Vinyl Siding vs. Hardiplank

bncockra@coastal.edu

Hi Ladies,

So, my BF and I are in the process of choosing a new product to put on the outside of our home.  We currently live in a 50's style home on the coast of Georgia and have been getting quotes to replace our wood siding with vinyl siding.  On of our most recent estimators brought up a product that we'd never heard of before...Hardiplank or sometimes referred to as Hardie Board. 

I've been doing a little online research about the product, but wanted to see if anyone out there had personal experience with the product?  From what we've read and heard so far it sounds pretty amazing!  Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated!

If you haven't had experience with Hardiplank, what about with vinyl siding?  Any product you'd recommend or not recommend?  We've been looking at Mastic Exterior for the vinyl if that helps.

Cheers!

lawright

I've been looking at that.  We, too, have wood composite siding, and I've been researching various options.  I nixed it as an option because we have a much harsher winter, and a little bit of water seepage in the winter can lead to cracking.  That said, it's supposed to be very well suited for a coastal, temperate environment.

TarHeels&Rebels

We had Hardieboard on one of our houses.  Loved it.  It never needs maintenance, lasts forever, you get an insurance discount because it burns more slowly if there were a house fire.  No dislikes.  If we were going to choose a siding product, we'd choose Hardieboard.

MrsKizdoodle

Run away from vinyl siding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Do the Hardieboard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

ML*

We were going to use it for a house we we planned to build.  House is on hold right now due to the economy but everything I researched about it was good.  Also, DH works in the building industry and it was his top pick for siding.  Not sure if you already know this but they only offer certain colors in certain regions of the country so dont forget to take that into account when picking your color.

dairygirl19

Get the Hardiboard for sure so long as like pp stated you have a climate it's suitable for. It's pretty and lasts forever but it wasn't made to deal with the extreme temp. changes my area sees. As a result it's not common here.

My house is vinyl and it's fine (no issues or complaints) but if I had to choose, it wouldn't be my first choice at all.

MrsKizdoodle

dairygirl19:

Get the Hardiboard for sure so long as like pp stated you have a climate it's suitable for. It's pretty and lasts forever but it wasn't made to deal with the extreme temp. changes my area sees. As a result it's not common here.

My house is vinyl and it's fine (no issues or complaints) but if I had to choose, it wouldn't be my first choice at all.

I see it all the time in Minnesota....?

FoxinFiji

I love the look of Hardiboard but it does need to be painted every 15 years or less.  I don't know if you've ever painted a house before but trust me is sucks!  Also, the quote we got per sf of hardi was 3-4 times the quote we got for vinyl. 

It's not very common here in WI either.  Huge, expensive houses even have vinyl.

dairygirl19

MrsKizdoodle:

dairygirl19:

Get the Hardiboard for sure so long as like pp stated you have a climate it's suitable for. It's pretty and lasts forever but it wasn't made to deal with the extreme temp. changes my area sees. As a result it's not common here.

My house is vinyl and it's fine (no issues or complaints) but if I had to choose, it wouldn't be my first choice at all.

I see it all the time in Minnesota....?

More in subdivisions/less rural areas. Not so much in the outstate areas. Something about how it doesn't handle moisture whipped in by the wind well. I was told repeatedly that it wasn't a good option here for that reason. There was a point in my area it was advertised to death and then it stopped. Our house contractor told us it was because they were finding problems due to moisture/water issues.

Who knows though..everything is a PITA in MN winter.

bncockra@coastal.edu

Our estimator actually told us that the Hardiplank come with a 50 year warranty on the paint.  Has anyone else been told this?

Mrs.Lucy1230

We sided our garage with a fiber cement siding boards ( Hardiboard is a brand name) and are super pleased with it thus far. Granted the project is not finished and had only been up for about 6 months...

 You can read a little about our decision process for the fiber cement HERE.

ETA: Our siding comes with a warranty (not on the paint, it's unpainted) and is bug resistant

MrsKizdoodle

dairygirl19:

More in subdivisions. Not so much in the outstate areas. Something about how it doesn't handle moisture whipped in by the wind well. I was told repeatedly that it wasn't a good option here for that reason.

My firm doesn't do work in subdivisions but we don't do much in the country either.  Good to know.   :-)

bncockra@coastal.edu

Thanks!  It's nice to know that others have used the product and are happy with the outcome.  We didn't really like the idea of vinyl siding but didn't want to continue to throw our money away on painting the wood we have now.  I'm thinking more and more that the hardiplank is the way to go.  The contractor that told us about it has done several homes in our area and is even building a home for himself and his daughter right now using the product.  I feel like if he's comfortable enough to use it on his million dollar home then I feel comfortable enough using it on my $100,000 home....HAHA!

TarHeels&Rebels

bncockra@coastal.edu:

Our estimator actually told us that the Hardiplank come with a 50 year warranty on the paint.  Has anyone else been told this?

Yeah, I've never heard that Hardie has to be repainted every 15 years like a pp mentioned.  It has a 30 year warranty according to the website. 

FoxinFiji

bncockra@coastal.edu:

Our estimator actually told us that the Hardiplank come with a 50 year warranty on the paint.  Has anyone else been told this?

