In the history of siding in the Twin Cities, two materials stand heads and tails above the rest when it comes to the pure numbers of homes that they protect. Vinyl is the current industry leader nationally, and by most accounts, it is installed on nearly twice as many homes in the U.S. as its closest competitor. That hasn't always been the case, however. Before vinyl, your best bet when it came to maintenance-free, inexpensive siding was aluminum. In fact, in the forty odd years between the end of World War II and the late seventies/early eighties, when composite sidings began hitting the market in larger numbers, aluminum was the king of siding. It doesn't command the market share it once did, but aluminum siding in Minneapolis is still a popular siding material choice for residents of the Twin Cities.
Reasons to Choose Aluminum Siding in Minneapolis
Minneapolis aluminum siding is a siding material with a lot of benefits that tend to get overlooked. In fact, as far as siding goes, there are few materials in the industry that's easier to come up with a list of positives for. Here are the most popular reasons that residents of the Twin City metropolitan area choose aluminum for their homes.
- The Low Price of Minneapolis Aluminum SidingWith the exception of low grade vinyl siding, there isn't a siding material anywhere that rivals aluminum when it comes to cost. In fact, aluminum siding in Minneapolis often ends up cheaper than vinyl, since it's generally recommended that if you live in a cold climate like Minnesota's you purchase higher end vinyl siding to prevent your investment from growing brittle and cracking during extreme cold spells.
- Aluminum Siding and MoistureAluminum siding is also excellent for protecting your home from moisture in all its forms. Minneapolis-St. Paul's combination of heavy rains, heavy snows, sleet, blizzards, and periods of high humidity, can damage wood siding and cause steel siding to rust. Aluminum siding is immune to moisture.
- Minneapolis Aluminum Siding Provides InsulationOne of the most beneficial recent advances in aluminum siding in Minneapolis has been the addition of a hard insulation backing to the siding panels. Anyone who has been through a winter in Minneapolis-St. Paul knows that every inch of insulation matters when the mercury plummets.
- Minneapolis Aluminum Siding and Baked-on CoatingsOne of the biggest weaknesses of aluminum siding used to be the paint, which powdered and failed relatively quickly. The baked-on coatings sold today are long lasting and fade resistant, providing you lots of colors to choose from and ensuring that you won't have to re-paint every few years.
Minneapolis Aluminum Siding is Perfect in all Respects But . . .
While aluminum siding has such a huge upside, it does present one concern for residents of Minneapolis-St. Paul. In a climate where thunderstorms are commonplace, hailstorms are not unusual, and where high winds, including tornados and derecho events, are far from unheard of, the potential for aluminum siding to suffer dents from impacts is pretty high. Purchasing a high grade aluminum siding with thicker gauge aluminum helps, but no aluminum siding is immune to sustaining damage. The damage rarely affects the performance of the siding, but a pockmarked wall of aluminum siding turns heads in a manner most homeowners prefer to avoid. For this reason it's important to take into account your home's exposure to the elements (e.g. which direction the home faces, as well as how trees, other vegetation, the lay of the land, or other structures might protect your home) and consult with a siding contractor in Minneapolis-St. Paul before deciding whether aluminum siding is the right choice for your home. 
Matt Goering, formerly a carpenter and house painter, is a freelance writer for the home improvement industry who has published over 600 articles.