Best house siding??

[2rocky]

Bringing this old thread back up since I got a bid for wood siding...

$1.40 per linear foot for redwood to match what is on the house. I think I could re-side the whole house.

1940's 1/2 inch rabbetted red wood with Vinyl over it. How bad are the holes going to be on the old redwood siding under?

 

[Hem]

Most of you have opinions based upon limited knowledge or exposure.All sidings behave differently based upon proximity(region) i.e. % of humidity,exposure to mother nature(rain,hail,snow depth,wind,'salt,UV).Improper prep or installation is a huge culprit.As well, landscaping too close to any house,direct contact, is really hard on most sidings and paint finishes.I could write a book about the pros and cons of all the sidings,but it boils down to budget,common sense and a little leg work, as well as pride in ownership(this means maintenance).There is no such thing as maintenance free in general terms.After thirty years in the construction industry I have dealt with all of the residential sidings.It is impossible to be objective, everybody has an opinion based upon an experience, and personal preference or appeal.Budget usually determines the choice with appeal second.I think any one homeowner needs to select a look, determine if it meets a budget and then research how that particular siding handles the location.Lastly, and as important, install it correctly,or hire someone that actually knows what they are doing.This is a tough one,because every contractor or siding rep is a salesman and there are not just a few unscrupulous characters.The sidings available cover the gambit in price,each having their place.The main complaint seems to be fading.Get real folks,everything fades.The paint inside your house fades.So sure, I have my favorites,mostly based upon appearance, but for function fiber cement gets the nod.Here is the problem with this product that hasn't been addressed.The issue lies in the fact that there is a certain % of moisture when manufactured,but companies do not allow proper acclimation before it is wrapped tightly in units.It never has a chance to fully dry before we as the consumer get our hands on it.I am speaking of the primed product.Usually it is unwrapped and installed and shortly thereafter painted.Bad news.Our local lumber yard provides a paint service where you order a quantity which is then painted a custom color.Again,the service gets the product still too wet to paint.Ideal situation is break the unit open and let it breath first,or install it on the house and let it cure on the wall,then paint it.But for durability....fiber cement won't rot,crack,twist or sponge.It can endure large hail.The contraction/expansion rate is minimal once dry.I would guess that most complaints of the product come from the moisture issue and improper installation.I think every line of siding has its place, but also shortcomings.I guess the only alternative is renting,or maybe a stone house?

 

[noharleyyet]

Stucco.

....winner.

 

[Danvet]

I'm with Dink on this. Stucco walls, steel roof. In Kansas, we have hail frequently. My home insurance company gives discounted premiums when using these materials.

 

[roadhunter]

The stucco I have seen in cold climates seemed to develop cracks which I assume are form freeze/thaw cycles.

We use the LP on some of the houses we build. Seems like a great product.

 

[sweetnectar]

Use james hardie prepainted and make sure your siding is installed correctly like Hem said.

 

[Big Fin]

Use james hardie prepainted and make sure your siding is installed correctly like Hem said.

I've got that on my house. 2010, a major hail storm comes through, breaking windows, outdoor light fixtures, trashing vehicles, killing most of my trees and landscaping. I get home from fishing and the neighborhood looks like every house has been hit with RPGs. Except mine.

Hardie Plank is not even scratched. Insurance adjuster comes out and writes a check for a new roof, new gutters, new "just about everything." He tells me the siding is unphased. Seeing my neighbors houses and their various brands of siding laying in pieces across the landscape, I call the builder and ask for a second opinion. He agrees, not a single issue with the Hardie Plank.

Four years since that hail, still nothing wrong with it. I guess they were correct. Will probably never build another house, but if I do, it will have some form of Hardie Plank.

 

[Gunner46]

I can't provide an opinion......
I built with brick.

 

[schmalts]

I can't provide an opinion......
I built with brick.

The Caddy of building materials by far....

 

[jenny5555]

Well, It has come to the point that the cedar siding and windows are rotted and peeling. Needless to say I will have less hunting trips this fall because of it
Now the big question. I do not want to ever, ever paint again. Who has some real feedback from both high grade vinyl and LP smart side with the pre installed finish? The LP smart board looks better than anything else on the market and I know they had trouble in the pre-2000 era products but it sure is nice looking stuff and the reports are good so far. The other product I like is the foam backed vinyl like Crane siding because it comes in triple 6" and 16' long sections and the foam now keeps the panels from bowing in like the cheap stuff.
Anyone have any real feedback on the Smart side and how the finish is holding up??
The Hardy plank is not going on my house, I have heard way too many complains of failures and the finish not holding long enough for my liking.

That is Odd that you have ready so many forums about paint chipping on James Hardie. It was my understanding that james hardie had baked on color to prevent this from happening. As far as a new siding, i know vinyl siding doesn't need to be painted again, but I heard about a new siding called Cedar Ridge Siding there's a local company Conservation Construction of Dallas that is selling it in the texas area, but they have retailers all accross the country. This is not the type you currently have . . . don't freak out. It is a composite and it's supposed to have to never be painted again and its resistant to winds of up to 175 miles per hour. I'd have to to more research into this, I thought I'd just throw this out there.

