Hardie Siding Breakage Leading to SmartSide as Preferable Siding Choice

As you read this, keep in mind that many of the LP SmartSide Siding Reviews are coming from the comparison of the product to other siding products being used on the market like fiber cement (Hardie).

This blog post I am sharing because I personally often have homeowners asking me the question, “what are the reviews on LP SmartSide Siding (engineered wood)?“.

Having experienced this, as well as being the owner of siding company, I decided to share my opinion based on my many years of experience as well as research on the LP SmartSide Siding product as well as other siding options.

Additionally, during my research, I  found this question addressed in a slightly different manner in an article from a well-respected home real estate site called “Zillow.com” you can read their article as well – Zillow Trying to Decide Hardie board LP SmartSide. We are also seeing that many homeowners throughout the country are asking the same if not similar question regarding SmartSide Siding and it’s Reviews.

Damage from Baseball – Hardie Left SmartSide Right

Here are my findings, which inadvertently answers this question, based on feedback from several Houston homeowners. Note that I have installed both the Hardie and LP SmartSide Siding in the Houston TX metro area for quite a few years now through my company Texas Home Exteriors, Inc.

Siding Durability Issues

What I have found is that both the LP SmartSide and Hardie siding options are holding up quite well after a period of time with just one exception.  We have have had a few homeowners call us back with concerns due to the Hardie siding (fiber cement) chipping and breaking along the bottom row.

We have found that homeowners and landscapers are causing the damage by running into it with their weedeaters and lawnmowers which is causing the breakage, the homeowners then call expressing their disappointment in the fiber cement (Hardie) siding product. One Houston Texas homeowner call the Hardie siding…”crumble a plank”, another asked me, “can we get our money back for this, look” as he was aggressively pointing at the broken siding the bottom of his garage where his lawnmower wheels hit the siding and broke off pieces.

Wikipedia on Engineered Wood and LP (Louisiana Pacific)

LP SmartSide Siding is made from strands of wood fibers that are bonded together to form a product that is incredibly strong. Due to it’s strength, we have not experienced any reports of this problem with the LP (Louisiana Pacific) SmartSide Siding (engineered wood) product. Because of the the durability of the SmartSide engineered wood product, it does not break like the other siding products. Additionally, homeowners have expressed over and over, how much they like the deeper woodgrain of this siding product over what the competition is offering is much flatter.

It is important that both products are properly installed as closely to manufacturers specifications as possible as to not void the warranties. The long and short of what we have found, from reports of several homeowners, is that they love the durability and moisture resistance of the LP SmartSide product. They love that you CANNOT easily damage the siding and express they are pleased with the look of the deep woodgrain embossing of the siding panels, a great plus with this siding option.

Insider Reviews – USA Northeast Compared to the South

This portion of my report are, “Insider Reviews”, I call it this for a reason. LP has its “Build Smart” siding contractors who attend a Build Smart training conference  each year, (you can see the attached certificate). They recommend that siding contractors using the LP SmartSide Siding product, attend this yearly conference in not only for a refresher of installation techniques but to learn of any updates for the correct installation of the LP SmartSide siding product. This is important as to not void the warranty due to incorrect installation of the product.

LP SmartSide Build Smart Platinum Certificate – Texas Home Exteriors

I found it interesting that Louisiana Pacific (LP) hired independent building professionals from the Northeast part of the country to teach building contractors in the South as it is no secret that in the northeast part of the country there are many years and generations of talented craftsmen.

Not only are there are much more stringent licensing requirements in the north but this is where many of the “old-school craftsman” reside. The contractors love the SmartSide siding product and many have migrated away from other siding products due the durability of the LP SmartSide product and to get away from products experiencing breakage amongst other issues.

Now in consideration of the South, the licensing requirements are different being much less, or in many cases, non existent. You will find that many of the contractors choose the path of least resistance and install the most popular or well-known siding product. Choosing the path of least resistance is not always the best choice and often leads to contractors who follow one another, focusing on price competitiveness for the popular, well-known product rather than choosing to offer products of better quality. Many contractors will often follow this pattern until pressured by homeowners who have done their research.

As promised, I will wrap up with a list of reviews o the LP SmartSide Siding product I found across the web. A fair amount of the reviews I am sharing below are comparisons of one siding product to another because this is what homeowners have been inquiring about.

LP SmartSide Siding Reviews Across the Web Google Search

Here are a list of links for across the web about LP SmartSide Siding reviews:

THS Gardenweb LP Smart Siding Feedback…read more

Bob Vila – Engineered Wood Siding… read more

Garage Journal – LP Smartside Reviews…read more

Aconcord Carpenter – LP Smartside Siding… read more

Audio Circle – Siding… read more

Hot Spot Outdoors- LP SmartSide vs Hardie… read more

FineHomeBuilding – LP Smart Side Siding… read more

Contractor Talk – LP Smart Siding Reviews…read more

As you can see, there are many homeowners and contractors across the country offering their opinions and most of them are positive towards the LP SmartSide Siding product. Keep in mind that LP had onler siding product that failed called “inner-seal” that was manufactured back in 1980. The SmartSide Siding Product is an engineered wood that is far more advanced and sports a 5/50 year warranty to showcase LP’s confidence in this new siding product.

