I have heard som really good things about the LP siding. I have to redo Lakehouse and trying to decide what to use. Thoughts?

Reporting from top home builders & framers in Aggieland
I plan to use Hardie anything when stucco, masonry, metal is not in play
BUT
the framers prefer to work with the LP trim/fascias but are OK with the Hardie Siding/Panels/battons/soffits
then the builder feels comfortable with the LP warranties, even when that exposed

TIP: order pre-primed from ideal factory conditions for your surfaces paints to hold longer

Hope to learn something new from this thread

I live in CS and Lakehouse is at camp creek. I have replace most of old siding with OSB and new windows.. just deciding on final siding. Everything gets filthy out there but I am leaning toward the LP. Here just one portion

The LP warranty is 5/50 with a 2.2% annual reduction in coverage starting in year 6. Imo significantly worse than the hardie 30 yr warranty

But the LP has tons of pros for installers and should be cheaper to install to the end user

I'm wanting to do vertical sheets that are board and batten look..

Here are some more pics… it's been a project and still is.. house isn't much but love the views!!!!

James Hardie. Especially up against a Lake area. You will need to wash/power wash consistently being on the Lake. James Hardie will hold up much better over time and wear better. It is a fiber cement product.

Actually looking into a Camp Creek Lake spot. Supposed to be headed out that way tomorrow to check it out.

Good luck! Let me know if you have any questions!

ags4rocks said:

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I'm wanting to do vertical sheets that are board and batten look..

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I am actually doing this on a house I am residing now.

If board and batten I would go with LP smart. If your wall height is 8 ' or less then you can use 4x8 sheets. If taller you have to use a z bar flashing at the joint or use 16 inch wide vertical smart siding in those areas. For battens I use 2 1/2 wide. They keep all of this in stock in McCoys in Bryan. Go see Mike G and ask him to make you a package discount if you decide to get materials from there.

I know basically nothing about LP, but a quick Google search reveals multiple mentions of lawsuits and defective products related to water penetration. Is that an older issue that has since been fixed and/or was it overplayed from the start?

Had Hardie horizontal clapboard done on my previous house. Did not do the work myself, guys who did it were so-so skilled. Major thing I did not like were the gaps between boards butted up to the next on long runs. I believe you have to do a 1/8-1/4" expansion gap. Through the seasons through, never saw the gap change in size...??

Second complaint was chipping. Put a ladder up against it and hit an edge, chip. Almost impossible to fix most times. Never got any significant hail in PA, so can't report on that.

Currently doing an addition on our current house (just started excavating) and residing existing house, leaning heavily towards LP. Probably the shakes this time.

terradactylexpress said:

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The LP warranty is 5/50 with a 2.2% annual reduction in coverage starting in year 6. Imo significantly worse than the hardie 30 yr warranty

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That's a fair point.

While we are anguishing over warranties, which I do at times, does any of it really matter? Personally, I would prefer to have some coverage at year 35 than no coverage.

But, if my LP gets hit with 1.5" hail and is damaged, how is this going to be handled? The hail warranty is up to 1.75". Do I have to save a piece of hail? Hardie has no listing at all on hail size, are they really going to stand behind that?

Many people don't stay in a house more than 5 years. So, does it transfer easily or will I need proof of install and purchase from a product 30 years ago to claim a warranty? I have not compared the two extensively. Some require qualified installers, so you want to find out what that means exactly. They all have requirements for install techniques. One has explicit hail size coverage the other is very vague, I'd want to know what that means. Either way, there is a good chance a warranty claim will be denied regardless of who you pick, so my choice hinges heavily on "the product in front of me". One is a pain in my neck to work with, brittle, makes a huge mess, cracks and breaks under normal handling, and literally absorbs water. The other is a wood product, comes in longer board footages, requires no special handling or tools to work with, and doesn't chip or crack easily. Most of my feels are on these factors.

These are just musings and my personal opinion. What is important to each person will vary a bit, which is why I think this is a good thread.

Also how I feel About guarantees in general:

You could do Vinyl. No painting and easy to wash. Just harder to find knowledgeable installers.

Why is it pressure treated and not hardi ?

When running hardi fascia we normally use a 1x6 fascia on the band with a 1x4 on top of that. For drip edge style d is my preference

LP Smartside on my new build continues to tear at every seam any time it rains. Builder is supposed to be fixing with a trim piece at every joint but we shall see.

If I had it to do over again I would have gone Hardie.