They are pulling your chain if they told you that.  You might want to look into a more honest contractor!  Sorry a product like that does not exist and if it does let me know, LOL!  15 years is the max you can get out of a painted exterior in ideal conditions (little to no sun exposure, no salt air, no extreme temperatures).  Now Hardi products are much easier to paint because they don't warp, crack, and need as many coats as wood but they still need to be painted.  The factory finish it comes with might last the whole 15 years but later paint jobs will need to be re-done more often. 

Find the name of the exact product they plan to use and go look at the manufacturer's website.  You can read all about hardi-whatever it is on the GardenWeb also from people who have had it on their house for years. 

bncockra@coastal.edu

FoxinFiji:

bncockra@coastal.edu:

Our estimator actually told us that the Hardiplank come with a 50 year warranty on the paint.  Has anyone else been told this?

They are pulling your chain if they told you that.  You might want to look into a more honest contractor!  Sorry a product like that does not exist and if it does let me know, LOL!  15 years is the max you can get out of a painted exterior in ideal conditions (little to no sun exposure, no salt air, no extreme temperatures).  Now Hardi products are much easier to paint because they don't warp, crack, and need as many coats as wood but they still need to be painted.  The factory finish it comes with might last the whole 15 years but later paint jobs will need to be re-done more often. 

 

Okay, thanks for the advice...I will need to get more information from the estimator about the warranty to see exactly what it covers.

FoxinFiji

TarHeels&Rebels:

bncockra@coastal.edu:

Our estimator actually told us that the Hardiplank come with a 50 year warranty on the paint.  Has anyone else been told this?

Yeah, I've never heard that Hardie has to be repainted every 15 years like a pp mentioned.  It has a 30 year warranty according to the website. 

Read the actual warranty it does not cover paint at all just defective products.  

ETA: I've found their paint warranty and it is 15 years.  Look under the Care and Maintenance Guide for your region's siding option.

TarHeels&Rebels

Do you have some connection to Hardie?  You seem to really have strong opinions against it.  It's a good product that I've been happy with and everyone I know is happy with.

And actually, that was the wrong warranty I linked above.  The color warranty is separate and is for 15 years.  And yes, of course, there are a million disclaimers about it being installed correctly, but that's no different than a warranty for paint or vinyl or anything else under the sun.

FoxinFiji

TarHeels&Rebels:

Do you have some connection to Hardie?  You seem to really have strong opinions against it.  It's a good product that I've been happy with and everyone I know is happy with.

And actually, that was the wrong warranty I linked above.  The color warranty is separate and is for 15 years.  And yes, of course, there are a million disclaimers about it being installed correctly, but that's no different than a warranty for paint or vinyl or anything else under the sun.

Ha no I'm actually trying to convince DH to use some type of hardi product when we replace our siding!  I love the look but DH doesn't want the maintenance.  I've been researching it because I want to use it.  The original poster was told the paint would last 50 years so I was just pointing out that that isn't the case and it needs to be painted every 15 years or less.  Sorry if that came off in an angry tone.

kk2kz

Good to know, thanks.  

Mrs.JulesH-S

We have vinyl siding for the soffits & any other place that would typically have wood.  No maintenance except power washing it off every so often.  It has been up for 14 years and still looks new.

shanwalk2

DH's parents home was seriously damaged with hurricane Ike - and they replaced everything with hardiplank.  They love it.

For where we live - HP is the way to go.   

bncockra@coastal.edu

shanwalk2:

DH's parents home was seriously damaged with hurricane Ike - and they replaced everything with hardiplank.  They love it.

For where we live - HP is the way to go.   

 

This is way off topic, but I have a beagle too!  I noticed your pictures and just wanted to tell you that yours is so adorable!!  We just got ours a few weeks ago (rescued her from the humane society) and she has the cutest personality!

curlypie1

DH removed our old vinyl siding and replaced it with Hardiplank on our house plus our new addition. We love it!

GermaineAHE

Hi, I have some experience with Hardiplank. It is an overall better choice to use than vinyl siding. Hardiplank is much thicker than vinyl, which allows deeper impressions of texture to a point where Hardiplank looks like actual wood. Vinyl is too thin to look like any kind of texture. Also, Hardiplank doesn't burn, so if a fire breaks out, it doesn't burn like a match like vinyl siding does. Hardiplank is non-combustible. Hardiplank is the clear choice to use, if cost isn't the issue. However, if it is the issue, vinyl siding is what you should consider since it is less expensive than Hardiplank. 

I hope that helps! Have a good day! :-) 

Germaine K. | Advanced Home Exteriors

www.advancedhomeexteriors.net

BlueBirdMB

We have 8 year old vinyl siding and it still looks brand new.  I have a business where I go to client's homes on a weekly basis, and most of the houses I visit have vinyl and they look great.  What's the problem with vinyl typically?

kelly220

I've not heard of hardiplank before. I've not tried with vinyl siding but I've tried with vinyl windows. I think vinyl as such is a number one material . I recently replaced my wooden window with the energy efficient vinyl windows http://www.windowchoice.ca/window-tips/wood-vs-vinyl-replacement-windows . They come in a variety of styles and designs. They are better insulators when compared to wooden material. Vinyl require very less maintenance unlike other materials, they by themselves resist the negative effect of moisture. Vinyl windows will reduce the amount of energy required to heat or cool your house. I think think vinyl sidings would be a better choice.