 

[hank4elk]

We milled lots of redwood siding to match old styles & new. But it was all clearheart in those days. Some cedar siding was still around.
Did some of the T-111 stuff in 70's & it did not last long.
Stucco of course.
Hardie board was new.
Steel is what lasts now with least maintenance.
This old carpenter has seen some major changes since the 60's.
One thing that hasn't changed. Build it right from the ground up.

 

[blueridge]

wow, this resurrection almost puts the lazarus gig to shame.
first post, maybe works for said company??
schmalts, you might as well give us an update on your decision and how it's holding up!?

 

[schmalts]

I went with the Plygem Mastic vinyl with the foam backer. Looks great, but 2 weeks ago I had the installers come back and re-do the south side of my house because the morons cut the stuff too short when it was 90f out and in the winter it shrank so bad I could see my tyvec at the joints. After 2 years of threats they finally came out and did the job right. A 16' siding piece will grow and shrink a ton, so following simple instructions included in the box is important.

 

[elkhnter]

Log seems to hold up to hail pretty good.

 

[Steiny]

I've got cedar on everything and it holds up just fine, so long as you keep up with the maintenance which involves a paint job every 5-7 years.
Also think real wood just looks one heck of a lot better than all of the artificial stuff.

For cedar to actually "rot", it must either be very old, or very poorly maintained. Look how long cedar shake roofs last with no paint or sealer on them.

 

[MT Bound]

We just put LP Smartside on our new home this past year and it's got a 20 yr warranty on paint and and something similar for the engineered wood. Looks great and will see how it holds up, plus the HOA approved it as "wood" because it is basically made up of all wood, so BONUS!

 

[schmalts]

We just put LP Smartside on our new home this past year and it's got a 20 yr warranty on paint and and something similar for the engineered wood. Looks great and will see how it holds up, plus the HOA approved it as "wood" because it is basically made up of all wood, so BONUS!

I didn't go with that product only because I didn't like the fine print on the warranty. If the finish does not meet the warranty, the warranty says they will come paint your house... Reason why is there is 2 different companies on that product, one makes the board, another (PPG) does the finish. I just got spooked by it.

 

[MT_Chad]

I've built 4 houses and have used all the products mentioned but vinyl. Vinyl sounds good in theory and a few homes around here had it up until 2 years when we had a rare but massive hail storm. Wish I would of taken picts It looked like someone threw baseballs at the sides of houses. Huge holes everywhere. Even though hail storms are rare here it's to risky after seeing that.
So on to what I have used. I've used the product Mtmuley mentioned called Canexel. It is very similar to LP Smartside products. They quit carrying it around here but there are 1000's of houses with them installed. It's a very good product.
My current home has Hardy lap siding on it and I have those cedar gables your wife likes. I also have hardy panels in the gables for a board and batten look.

The research I've seen is that no matter what product you choose I would go with a factory color. The houses around here that have painted there hardy or Lp products look like crap in 5 years, especially the south sides. They fade real bad. It might be cheap exterior paint but I doubt they all used cheap stuff.
The factory paint like you said is almost baked on and hardy has like some titanium in there paint.. So if you're thinking of saving some money and only buying pre primed hardy or Lp and painting it yourself, I would say Don't.

I build and sell every 2 years so I can't give you longevity of the products but I do run my mowers around 100's of houses and notice how things are holding up. Kind of nerdy I know.

I think if I had to pick I would go with the Lp smartside product in a prefinished color. The reason is that even though hardy has their own finishes I have seen them deteriorate with moisture. You really can notice it around the High Efficiency furnace pipes coming our the sides of the house. The air is hot and moist and that combo has the hardy peeling.
All in all if you can keep your sprinklers from hitting the house and you use any of the above mentioned products (pre finished) you'll be happy.

Fully agree with lawnboy. I built 6 years ago with smartside and the siding is great, but my wife didnt like any of the prefinished colors in the locking tongue and groove siding so we ended up painting. We used top of the line Pittsburg paint and it is already fading badly on the south side. Can't explain why but you can see where all the studs are at from differential fading. Take a look at the tongue and groove locking siding if it is windy in your area, it doesn't chatter like standard siding can sometimes do in the wind, this is most of the reason we didnt use hardy siding. My folks used hardy up the road from us and my dad has had to add nails and a few screws to a few problem pieces of siding that like to chatter in the wind.

 

[Husker hunter]

Hardy is good but only comes in 12' length. Lp comes in 16' so fewer joints & is easier to work with. I think stucco is great too, stucco not eifs. Here in Nebraska I have seen lots of mold behind eifs. The key is keeping things caulked with a good caulking.

 

[hossblur]

As a drywaller we get the same issues in garages as any stucco has, freeze/thaw leads to cracking and popping. I would never do stucco in intermountain west.

Short of brick, everything else has maintenance. The key is don't go cheap on install. All the products are good, but bad install leads to excessive fastener voids, micro cracks, etc, meaning your calling me sooner to fix your wet sheetrock.

Hire the best installer you can afford, tell him do treat your place as if it his, and let him tell you what to use. To often contractors get hobbled by homeowners who spent to much time on Google and YouTube. Regardless of material its only as good as the dude putting it up.