LP Smartside Lap vs Nickel Gap vs Shake?

[whitecarrera]

I know there's a lot of Smartside discussion already, but I'm having trouble finding a general comparison of costs, all else being equal. Regardless of the size or square footage, is there any standard variance between the different types of Smartside? For example, is Nickel Gap 5%, 10%, 15% more than lap? What about Shake? How much does the ExpertFinish prefinished paint add?

Thanks for any info. I'm about to pull the trigger on a 28 x 40 garage/poolhouse combo, and trying to figure it all out.

 

[Hank11]

You’ll need to calculate coverage for each material and then check pricing at your local vendors.

 

[egdede]

So do what Hank11 says above making sure you understand how much excess you need for each product.

Different products or patterns might have different 'excess requirements'. Not sure what the term is. For example, in flooring it takes more flooring to do herring-bone.

 

[reader2580]

I just went through buying Smartside siding for my garage. Shake is more expensive than lap from my experience. Most seem to use shake just for accent. I am only using shake for the gable on one end.

 

[Skooterj]

So locally, shake is $3.45 SF, while 8 inch lap is $1.52 SF. Both Primed. Prefinished Shake is $4.65 and prefinished lap is $2.47. So primed Lap is by far the cheapest, but then you have to paint it. So how much to paint a SF would be the deciding factor.

 

[whitecarrera]

Skooter and 2580 - thanks for your replies. That confirms what my contractor just presented me with. Apples-to-apples, pre-finishing adds about 35-55%. I'm finding the nickel gap to be 15-20% higher than the lap, and the shake to be a little higher than that.

Specifically, I'm looking at in increase of about $1000 to substitute nickel gap and some accent shake, plus about $2k (net) for prefinished instead of primed. The prefinished seems expensive, but if it holds up as expected, then should be worth it in the long haul. Thanks again.

 

[reader2580]

After the amount of time and money I spent painting Smartside I would pay $2,000 for pre-finished. I have pre-finished on my house that is ten years old, and still looks good.

 

[Skooterj]

Skooter and 2580 - thanks for your replies. That confirms what my contractor just presented me with. Apples-to-apples, pre-finishing adds about 35-55%. I'm finding the nickel gap to be 15-20% higher than the lap, and the shake to be a little higher than that.

Specifically, I'm looking at in increase of about $1000 to substitute nickel gap and some accent shake, plus about $2k (net) for prefinished instead of primed. The prefinished seems expensive, but if it holds up as expected, then should be worth it in the long haul. Thanks again.

I've never used the pre-finished. I just worry about anything you have to field paint to match. Does it really match? On my primed then painted stuff, you can't even see the fasteners in the trim pieces unless you really look. Does the caulk match? Maybe. I don't know. How much is the matching caulk versus a gray caulk you paint?