Need to replace siding on my house, advice wanted.

[Beendare]

I refuse to use Hardie because of silica... Plus it's just kinda a pain. But it's a great product.

If I was redoing my house, it would be SmartLap.

(full time carpenter)

Q- so that LP Smart Lap doesnt swell up with moisture intrusion like OSB or particle board? Have you seen it perform long-term?
.

 

[Tod osier]

I've done our last 2 houses, one with Vinyl and one with HardiePlank. I love the look and finish of the HardiePlank, but I will never do it again - ever.

I attended an commercial installer course from James Hardie and I bought all the tools. I found it way to hard to get picky with and it was a huge time sink-getting it perfect (because you can and that is the kind of guy I am). I found there is a lot of measuring to the 1/32" (fat or thin 1/16"s) if you want perfect gaps. The pieces are hard to deal with if alone on a second story on pumpjacks, it is dusty to cut. Caulking it sucks if you are a picky person and want it perfect. It is cheap when you pencil it out without labor. If you can power through and not get bogged down, it may be for you.

 

[slvrslngr]

Hardi Plank. Yes you can do it yourself. Get the right tools and do some studying on how to install it correctly, then go for it. Also, helper will make it easier.

 

[displacedtexan]

Q- so that LP Smart Lap doesnt swell up with moisture intrusion like OSB or particle board? Have you seen it perform long-term?
.

Properly installed and painted, it holds up VERY well. It will resist far more moisture intrusion that typical OSB.

It is less brittle than Hardie (our area sees a good bit of hail), but obviously cement is more water resistant.

Paint seems to last longer on SmartLap than it does Hardie as well.

I don't install much siding at all anymore (easier ways to make more money. Lol) but it's still what I recommend to all my customers. I've been working with and around it since it came out. I don't think I've seen any issues that weren't directly from poor/improper nailing. Which will cause issues with any siding.

I also feel that it's a little more forgiving to properly install/paint than Hardie.

 

[Deadfall]

To the guys suggesting LP and then mentioning using the gecko gauges, does your LP not have the plastic lap things on the back of it? We installed LP (with the Diamond Kote finish) on our house a few years ago and it had a plastic fin on the back of it that sits on top of the board below.. No gauge needed.

You can order it with fins. Just costs more per board

 

[BBob]

We installed LP (with the Diamond Kote finish) on our house a few years ago and it had a plastic fin on the back of it that sits on top of the board below.. No gauge needed.

I was curious since I need some siding so I took a look at the products and install catalogs. Along with the standard flat offerings they seem to offer the “SmartLock” version with a cut in the back to index on the lower board.

 

[grfox92]

To the guys suggesting LP and then mentioning using the gecko gauges, does your LP not have the plastic lap things on the back of it? We installed LP (with the Diamond Kote finish) on our house a few years ago and it had a plastic fin on the back of it that sits on top of the board below.. No gauge needed.

It used to not come with the fin. Warsaw was the only manufacturer with the fin for a while, but LP has jumped on the bandwagon.

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[grfox92]

Q- so that LP Smart Lap doesnt swell up with moisture intrusion like OSB or particle board? Have you seen it perform long-term?
.

It looks like osb but is pressed with and coated with glue and a coating that make it impervious to water.

I thought the same thing when I first saw the stuff. It's just made differently then osb.

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[Deadfall]

Q- so that LP Smart Lap doesnt swell up with moisture intrusion like OSB or particle board? Have you seen it perform long-term?
.

When installed properly it is far more usable then hardi. Atleast here in montana. We get hard variants of weather. From hot to cold. Sun to cloud and worst of all wind. That hadi gets real brittle. It does not perform well in montana.

Prefinished lp installed with H clips flashing and their caulking is about as bomb proof as you can get.

Comparing apples to apples anyway depending on you budget.

Top end would be furred out metal with a proper barrier underneath. Not that knock phony barrier from big box that everybody uses.

Speaking of which. Do not use that junk. It's not water or wind proof. It's a gimmick. Real tyvec is good the cheap knockoff is not.

Your real concern should be the barrier between sheathing and siding. Sealing window sil and doorways. That's the stuff everyone messes up.

There is alot of science to wrapping a house. If the siding is your only layer of defense you are screwed no matter what you use.

 

[Beendare]

Thanks to the guys above for the info on the LP stuff.

I’ve been around long enough to see some of this “latest andGreatest” stuff like the older Trex decking of 20 yrs ago without the wrap be a total disaster.

 

[timberland]

I've push smart side on all of my builds thevlast couple of years. Always go with pre finished if you can, just one less step. It looks sharp and is easy to work with.

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do you remember what color siding this is, almost exactly what i am looking at for my cabin

 

[Jon Boy]

do you remember what color siding this is, almost exactly what i am looking at for my cabin

It's called fossil and i believe nw factory finishes offers that one. It's not diamond kote as it doesn't have the flange but gecko clips work damn near as fast. Ill try and get another pic, its freaking sharp with wood accents.
Another thing I recommend is the pre made corners. For one it's a lot faster and for two it's far cleaner than anything you can build out of Miratech. Mira tech corners always seem to chip and get water on the seem where your two pieces meet on the corner. I've probably sided 20 houses with lp and have lots of pointers for anyone interested.

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[WV Mountaineer]

I've done our last 2 houses, one with Vinyl and one with HardiePlank. I love the look and finish of the HardiePlank, but I will never do it again - ever.

I attended an commercial installer course from James Hardie and I bought all the tools. I found it way to hard to get picky with and it was a huge time sink-getting it perfect (because you can and that is the kind of guy I am). I found there is a lot of measuring to the 1/32" (fat or thin 1/16"s) if you want perfect gaps. The pieces are hard to deal with if alone on a second story on pumpjacks, it is dusty to cut. Caulking it sucks if you are a picky person and want it perfect. It is cheap when you pencil it out without labor. If you can power through and not get bogged down, it may be for you.


View attachment 542394

Looks great man.