PVC-Coated Aluminum vs Vinyl Trim Wrap: Which is Better?
The world of trim and siding is ever-changing and evolving. With so many new options, homeowners are faced with some tough decisions when it comes to making over or maintaining their home’s exterior. One such tough decision you might be facing is the choice between vinyl trim wrap and PVC-coated aluminum coil wrapped trim.
- Why Do We Recommend Aluminum Trim? (top)
- What Are Vinyl and Aluminum Coil Wrap?
- Curb Appeal
- Durability & Maintenance
- Cost
- Aluminum Trim Wrap: Special Financing & 50-Year Warranty
- FAQs
Why Do We Recommend Aluminum Trim near Washington D.C.?
In most instances, we at Capitol Improvements have seen the greatest success with PVC-coated aluminum wrap, and most often recommend this option to our customers. While vinyl wrap will do the job of protecting your wood trim from moisture damage, PVC-coated aluminum coil-wrapped trim has several important advantages:
Vinyl | PVC-Coated Aluminum |
| Warps over time | Will never warp over time |
| Smooth appearance that exposes flaws | Emulates natural wood grain and hides flaws |
| Susceptible to damage from heat | Stands up to even the hottest temperatures |
| Costs more to maintain over time | Costs less to maintain over time. |
| Harder to protect natural or flawed wood trim from moisture damage | Better protection for natural wood trim against moisture damage. |
To learn more about the differences between aluminum coil wrap and vinyl wrap, read below. To get started with your aluminum trim project today, call us at 301-769-6909.
What Are Vinyl Wrap and Aluminum Coil Wrap?
Trim capping, or “wrapping”, is a method used by homeowners and contractors to protect wood trim from moisture and other damage.
When you wrap your trim, you are fitting the existing wood trim with a precisely-cut and shaped outer layer of more protective material. Two of the most popular materials used for trim wrapping are vinyl and PVC-coated aluminum.
Both vinyl and PVC-coated aluminum offer you the benefit of greatly reduced, or eliminated, trim maintenance, but PVC-coated aluminum offers additional benefits when it comes to curb appeal, overall durability, and cost.
1. Curb Appeal
The first thing many homeowners think about when they’re considering exterior work is how it’s going to look. This is true whether you plan to stay in the home for the foreseeable future or selling the home soon, but curb appeal is especially important if you’re preparing to put your home on the market. Either way, by ensuring your trim has aesthetic appeal, you’re ensuring a greater return on your investment.
Both vinyl trim and aluminum fascia have benefits when it comes to curb appeal, as long as they are installed by an experienced Washington D.C. siding professional.
Vinyl Wrap
Vinyl trim has become popular over the past several years because of its ability to protect wood trim from moisture and eliminate maintenance costs for years or even decades. Vinyl trim is also highly customizable and easy to keep looking like new.
- Smooth appearance
- Choose from a variety of colors
- Lasting like-new appearance
- Easy to clean
PVC-Coated Aluminum Wrap
Unlike vinyl wrap, which is smooth and synthetic-looking, PVC-coated aluminum offers homeowners the ability to keep the natural wood trim look they love. Many homeowners prefer PVC-coated aluminum wrapped trim for this reason.
Because of its more textured surface, PVC-coated aluminum also conceals imperfections better than vinyl wrap, which has a flat or shiny and smooth finish.
Aluminum coil wrap comes in a wide variety of styles and colors to fit nearly any style of home, from elaborate traditional to minimalist modern.
- Natural wood-grain look
- Variety of colors
- Lasting like-new appearance
- Flexibility to suit any style
- Hide imperfections for a seamless look
Best Choice:
For homeowners who want their trim to look natural and seamless, PVC-coated aluminum fascia beats out vinyl-wrapped trim in this category.
2. Durability & Maintenance
There’s more to choosing a trim material than how it looks: durability is arguably the most important factor when you’re deciding between aluminum-wrapping your trim or wrapping your trim in vinyl. Both PVC warp and aluminum wrap offer improved durability over wood trim, but there are also key differences between the two.
Vinyl Wrap
Vinyl wrapping your home’s trim adds durability, but often comes up short in this area when compared to aluminum wrap. Vinyl has a higher impact resistance than aluminum, adding to its durability value. However, vinyl trim doesn’t hold up as well against severe weather like heat and freezing temperatures as aluminum does.
Vinyl-wrapped trim doesn’t need to be repainted regularly like wood trim, but its appearance may become worn down or more brittle over time. This is because vinyl is susceptible to heat, so it can dry out and crack with extended exposure. Vinyl also attracts dirt more so than aluminum, but it can be pressure/ spray washed once a year or as needed.
