Fiber Cement Lap Siding Vs Vinyl

Compare costs easy of installation colors painting options durability thickness r value length of life and more to decide which is the best siding for your home.

Fiber cement lap siding vs vinyl.

Traditional plank siding is sought after all over the world. And while both vinyl and fiber cement siding mimic the look of wood planks fiber cement does the job exponentially better especially james hardie fiber cement. An average cost to install fiber cement siding ranges between 850 to 1 450 per square. As a result the planks or individual shingles do an excellent job of mimicking the look of traditional wood siding.

The top two engineered lap siding brands are the defending champion hardieplank fiber cement and the up and coming contender lp smartside engineered wood siding. Both vinyl and hardieplank are very durable. Fiber cement planks are formed by combining wood pulp with portland cement. According to the rsmeans 2014 residential cost data report the installed cost of vinyl siding is on average 201 per 100 square feet while fiber cement totals 300 for the same area.

One rough rule of thumb. Fiber cement siding is often called hardiplank or even hardie board named from the most popular brand of fiber cement siding which is manufactured by james hardie. The grooves and grains of hardieplank lap siding provide a more realistic imitation of the variances in wood. Vinyl siding is nearly always less expensive than fiber cement siding.

However hardieplank is a little tougher. Fiber cement siding is thicker than vinyl and less likely to break when it receives a strong impact. Durability of vinyl vs. Vinyl siding is far cheaper than the fiber cement siding both in terms of the product and labor costs.

Homeadvisor s siding comparison guide explores the differences pros and cons of fiber cement and vinyl including information on james hardie s hardie board hardiplank fiber cement. The maximum you can expect to pay for vinyl siding is the minimum you can expect to pay for hardieplank and other fiber cement siding products. James hardie offers either 30 or 50 year warranties on all of their fiber cement siding options. Via upside to smartside this guide covers both products from all angles that matter to a homeowner looks durability cost of materials and installation and pros and cons of each option.

Fiber cement siding is a hardened concoction of cement sand and synthetic polymers. According to table 5 1 of the ashrae fundamentals handbook fiber cement has an r value of 15 better than brick and stone but lower than vinyl at r 60 wood at r 81 and insulated vinyl siding at r 2 0 3 5. Both of these products are more durable than wood lap or cedar shake.