If you are building on the coast does that change the equation? Looking to build in Rockport area in a few years, and am trying to get educated so I can sound somewhat informed when I start talking to builders.......

Look at existing homes abound where you are building. I know in Galveston everything is hardie

This will answer a lot of your questions. LP always gets contractor's votes because it's easy to install. It's easy to install because it's easy to cut, and it's easy to cut because it's made out of ground up wood fibers. So if you have to work with it on a daily basis, which one are you going to push? Doesn't matter to most guys a month down the road after it's installed. The problem is on the homeowner.

It also gets contractor's votes because they can claim it has a 50 year warranty. I would encourage you to read that warranty, it's not all it's made out to be. They have hail exclusions even though they brag about the impact rating, and certain areas of the country they won't warranty it because of how wet the climate is. Fact is, it absorbs water. When installed, you are required to leave a gap for expansion as it absorbs water or it voids the warranty.

The impact rating is moot. If hail hits either with enough force to damage one or the other, you're either going to have a dent or a crack regardless if it's LP or Hardie. Either way you're fixing it.

Personally, I install Hardie most of the time.

In 20+ years of installing siding I have personally never seen lp crack or dent from impact strikes. I have installed both products on structures as small as well houses ranging to million dollar + houses. I have replaced hardi siding on a gable that looked like a ball peen hammer hit it. House was located on the right side of a tee box on a golf course. I have seen hardi fail where it is too low to the ground. I have seen it fail when used as house skirting. It gets more brittle over time and will crack if used on a pier and beam house that moves up and down. I have seen it fail when kids throw baseballs at it. A weed eater will destroy it as well as a careless riding mower operator. I have never seen lp fail in the field but I guess it could if installed improperly around moisture. I have seen smart siding installed as skirting touching the ground and so far it has not delaminated to my knowledge. I often see it installed wrong in the field. 45's at joints, no expansion gaps at joints. The old hardi instructions required 1/8 gaps at all joints. They have revised that to read" moderate contact at butt joints" so how does that define in regards to a warranty claim ? I like vented hardi soffit and I like the horizontal hardi over lp siding. I have never seen hardi siding or trim peel even with paint that was faded and approaching 20 years old. I have never seen smart peel either though. On coastal houses the preference is hardi so if high moisture is a concern then maybe it will withstand hurricanes better. Each have their pros and cons. Hardi has a higher fire rating than lp. It looks like the OP already has put hardi fascia boards on so maybe his preference is hardi. Regardless of what he chooses, a high quality caulk and paint is imperative if long term durability is the goal. This is where I often see corners cut in the field especially with caulking.

Little bit of a haul to get through but appreciate the link. Not sure how things are done in the North and don't know much about Mastic products, but he was more bullish and high on vinyl siding than I would have thought considering he is a roofing and siding contractor.

I appreciate everyone chiming in. It is very helpful. Thanks!

Some of the cities in the DFW area, such as Flower Mound, require siding to be brick, stone, or fiber/cement, etc. I replaced the 30 year old masonite siding with LP Smartside in a small area. It held up well and was a good choice. I later learned that I had violated revised codes but it was a lot better than the original. I did use Hardie trim on several projects for soffits and facia and it worked well but was hard to cut, handle and install. Long pieces had to be handled carefully or it broke way too easy. It also tended to develop mold and mildew far easier than the LP did in the same place. For the cost difference I still prefer the LP for DIY projects.

I've moved to East Texas into a hood that has fairly simple construction requirements but siding is very specific. Can be masonry or "natural" materials and cannot be metal or vinyl siding. I've learned that's true for quite a few of the developments around. I see several recommendations for vinyl in this thread but it isn't acceptable universally. I've found a company that makes metal siding that looks just like cedar board and batten and I'm tempted to ask for a variance since it doesn't look like standard metal siding. Who knows if it'll get approved.

Anyone have a good recommendation for a siding company in Dallas? Need to tear down old vinyl and put up hardie or this LP stuff I am just now learning about.

2100 sqft 2 story house. Top is vinyl, bottom is brick... what would guessssstimate be for cost? I have not the slightest clue.

$15k-30k.

AnyOtherName said:

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Anyone have a good recommendation for a siding company in Dallas? Need to tear down old vinyl and put up hardie or this LP stuff I am just now learning about.

2100 sqft 2 story house. Top is vinyl, bottom is brick... what would guessssstimate be for cost? I have not the slightest clue.

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Would welcome an opportunity to take a look at it. Username at gmail or Matt at AdvanvedRestorationCo dot com