I hope this article on LP SmartSide Siding reviews helps to clarify any questions you might have regarding the product. I hope it assists you in making an informed decision about your siding options. Additionally for Houston Texas area homeowners, Texas Home Exteriors has an exciting financing option called Texas EZ Pay Financing offering a monthly payment of only 1% of the financed amount. Should you have any questions, please fill out the form below, email me directly at: Greg@TexasHomeExteriors.com or give me a call at 281.919.6999.

Greg Kapitan, “Kapitan The Siding Man”

Free SmartSide Siding Estimate

I get asked this question often working Texas Home Exteriors, “Greg, what is better, Fiber Cement/HardiePlank Siding or LP SmartSide Siding for my Houston TX home?” As we move into 2014,  I have already found myself being asked this question more and more. I respond with information based on my research, experience installing the two building products as well as discussion with other professionals.

The information in this article, I am offering based on many years of experience in the Houston Texas southeast Texas metro area and as the owner of Texas Home Exteriors. In this post, I will cite information from some of the most powerful resources I know of on the internet presenting their accumulative input including Google Books (James Hardie), Wikipedia (James Hardie) and Wikipedia LP (Louisiana Pacific SmartSide) These are sites and resources that you can and SHOULD check as well to learn more and research what people just like you and me are saying around the country and world.

So having said that, below I present the good, bad and the ugly so you, as a Houston Southeast Texas homeowner, can make an informed and intelligent decision. I encourage you to click on the links as well and doing some of your own research. After reading this Hardie vs. SmartSide Siding article, please take a moment to voice your opinion or share additional information below the estimate form.

Here are our findings

Both Fiber Cement (Hardie)  and LP SmartSide Siding are outstanding and quality building products. They both exhibit excellent qualities in their performance and longevity as excellent siding product choices for your home’s exterior. Keep in mind that each has great qualities as well as some not-so-great qualities I will point out based on my many years of experience in home exteriors here in the Houston southeast Texas area in using both products, (fiber cement – LP SmartSide Siding) and research I have done on the products and their overall performance.

Supporting evidence GOOGLE search 

When being asked about one siding product vs another, one might share their opinion from their experience, of course this is OK; however, I will also provide examples of what others are saying from around the country.

Fiber_Cement_Siding_Defects – Inspectapedia …. read more

Problems with Fiber Cement Siding installations – Structuretech1 Forums….. read more

Fiber Cement Problems – Inspectors Journals Forums….. read more

Smart Side Siding JLC Online Forums…. read more

LP SmartSide Siding vs Fiber Cement – Hot Spot Outdoors Forum….(read more)

Fiber Cement/HardiePlank- 15 Trim 30 Yr Siding Warranty

Click – 30 YR Warranty

As you can see from exploring the links above, there have been some issues reported from around the country. Fiber cement has become more and more popular since the late 1990s in re-siding as well as in new construction throughout North America.

The reported issues range from cracking and flaking paint to installation problems as well as other issues with the fiber cement siding product. The siding most often used siding product in America is fiber cement. Many of the problems with this product have stemmed from the improper installation of the fiber cement product however; there are also some issues to be aware of that actually stem from fiber cement product failure itself.

 LP SmartSide Siding – 50 Year Trim 50 Year Siding Warranty

Click – 50 YR Warranty

LP SmartSide has also been around since 1997, I have done extensive research via the internet and have not found nearly as many, or for that matter, any issues reported with this product at all, no reported problems, even LP SmartSide reports there have been no claims on product failure of the the LP SmartSide Engineered Wood Siding Products in the past 14 years it has been being installed on homes.

In all fairness, I will share that there was an issue I came across in regards to Louisiana Pacific (LP) and their OLD Product, called “Inner Seal” which has since been discontinued, this was a pre-1997 SmartSide product that failed, recalled and any claims paid responsively and quickly, very impressive on the part of Louisiana Pacific. In my opinion, this product should not have been used on homes in areas of the country that receive a lot of precipitation, thus the failures. (Note, that the “Inner-Seal” siding did very well in other areas of the country that are more arid and the product continues to stand up well in those climates to this day).

Louisiana Pacific SmartSide Wikipedia info

LP SmartSide:  (LP) “Two years after the first suit, LP had settled all related disputes. LP re-engineered the product, now marketed as LP®SmartSide® and since 1997 has sold approximately 3 billion square feet of SmartSide siding with no warranty claims for fungal decay.” This was reported on Wikipedia in 2014 of this product that has been around since 1997.

