What Are the Downsides of Metal Siding on a Chalmette House?

Written by Turnkey Siding

What Are the Downsides of Metal Siding on a Chalmette House?

Quick Answer: Metal siding’s biggest drawbacks are dents and scratches, plus repairs that are hard to hide once the original color has aged. It also costs more than vinyl. Steel also needs its coating intact to stay rust-free, which matters in a place as humid as Chalmette.

None of that makes metal a bad choice. It won’t rot, and it can last decades. But we’d rather you hear the trade-offs before you see a quote. We already have a guide to metal siding for New Orleans commercial buildings. This post is about houses, where the downsides show up differently than they do on a warehouse.

Why Do the Downsides of Metal Siding Matter on a Home?

On a commercial building, a dent near the loading dock is a cosmetic note. On a house, it sits at eye level by the driveway. You see it every day. Here are the drawbacks we walk homeowners through:

• Dents and scratches. HomeGuide lists “prone to scratches and dents” as a con of metal siding and says aluminum in particular is prone to dings. Thicker-gauge panels resist it better but cost more.
• Repairs that don’t match. HomeGuide notes that small sections aren’t easy to replace, and that matching the original color may not be possible once it has faded in the sun.
• A higher price than vinyl. Steel in particular costs more per square foot, both in material and labor.
• A modern look. Metal can mimic traditional lap siding, but up close it reads as metal, which some owners love and some don’t.
• Corrosion where the coating fails. More on that below, since it’s the one that matters most in St. Bernard Parish.

Steel vs aluminum: different weak spots

Steel is heavier and stiffer, so it holds up better to a bump. Its weak spot is rust: if the factory coating is scratched through, the bare steel is exposed to moisture. Aluminum doesn’t rust, but HomeGuide lists it as prone to dents and fading, with a typical life of 25 to 40 years. On the homes we see, the right pick often comes down to where the dents are likely to happen and how much the owner minds them.

Does Chalmette’s Climate Make Metal Siding Worse?

Chalmette sits downriver from New Orleans in St. Bernard Parish, close to the Mississippi and surrounded by wetlands. The air stays humid most of the year, and frequent afternoon storms keep walls wet. That doesn’t rule metal out. It just raises the stakes on two details:

• Keep the coating whole. Scratches from ladders or a careless install are where steel starts to rust. Touch them up promptly.
• Keep water moving. Panels should be flashed and fastened so water drains instead of sitting at the bottom edge or behind trim.

Many Chalmette homes were rebuilt or raised after Hurricane Katrina, which means more exposed wall between the ground and the first floor. Our guide to siding raised and elevated homes covers that extra wall area, and our post on siding in a New Orleans flood zone explains how elevation rules can shape what you install.

Can You Still Buy Metal Siding?

Yes. Both steel and aluminum residential siding are still manufactured and installed, and current cost guides from HomeGuide and Fixr price both. Aluminum was more common on houses decades ago, which is why some people assume it’s gone. It isn’t. Both metals are on the market, and the choice between them is about dent and rust risk more than availability.

If you’re shopping, ask for the panel gauge, the finish and its warranty, and whether matching trim and corner pieces come from the same line. Those details decide how the house looks in 15 years far more than the brochure photo does. We’d also ask how the installer plans to cut and fasten panels without scratching the coating, since that’s where the rust problems we see on steel usually start.

If your Chalmette house already has old aluminum siding, finding an exact match for a repair is the harder part. Older profiles and faded colors often can’t be matched, so a damaged wall sometimes means re-siding the whole side. Our siding repair guide explains how we decide between a patch and a replacement.

How Much Does Steel Siding Cost for a 2,000 Sq Ft House?

National guides give a wide range, and none of them is a Chalmette price:

• HomeGuide lists steel siding at $7 to $16 per square foot installed and $14,000 to $32,000 for a 2,000 square foot house. Its aluminum figures for the same house are $12,000 to $20,000.
• Fixr, in its 2026 siding cost guide, lists steel at $4 to $16 per square foot.

Keep in mind that siding is priced by wall area, not floor area. A 2,000 square foot two-story home and a 2,000 square foot raised ranch can need very different amounts of siding. Panel gauge and tear-off move the number most, followed by trim. Our siding cost guide compares metal with every other material we install.

How long does it last?

HomeGuide puts metal siding at 40 to 70 years or more with proper care. Our siding lifespan guide for New Orleans breaks that out by metal type, and our siding warranty guide explains what the finish warranty does and doesn’t cover.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is steel or aluminum better for a Chalmette home?

It depends on where the wall takes abuse. Steel shrugs off bumps better but needs its coating kept whole in our humidity. Aluminum won’t rust, but it dents more easily and its finish fades over time.

Is metal siding good for hurricane season?

Properly fastened panels hold up well to wind. Our hurricane season siding checklist covers what to inspect before a storm.

Does Turnkey Siding install metal siding in Chalmette?

Yes. See our metal siding page for Chalmette for panel options.

Weigh Metal Siding for Your Chalmette Home

We’ll look at your house and talk through where dents are likely. Then we’ll price steel and aluminum side by side. Turnkey Siding serves homeowners in Chalmette and across St. Bernard Parish. Call 504-882-9704 or request a free estimate online.