FAQs Foundry™ – Continental Siding

What materials are vinyl cedar shingles made from?
Vinyl cedar is manufactured using 100% high-grade vinyl, formulated with special UV inhibitors and other ingredients that give it superior resistance to sun, heat, and cold.

How does it hold up in high winds?
Tests show that properly installed vinyl cedar siding materials withstands winds in excess of 150 mph, making it an excellent choice for the Gulf Coast and other areas where hurricanes and high winds can damage ordinary siding.

How is it made?
We use a unique, proprietary process that gives us and the homeowners who are choosing types of vinyl cedar siding the best of two worlds. The first part is fine, old-world craftsmanship. We design, build and pour our own molds by hand. There are nearly 100 of them, each different from the others. This gives our products the authentic, random wood look grain that is the #1 selling point for cedar shingles and cedar shake. The second part is that we use advanced manufacturing techniques that produce exceptionally high quality Vinyl Cedar – quality that makes it a leading choice for architects and builders who recognize the significant added value of cedar siding materials.

What makes vinyl the best house siding material?
 When it’s designed and manufactured properly, vinyl gives a home’s exterior a unique combination of beautiful and classic appearance, with virtually zero maintenance required. Most homeowners tell us that their goal is to simplify chores, and gain more family time. Vinyl home siding is the ultimate “family-value alternative” for busy families who want more time for fun, and less time on ladders, scraping wood rot and painting!

What makes our house siding materials so easy to install?
Vinyl Cedar has the elegance and appearance of tree wood, but it also has something that tree wood shakes can never have. This is our Positive Panel Interlock System that assures a perfect, permanent fit.

Will I be able to see the laps?
If you know exactly where to look, and are blessed with perfect 20-20 vision, you’ll be able to find them. (But unless you point them out, no one else ever will!) The concealed laps of vinyl cedar are one of its most popular features.

Why is a foundry making various types of vinyl siding material? The Foundry™ built its reputation by perfecting the art of creating and manufacturing precision, high quality molds – which is precisely what sets Vinyl Cedar apart from ordinary types of vinyl siding, traditional lap siding and other types of home siding.

What makes vinyl a good material for siding?
The Foundry™ had many choices when it was time to make a decision regarding types of siding material. The long-life vinyl we chose has a proven history of resilience, will withstand weather extremes, and can be manufactured in a wide range of spectacular house siding colors.

Are there environmental issues to consider when choosing siding?
Yes. First, homeowners who are concerned about the environment will want to know that Vinyl Cedar is manufactured in such a way that scrap and solid waste is significantly reduced compared to some competitor panels. Also, the specific type of vinyl formula we use, PVC, is proven safe, and is widely used in medical devices.

Second, like many Americans, we are troubled about the cutting down of old growth forests. Old growth trees are what give us the natural look and beauty so many of us want for house siding. Yet, in truth, over-cutting has made high-grade wood very hard to find, and extremely costly. What’s left is often very bland and average-looking tree wood.

Our mission is to capture and preserve the beauty and texture of those original old growth forests. And that’s exactly what craftsmanship, combined with new technology, has allowed us to do.