As a homeowner, you’re making a big investment when you choose wood or fiber cement siding for your home. So, it makes no sense to take a too-casual approach. Just because you had a certain type of siding before or it’s what your neighbor has, it doesn’t mean that’s the best siding for you.
Fiber Cement Vs Wood Siding
Here are some important differences to consider when you’re trying to decide between these two types of siding.
Style & Color
For many people, nothing looks as beautiful as traditional wood siding. It comes in a variety of natural wood colors. Fiber cement siding, on the other hand, offers more options, including such colors as white, yellow, blue, and beige. Fiber cement siding can come in many different styles, but it tends to look cleaner and more modern.
Weather Resistance
It’s important that your siding holds up to the climate where you live. Fiber cement siding that’s engineered to withstand the weather in your area has an advantage here, especially in locations where there’s often severe weather such as in mountainous regions. It’s hail and wind resistant, and it’s far less likely to rot, crack, or warp due to Colorado’s harsh climate. Wood siding is less weather-resistant, so proper sealing is critical.
Fire Resistance
This is an obvious difference: wood siding burns more easily than fiber cement. While the wood type burns when exposed to flame or wood, fiber cement simply won’t burn. It’s so fire-resistant that fire departments across the U.S. recommend it.
Pest Resistance
When you have wood siding, you have to worry about woodpeckers punching holes in it or termites eating into it, as well as damage from other types of pests. The fiber cement option offers exceptional pest resistance, so your siding continues to look great and protect your home for many years.
Eco-Friendly
If your primary concern is getting eco-friendly siding, wood may be your preferred siding. It’s renewable siding, and it can be made from reclaimed wood as well. Fiber cement doesn’t have that advantage. However, because it lasts so long, it creates little waste over the years. In addition, certain brands of this siding have features, such as low VOC paints and sealants, that improve its eco-friendliness.
Durability
When you choose the most durable siding, you can be fairly certain that you won’t have to purchase new siding any time soon. But how can you tell? One way is to note the manufacturer’s warranty. Wood siding may have a limited 10-year warranty, covering things like decay and water absorption.
Fiber cement siding warranties tend to be much better, often covering it for up to 30 years, with up to a 15-year warranty on the paint. So, if you only plan to be in your home a few years, you might not mind having the shorter warranty period. But if you expect to stay in your home for a long time, you can save substantially with the fiber cement variety.
Maintenance
Maintenance for the two types of siding is also a bit different. Both need to be washed down and cleaned from time to time. But wood siding also needs to be sealed at least every four to six years, and even more often in some climates.
Cost
The initial cost of fiber cement siding is lower than that of wood siding. And when you consider the fact that it lasts longer and requires less maintenance, it turns out that you save even more over the years when you choose fiber cement.
Final Words
Even given all these differences, it still may not be clear to you which siding to choose. Personal preference is important, of course. But it’s hard to know when practical considerations outweigh your initial ideas of what you want.
Talking to a siding expert is the best way to sort out all the pros and cons of each type. To learn more about each of these types of siding, contact GS Exterior Experts at (720) 683-6288 or send us a message on our Contact Us page. We’re happy to set up a consultation with you go over all the pluses and minuses of each type of siding so you can make the informed decision that’s right for you!
