products and coordinated exterior color information.
Gentek Building Products — Aluminum Trim Coil — current aluminum trim coil products for exterior casing and trim applications.
Gentek Building Products — Warranty Center — current warranty resources for Gentek aluminum siding products.
Suburban Wholesale & Supply — Siding Products — local contractor resource for siding products and material options.
Suburban Wholesale & Supply — Davenport siding distributor providing product education, samples, material quotes and contractor support throughout the Quad Cities, Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois.

Why Contractors Should Still Offer Aluminum Siding | Suburban Wholesale Siding Sales Academy