Fiber Cement (Hardie) Wikipedia info

Fiber Cement: per Wikipedia, “Fiber cement siding (or “fibre cement cladding” in the UK and Australasia) is a building material used to cover the exterior of a building in both commercial and domestic applications. Fiber cement is a composite material Fiber cement is a composite made of sand, cement and cellulose fibers. Read more about Fiber Cement by clicking on the link at the top of this article which will take you to Wiki and Build Direct FAQs.

The Silica Dust Issue – New York Times 

Both the Fiber Cement (hardie plank) and LP SmartSide siding products will produce dust plumes when cutting the product. LP SmartSide siding is wood based and makes less dust as opposed to the Fiber Cement that contains Silica. Having said that, the Silica is a much finer dust and gets airborne and tends to make billowing clouds of fine dust that can be dangerous for workers to install if respirators are not used. Here is a recent article from the New York Times about silica dust exposure that you should be aware of on this issue.

Crumble a Plank Anyone?

Click Image- Read The Rest Of The Story

You have to see this to believe what is happening. After Hardie Siding (fiber cement) has been up for a while, homeowners have been reporting on how that their lawnmowers wheels had bumped the lower run of the siding and broken off edges with some mild unintended impacts.

If you click on that link, you will clearly see what homeowners across the country are reporting as well as the phone calls that we are receiving on the issue here at our Texas Home Exteriors office.

You will also see how SmartSide Siding is much more resistant to the same impact of objects such as lawnmowers, baseballs and the everyday accidental impacts that most homeowners experience.

Benefits Fiber Cement/HardiePlank Siding Products

Fiber Cement has the upper hand by far in the category of Fire Resistance so if you are looking for a siding product that specifically is more Resistant to fires Fiber Cement is the better choice. Fiber cement is one of the most resistant materials there is for your exterior.  If installed properly, it is insect-proof, because it offers no food source to insects.  It is fire-resistant, moisture-resistant, and is not prone to warping or cracking, thanks to the cellulose fibers which boost its dimensional stability.  And manufacturers offer a variety of pre-painted colors to choose from.

Disadvantages of Fiber Cement Siding Products

Fiber Cement is much heavier than other siding types and requires two or more workers to install a single plank increasing labor costs. Fiber cement siding can also be difficult to work with, as workers cut the material it creates silica dust plumes that can be harmful if breathed in.

Benefits of LP SmartSide Siding – What the crews are saying about installation

• Length – With Longer planks” 16’ foot vs 12’ allowing workers to cover more with one plank and less joints to finish.
• Lighter – The product is 39% lighter on average, the material does not break when being carried or moved. 
• Damage – Hammer marks don’t show up easily to to it’s impact resistance.
• Cutting – No special saw blades or equipment is needed (no need for $100 special blades, regular wood saw blades work just fine)
• Nailing – No nail gun pressure issues or need to lower presser due to overdriven nails. 
• Dust- Much less dust than the fiber cement product, silica plume issues gone.
• Strength – Installation of this product helps keeps walls strait”, stronger siding provides support keeping walls straighter.
• Installers like working with the product more due to the reasons above.

Disadvantages of LP SmartSide Siding

SmartSide siding is constructed of wood base fibers, leaving it vulnerable to fire from combustion and or through the melting of the resin add-ons when exposed to high heat. If fire resistance is a concern I would consider the James Hardie (hardiplank) siding over the LP SmartSide siding. You should take a moment to read this article about James Hardie Siding and it’s superior resistance to fire.

Louisiana Pacific and NASDAQ Stock Jump

Just as resent as May 18th of 2015 the stock for Louisiana Pacific (LP) LPX has seen an 52 week all time high is stock increase due to consumer interest and sales increase in the LP SmartSide Siding Product. This has been exciting news for some time as contractors are liking having a choice to present to homeowners besides fiber cement.

Conclusion

Greg Kapitan (the siding man) Texas Home Exteriors

Well there you have it, the good, the bad and the ugly. Both the Hardiplank and LP SmartSide Siding products will serve your home will and keep your love ones protected from the weather for many years to come.

While there are differences and benefits to both siding products, we have noticed a shift in homeowners moving towards the LP Smart Siding due to the many benefits over Fiber Cement (Hardie).

What you have read above is from an article I wrote. You can find more information on our website Texas Home Exteriors – Houston TX about home siding options and you can also learn more about silica dust and it’s affects.

I hope that you have found this informative article most helpful in making a siding choice for your home exterior. Should you have any questions my email addres is, greg@texashomeexteriors.com or if you would like a Free Estimate from Texas Home Exteriors call, 281.919.6999 anytime.

Most sincerely,

Greg Kapitan (the siding man)

Free SmartSide or HardiPlank Estimate: