James Hardi vs LP Smartside Siding

[Mr. Chevrolet]

What's the consensus on these two siding products? Any experiences good or bad. We built a garage and are building a house this year and looking for a good siding product. We initially were sold on Hardi board but were shown LP Smartside this weekend. We heard a lot of warranty issues with Hardi. Any comments would be appreciated.

 

[gasaxeman]

I built a garage myself 2 years ago now.
I did everything my self except the concrete.
I used the lp Smartside and smart soffit .
I like the final product.
Cuts easy and seems pretty durable.
End gaps of the siding are critical and using a high quality sealant is very important.
The stuff does move with the heat and the cold.
I used because I wanted to match the cedar siding on my home.
I think it does a pretty good job.
An air nailer specific for siding duty is a big help.
Would not do without one.
I used a set of gecko siding clamp/ gauges for ease of installation.

 

[Mr. Chevrolet]

Thanks for the reply, did it have the "Diamond Kote" finish on it? Also, did you have to put pieces in between the joints or just caulking? Did you use the pre-made corners or did you make your own?

 

[gasaxeman]

I used factory primed board, painted with 2 coats of exterior flat to match house.
Used osi caulk at all joints.
I butted my boards into smart trim 5/4 boards leaving gap for caulk. That is how I handled all corners and around doors.


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[allinon72]

I used Smartside on my shed. Definitely not cheap, but easy to work with and takes paint very well.

 

[Bearkat]

I used smartside on my last workshop. Worked well, cut easily, and seemed to go up a lot faster than hardi planks. That said, I personally prefer the look of hardi plank and the fact that it is concrete. I used smartside to match the house. If I had both options, I would do Hardi.

 

[yeldogt]

I can't comment on the Smartside .. but I have used the Hardi on a couple of projects and I am about to use it again on my rebuild. I have always used the pre-painted product ... I also can't comment on the warrantee issues - but I will say that most people obviously don't read the instructions.

Prior to using it for the first time I stopped at quite a few projects -- both finished and while under construction and not one was being installed correctly.

Just like cedar siding it has to have an extra flash at each internal joint ... with no caulk and make sure the cut edges are painted .... most all missing on the Hardi jobs I looked at ... and nails all over the place.

I used it first about 8 years ago .. after another project with cedar $$ ... needed more than just painting after 4 years

 

[Tuscani2718]

Just as a side note all the major non wood siding companies have or had major lawsuits against their products. From an ease of use and least caustic during the cutting and install process Smartside wins. While I can not speak for LP regarding warranty claims I can say Hardy can and will spend big bucks just to prove your install method was somehow to blame.

 

[GregKapitanTheSidingMan]

My name is Greg Kapitan often called (kapitan the siding man). I own a company in Houston called Texas Home Exteriors and we have used both the LP SmartSide and HardiePlank Siding by James Hardie. Here is the long and short of my findings..

The LP SmartSide is much more durable, however it does move. In the LP SmartSide training event that Shelly and I attended this spring they stressed how important it is to leave a 3/16" gap between the adjoining ends of two 16' runs or any length to speak of.

We have seen boards that will expand over time due to the heat and moisture, no biggie, fill that 3/16" gap with expandable sealant. As far as HardiPlank and movement, it will contract if anything. So do not nail to close the the ends of any plank because there is a chance of breakage.

From a durability perspective the LP wins. From a fire resistance perspective Hardie wins in that arena. I hope this helps.

 

[gasaxeman]

You are right about moving
Up here in IL we have some serious changes in temp
I got a couple joints I need to fix where caulk has pulled away



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[fourjeepin]

Second the geckos for anyone thinking about a DIY job. Man did it make it easier. Did three walls of my garage and only had help for the full length boards that had to be notched for window or door clearance.

 

[SuperD]

I used hardi plank horizontal cement board on my new home and garage , about 4 years ago. I had a contractor redo the house, here is why. If you have a contractor install hardi, have them produce proof that they have taken the Hardi installer course. It is not rocket science, but there are some items that Hardi will not cover for an incorrect install. OK, back to the house first. The original non qualified installer used Hardi caulking at every **** joint, and it looked like , well lets just use the word ****. Do not let anyone talk you into using any caulking at the but joints. It will be the first thing to deteriorate in the sun, it will always be slightly off color, it was always allow dust and dirt to stick to it. Caulk the ends where they but up to your trim, around vents and outlets. Hardi will contact in the cold, and it will expand in the heat. We have a winter to summer temperature range of 0*F to 100*F. If I installed the hardi in the summer and the board was warm I would keep the joints about 1/8, as it would not expand much more. The gap will increase more in the winter as it cools and contracts. I installed the Hardi on my workshop myself, you can find photos on my profile I think. Use the Geko gauges, just be careful with the drip edge on the hardi as it can chip easily if you drag or drop it on the gauges.Buy a top quility nail gun, and if you set a nail too deep and crush the hardi put a dab of caulking on it.
I had a good friend who is an experienced finish carpenter install the Certain-teed horizontal siding after using Hardi for many years. His choice was because of a lower cost. He tells me he is very disappointed in how much it shrank after the install, up to 1/2 " gaps at the butts, he was very disappointed.

