Vinyl Siding for ceiling?

[Dmaxcc6spd]

Trying to keep the budget under control, I'm searching for an inexpensive ceiling solution. The main purpose of finishing the ceiling is to support the blown-in insulation. I've considered drywall, metal and PVC. Siding seems like it offers a very low cost option <$1 per square foot. I wouldn't think the weight of blown-in insulation would cause it to bow. Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[finn]

It’s not fire resistant, so I wouldn’t consider it.

 

[The Cobbler]

vinyl will sag .

 

[reader2580]

They make vinyl soffit which would be more appropriate for the task if you really want to do it.

Fire is a real issue with vinyl. I have watched videos of real fires and the vinyl siding on the house next door will melt and then catch fire. I have Smartside siding on my house and get about a 10% discount on my insurance. Smartside is harder to burn than vinyl and resists some weather damage.

 

[loganb]

As others have mentioned, it's not fire resistant and isn't rated for any weight bearing. The cheapest stuff is thin and waves at you when installed on walls, it will be permanent ripples on a ceiling.

Keep saving, get creative and watch the online marketplace for used plywood, old wood flooring etc

 

[ace10]

5/8 drywall is under $0.50 per ft2.

Fire tape the joints if you don't want to do a proper mud job.

 

[justler]

Siding will bow. I used PlyGem Veriform's solid classic beaded vinyl for my screened porch ceiling. It's more stiff than regular siding/soffit but I wouldn't want to put insulation on top of it. They optimally want you to nail that product every 12" still. You'd have to scab on a lot of wood potentially if you are a pole building with 4' trusses. I had to put a ton of 2x4s in my ceiling for 2' on center trusses.

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[reader2580]

5/8 drywall is under $0.50 per ft2.

Fire tape the joints if you don't want to do a proper mud job.

I wouldn't fire tape joints if you ever want to paint. I had the garage in my previous house drywalled so I could finish the bonus room above. The drywallers fire taped the joints and they look like heck. If time (and material) savings is an issue at least do an initial taping that is fairly smooth so that it can be finished properly later if you wish.

 

[ace10]

I wouldn't fire tape joints if you ever want to paint. I had the garage in my previous house drywalled so I could finish the bonus room above. The drywallers fire taped the joints and they look like heck. If time (and material) savings is an issue at least do an initial taping that is fairly smooth so that it can be finished properly later if you wish.

The OP is considering a vinyl siding product. I can't imagine that appearance is among the top priorities. It certainly wasn't stated as such.

Drywall and fire tape is cheap and relatively fast.

I fire taped the mechanical space in my basement. It does the job just fine.

 

[rburke65]

metal ceiling liner. Fast, quick coverage, painted white, great light reflection….what’s not to like?

 

[PoorUB]

Vinyl siding will bow under it's own weight!

5/8" sheetrock. I would tape and texture it, some will just screw it up and paint it.

 

[rayra]

be worried about sagging. Go drywall or steel. Drywall has come down a great deal in price.

 

[ddawg16]

Drywall is going to be your cheapest option. And easiest to repair. Try doing that with vinyl.

 

[reader2580]

You can get vinyl siding for free in the warmer months because people tear it off and don't want to pay for disposal so they advertise it for free online. Still, drywall is much better although drywall is much harder than siding to install with one person. Vinyl siding will look like a cheap DIY job no matter how much time you spend adding more framing to support it.

 

[Dumber than lumber]

Chicken wire?
Hardware Cloth?
Staple it up. Can't get much cheaper.
Did I hear my wife say, "Tobacco Road". (She hates it when I say "White Trash".) RIP Edgar Winter

 

[reader2580]

The attached garage in my previous house had floor trusses for the ceiling. The insulators stapled up plastic mesh on the bottom of the floor trusses and filled the the entire cavity with blown in fiberglass. I had drywall installed shortly after that as the mesh was never intended to be long term. If your only reason to have a ceiling is for insulation that would work, but the insulation would likely be falling down constantly for long term use. You would be way better off with drywall to hold the insulation for a traditional garage with attic.

 

[racecougar]

Blown insulation weighs more than you think. Vinyl siding will sag/bow under its own weight. No chance that it will support insulation on top of it and remain flat.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Just because it's the cheapest doesn't mean it's the best.

My choice would be metal ribbed siding. I'd put up drywall rather than vinyl siding or soffit.

 

[mike93lx]

They make vinyl soffit which would be more appropriate for the task if you really want to do it.

Fire is a real issue with vinyl. I have watched videos of real fires and the vinyl siding on the house next door will melt and then catch fire. I have Smartside siding on my house and get about a 10% discount on my insurance. Smartside is harder to burn than vinyl and resists some weather damage.

Saying smartside is harder to burn than vinyl is like saying vinyl is harder to burn than gasoline. Sure it is, but does it matter? Smartside is just osb.

Hardie is the siding product if you care about fire resistance

 

[LeonardY]

Just because it's the cheapest doesn't mean it's the best.

Bingo!

You usually end up paying for it down the road.
I look for the best solution. Then shop for a good deal.

 

[reader2580]

Saying smartside is harder to burn than vinyl is like saying vinyl is harder to burn than gasoline. Sure it is, but does it matter? Smartside is just osb.

Hardie is the siding product if you care about fire resistance

I'm not in an area where fire resistance is an issue. All I know is I got more than a 10% discount on my homeowner's insurance after I replaced the vinyl siding with Smartside siding. I was told part of the discount was due to increased fire resistance over vinyl. I wasn't expecting fire resistance when I chose Smartside. I didn't even know about the discount for Smartside until several years after the Smartside was installed.