- Higher impact-resistance
- Lower weather-resistance
- Attracts more dirt and staining
- Susceptible to cracking
PVC-Coated Aluminum Wrap
Like vinyl, aluminum wrap holds up against moisture much better than unwrapped wood trim, which must be maintained every 4-5 years to prevent moisture damage from regular weather conditions.
Unlike vinyl, PVC-coated aluminum wrap can withstand high temperatures and extreme weather conditions near Washington, D.C.
On average, aluminum is sturdier and therefore easier to maintain than vinyl trim. If damage does occur, repairing PVC-coated aluminum wrap is generally easier than repairing vinyl wrap, too.
- Higher weather-resistance
- Lower impact-resistance
- Better stain resistance and color retention
- Susceptible to denting/bending
Best Choice:
The best choice for your Washington D.C. area home will depend on your concerns as a homeowner, as well as the region in which you’re located. If you’re willing to put in some time cleaning your home’s trim every year or so to keep it looking like new, and you live in an area with limited heat and/or high winds, vinyl trim might be a viable option.
If you want less maintenance requirement overall, better protection of your wood trim (including imperfections), and/or live in a hotter climate, aluminum is the better choice.
3. Cost
If you’re making significant improvements to your Washington D.C. home, chances are you’re working within a budget. Both vinyl and aluminum wrap offer great returns on your investment, whether you’re planning to stay in your home or sell it in the near future. But cost can still be a major deciding factor for many homeowners.
Vinyl Wrap
Although vinyl and PVC-coated aluminum cost about the same amount to install, vinyl trim wrap requires more ongoing maintenance than aluminum and is more easily damaged by weather conditions like high temperatures.
- Potentially greater maintenance costs
PVC-Coated Aluminum Trim
PVC-coated aluminum costs about the same as vinyl wrap to install, and it also offers long-term savings compared to vinyl.
- Install it and forget it for a lifetime
Best Choice:
In the category of cost, you can usually get the best return on your investment with PVC-coated aluminum wrap, which will offer lower maintenance costs for years to come.
Aluminum Trim Wrap: Special Financing & 50-Year Warranty
At Capitol Improvements, we’re confident in our aluminum coil wrap, and even more confident in our ability to install perfectly-cut and applied aluminum wrap that’s built to last.
That's why we offer special financing and a 50-year warranty on aluminum coil wrap installation, so you can truly install it and forget it for a lifetime.
Contact an Experienced Roofing and Siding Company in Washington, D.C.
Located in Bowie, MD, roofing and siding company Capitol Improvements is proud to offer financing through Enerbank USA, which allows us to offer these benefits (based on creditworthiness):
- Low-interest financing
- No prepayment penalties
- Financing for as low as $99/month
- Finance terms from 60-120 months
- Unsecured loans (no collateral required)
- 365 same-as-cash
Rather than worry about regular trim maintenance like repairing cracks or repainting every five years, we recommend making a worthwhile investment in aluminum wrap now.
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Leave a Comment
(9 Comments)
Does cost also include new gutters?
Cost would not include gutters when doing coil wrap but it is something that could always be quoted.
Is there a selection of manufactured pvc coated trim components available or do you have to custom fabricate them? Part such as:
Fascia, soffit, soffit channels?
Are there a range of colors available in manufactured compinents.
This compairison artical indicates pvc coated trim over vinyl. Is that equally true for siding?
Great questions.
PVC Coated Aluminum Coil will come from the factory preadhered. You will need the right equipment to bend it to match designs.
Fascia, soffit, channels, ect… will be vinyl normally.
There are ranges of colors. One of the reasons we use Mastic is Mastic is the only manufacturer that offers a color match throughout their lineup. Most other manufacturers piece-meal the gable vents, trim, ect.. to closest match the siding.
Vinyl siding is a great option but different from trim.
Whether you want to stay in your home or sell it soon, both vinyl and aluminum wrap give excellent returns on your investment. However, for many homeowners, money is still a big deciding factor. Thank you!
Can pvc wrap be installed by the ocean?
Yes coil can be installed near the ocean. It will chemically react with pressure treated wood so you have to be careful about what you are coil wrapping BUT being coated aluminum it stands up very well to a coastal region.
Will this aluminum peel over time and exposure to elements in shore communities?
The only time there is a chemical reaction is if the coil is installed over top of treated lumber. Other than that the exterior PVC coating keeps it protected even in shore communities.