 

[wnstwolf]

Another Cement based option is the Certainteed line. Used it for our home and would do it again. One killer aspect that you must factor in is these things come in 10'-12'or 16' lenghts. No way is this a 1 man job. I had lots of experience with vinyl and you can do it by yourself. The cement board will not survive any bends.. If you go this route, as mentioned, go the pre-painted path. End result was great!

 

[Ross/Kzoo]

I had a good friend who is an experienced finish carpenter install the Certain-teed horizontal siding after using Hardi for many years. His choice was because of a lower cost. He tells me he is very disappointed in how much it shrank after the install, up to 1/2 " gaps at the butts, he was very disappointed.

I'm confused as to which siding he was disappointed in.

 

[mikefromme]

Anywhere water splashes on cement board may be an issue -- the paint could peel... Even with proper application it's an issue. Leave a trash can too close to the siding and moisture will build up over time and the paint will peel, window air conditioners dripping will cause problems etc.

 

[Casey69]

i went w/ smartside on my house. the siding company also used to use cement board, but they were having problems with cracking after installation.

unfortunately, some of the older particle board wood siding (T1-11?) from the 90's had horrific problems that resulted in class-action lawsuits. i haven't read many bad reviews on smartside & it's been around a while, but it looks like OSB with a finished front side.

i think i like steel siding the best though, but it can be spendy.

 

[RStewart]

Have used Hardi and am very pleased with it after 5 or so years. Holds paint very well and have not seen any drastic expansion or shrinking. Don't know if we did it properly but s.s. nails blind nailed left a nice look.
Good luck with your choice.

 

[mbatarga]

Nichiha is another siding supplier. That's what I used on my shop.
Also - get the Gecko clamps if this is a DIY job! Also - I've got a thread somewhere on this site I started for recommendations from my experience.

 

[GregKapitanTheSidingMan]

Update:

I originally said this:

The LP SmartSide is much more durable, however it does move. In the LP SmartSide training event that Shelly and I attended this spring they stressed how important it is to leave a 3/16" gap between the adjoining ends of two 16' runs or any length to speak of."

After some time has gone by we still have not had any problems with the SmartSide Siding. Below is a link to our home page where you can see many SmartSide Siding jobs in the Houston TX metro area. I hope that this info helps.. Greg.

http://www.texashomeexteriors.net/home.html

 

[wnstwolf]

Great timing Greg. We have the certainteed product installed with that same instruction. Our home is unfortunately up for sale and a comment that came back last weekend from a potential buyer was we had the siding installed wrong and he would like all the tiny gaps caulked. I sent the technical installation manual to their realtor to try and educate them on expansion and the like. We are talking tiny gaps but our color is clay or light beige like and at every **** joine we stuck a piece of zip wall tape as a backer between the two. You could use felt paper or something like that but point is now we have a dark color behind that tiny joint. If I did it agin I would have painted it to match siding. All this is foolish as you can only see this on areas below eye level and up close. Ten feet away and it all disappears. We will never hear back from that tire kicker!

 

[southalabama]

I've had hardie plank on my building seven years. It's held paint well. I used a light blue.

No experience with the lp siding.

 

[stikman56]

Just as a side note all the major non wood siding companies have or had major lawsuits against their products. From an ease of use and least caustic during the cutting and install process Smartside wins. While I can not speak for LP regarding warranty claims I can say Hardy can and will spend big bucks just to prove your install method was somehow to blame.

This is what I've heard and read as well. The Hardie Plank is extremely heavy too. I used to haul it from the plant. First time I went, I was waiting for the rest of it. Forklift driver said "that's all of it". I pulled around on the scale and was over 78,000 pounds, but the trailer had lots of room left. Like hauling roofing, but ever heavier yet. I think LP learned their lesson and with this it's said to be extremely water resistant from something they put in it ,so it doesn't mold and rot, at least they are claiming that. We chose it for the house we are going to have built, hopefully soon.

 

[backintheday]

I used smart side, the type that looks like stained wood. My wife and I installed it ourselves and we are just basic do it yourself types. Very easy to work with and looks great. In western Wy our temps go from 90 to -30 only had it up 1 winter so far. I will use it on our horse lean too and my shop. Highly recommend it.

 

[brass89]

What is the verdict on caulking joints of lp smartside? I've been looking at this as a siding option for my shed. When I went to the local home store, originally I was going to go with their 'proprietary' knock off of t1-11 until I saw it. Very thin, extremely rough - like just a step above balsa wood. They had something that looked like smartside, but was masonite instead of osb based. So I guess smartside it is. Is this caulking used at the corners where 2 panels meet, or used where 2 panels overlap along the same side? I too am in the midwest with varying humidity and temps so I'm sure any wood product will tend to move. The smartside I'm looking at are the 4x8 sheets (planning to install vertically), not the long plank versions. Not sure which version people are talking about caulking.

 

[JonnyMac]

If its the same company. James Hardie is a rather unethical past asbestos producer who has reluctantly put together a compensation fund for victims only after a court ruling which they tried desperately to avoid at the expense of many dying people in australia. Google them and check out the wiki page and make up your own mind...