The Best Siding for Homes
Unlike many of the biased claims you may have heard about your siding, not everything is one size fits all. Our desire is to lay out a road map to enable you to make the best decision possible. Whether you are building a new home or replacing your exterior cladding, we hope that you will be armed with enough information to make the best decision for your situation. These are our opinions from having installed and examined hundreds of homes. We have selected these three types of siding because they are the most common ones used.
There are five categories that you should consider when choosing what type of siding is the most optimal:
Weather Resistant
Impact Resistant
How Complete the System is
The cost of the product
Return on Investment (ROI)
1. Weather Resistant:
There are a lot of elements we need to consider when looking at this category. For example, the weather in Michigan is going to be vastly different from the weather in Arizona. Michigan deals with extreme heat, cold temperatures, dry and wet conditions, etc. We need a siding that can handle whatever our climate throws at us. In the Midwest, moisture is a big factor. There is a saying that we use in our industry: “Water always wins.” Once water gets past the barrier it is only a matter of time before major damage occurs.
Let’s break down the pros and cons for each of the different types of siding:
Vinyl:
Water: Vinyl performs really well when it comes to water. Compared to the other products, vinyl is the clear winner with water. You can place vinyl in a lake for a week, take it out, and it will not change its structure.
Heat: When it comes to heat, vinyl does not perform well. The UV rays of the sun deplete the life of vinyl, as it does with some other products. However, vinyl can only be painted once, and the color that you paint your home cannot have a drop of black in it. Also, If the sun reflects off of glass and heats up the vinyl, it will warp. You have to be careful around sun rooms and skylights. We have had to replace siding for many customers over the years who have experienced this issue. Vinyl has a melting point of 200 degrees, but we have seen it warp with less.
Wind: Vinyl does pretty decent with wind if it is installed correctly. We would not use it on our personal homes if we lived in a zone that had really high winds or hurricanes. It’s rated to withstand winds up to 110 mph. Outside of the coast the vast majority of the US would not be affected by this weather type.
LP Smart Siding:
Water: Unlike Vinyl, the Smart Siding must be installed to specification. If this product isn’t flashed properly, given enough space, or paint touched up on the ends, it will fail. When all the proper specifications are met it performs well. We would not suggest using this product where there is constant moisture. We would strongly recommend keeping a solid coat of paint on LP. Once the paint (the protective layer) has worn out, the LP siding will be susceptible to water. It won’t be long before you need to replace your siding again. This product demands upkeep if you don’t want to replace it prematurely.
Heat: LP Smart siding performs well with heat. It has a 1 hour fire rating. We personally have not seen an issue with the LP when it comes to heat.
Wind: Smart Siding is rated for up to 200 mph wind. Unless the siding has caulk and nails missing this product will hold.
James Hardie Siding:
Water: James Hardie can be damaged by water. It is extremely important that the siding is installed by someone who knows it well. The specifications must be adhered to. We will make a note that James Hardie is probably the best in the industry at teaching the contractors what specifications need to be followed. Their guidelines are excellent, and they reward the companies that follow them.
Even though water can damage James Hardie, it isn’t exactly like LP. For instance, if the paint coat has faded you just need to repaint the product. The product is unlikely to crumble or rot. James Hardie actually has a lap siding edge designed specifically for the Midwest for this very reason. They are the only company that factors in different weather patterns. They break their siding into different zones.
Heat: James Hardie dominates in the heat category. Though it is rated for a 1 hour fire rating, it will not ignite when hit with a direct flame. We have never seen heat damage James Hardie siding.
Wind: James Hardie is also rated for 200 mph winds. It is considered the most wind resistant material on the market.
2. Impact Resistant:
Vinyl:
Vinyl performs poorly in this category. We are constantly seeing holes along the ground from the weed wacker. It is rare for us to see a vinyl job that is over 10 years old without a hole somewhere in it.
LP Smart Siding:
LP smart siding is the clear winner when it comes to impact resistance. We will generally recommend this product to someone who lives off a golf course where the house gets pelted all the time.
James Hardie Siding:
James Hardie Siding seems to perform well in this category too. It's not quite as impact resistant as LP but it's pretty robust. You won’t have to worry about a weed wacker or small branches. It offers more than enough resistance for the vast majority of homeowners.
3. How complete the system is:
Vinyl:
Vinyl is a complete system. The product comes with F flashing, J flashing, light blocks and many other components to protect your home. This is probably Vinyl’s strongest area. We would say water resistance, but too often we see it inflicted with puncture holes compromising the house to the elements. Which can defeat the whole purpose. However, we have seen vinyl installed poorly but still hang onto the house for years without major issues.
LP Smart Siding and James Hardie Siding:
LP Smart Siding and James Hardie Siding are very similar. These products require someone who is skilled at bending aluminum for the flashing. While vinyl has the flashing factored in, LP and Hardie do not. These products also must be caulked at all the specified locations. If this isn’t followed, your siding will fail.
Side note: While there are additional components and skills required to install the siding other than vinyl, it doesn’t mean they are less of a product. It only means that you need someone with a better skill set. We are not rating one type of siding as better or worse than the other, because one type of siding may be better suited for you.
4. Cost:
Vinyl siding is going to be much less of an expense than LP or Hardie. We have been told many times over that LP is not as expensive as Hardie. That is not true at all! The cost to install Smart Siding can actually be higher in cost but then less in labor. Most of the time LP and Hardie are very close to each other in cost.
5. Return on Investment (ROI):
Disclaimer - These are our opinions and we understand that there are outside factors that will affect our thoughts. For example: some HOAs require James Hardie Siding, or you may not have access to one of these types of siding where you are located.
The best investment is determined by the value of your home and how much siding you have. If you have a house worth 350 thousand dollars or less, go with vinyl. You will likely not recover your investment if you choose a more expensive product. However, if you have a house worth 450 thousand dollars we would not recommend vinyl siding. We know that people install vinyl on homes worth more, but unless everyone else has vinyl siding, you are really hurting your chances of getting the most amount of money for the house. Aesthetically, most people are drawn to the beauty of James Hardie Siding. If you are the only house in the neighborhood with the James Hardie siding you are really going to stand out. LP looks good as well, but in our opinion, James Hardie pops in a special way.
Conclusion:
There are a number of things to think about before choosing the type of siding that you want to place on your home. If your house is under 350 thousand dollars, and you have a lot of siding, we would recommend vinyl because of the return on value. If you live on a golf course, we would recommend LP Smart Siding for the impact resistant factor. If your home is worth more than 450 thousand dollars, we would recommend James Hardie Siding. Every house is unique and requires more than a one size fits all blanket. Hopefully in some way this article was able to help you in the journey of your decision making.
Allied Siding and Roofing is a local family-owned and operated roofing company specializing in James Hardie installation and other exterior needs such as roofing, decking, and porch extensions. We are a James Hardie Elite Preferred company which means we have extensive experience and education in installation and choosing the right products for our customers. If you’re located in the Metro Detroit Area, contact us at (248) 814-2852 or visit our website https://www.buildwithallied.com/ for more information on how we can collaborate on your dream home!