The Beginning of Insulated Vinyl Siding

With the passing of March, we mark the 15 year anniversary of insulated vinyl siding being launched into the marketplace. For this milestone blog post, we will take a look back at how insulated vinyl siding got its start and came to be a well-known siding option for homeowners looking to beautify their homes while adding insulation, increasing durability, and much more!

In a previous post we explained how Progressive Foam was started by co-founder Pat Culpepper in 1992 with the idea for insulated vinyl siding in hand. Although insulation had previously been contoured to fit the exact shape of the siding panel it was paired with during installation, insulated vinyl siding was different in that it would actually be adhered to the panel. Instead of the insulation being installed behind the siding on the job site, insulated vinyl siding would come with the insulation already attached, creating one combination product. (Click here to learn about the advantages of IVS)

In 1993 we built the first machine to start laminating insulated vinyl siding for the test market phase, with the first product being installed on homes in the state of Georgia. In 1994, trial jobs were extended into Ohio as well. As testing, trials and production continued, Progressive Foam officially filed a patent for insulated vinyl siding in 1997, which would later issue in year 2000.

Ready to commercialize the product in 1998, we partnered with Vipco, a subsidiary of Crane Plastics, to release the first insulated vinyl siding panel brand under the name?TechWall. From there forward, other vinyl siding manufacturers entered the marketplace one by one with their own insulated vinyl siding offerings.