We have LP smart siding and like it. If I had had the option, I would have chosen Hardi siding, because it is more fire resistant.
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Sounds like a consensus.
We would pick smart side. We had both options and picked that and would again.
I appreciate the enthusiasm regarding both products. Fire resistance is an angle I hadn’t considered, though thankfully this is not a fire prone area. Water resistance in the upper Midwest, with snow melt might be an issue. From what I have heard, Hardieplank can have water issues as well. That contractor told me that keeping the siding bottom end above snow level is important. My front porch siding goes to the ground and they’d have to use some metal siding to cover that area, though I was thinking about older houses that use a wooden lattice to cover porch supports.
One contractor said he would use metal on window surrounds and sills. But have also heard that they need to use the same siding material or it can void the warranty. k
Yes, adding some insulation is crucial for comfort in this climate. I have many samples of both products, and need to choose colors!
Again, thanks for all answers and opinions!
For what reason? It certainly is a heavier product. I have samples sitting here of both.
My information may be dated as we did the most research 10-15 yrs ago. At that time the Hardie product sample was heavier than the Smart Side sample.
We like the texture on the Smart Side and the trim pieces like corners, window trim/soffits are very attractive. Although we hired the siding and trim done, we like that we can do other things with trim pieces with tools like regular saws: Backer boards for light fixtures, openers, electrical outlet surrounds. We have matching touchup paint for cut ends. I think the siding pieces were longer for Smart Side = less joints. Smart Side trim pieces can be and are used for deck railings and stair trimming here.
Ours came prefinished with paint/coating and looks brand new. Once a year we spray it with water to clean it.
This is in a northern Great Lakes area which gets several feet of snow a year, and has snow on the ground/decks as well as snow piles for weeks at a time.
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Useful comparison, here. I am perhaps a bit further south, but same snow piles in winter. Minimizing seams in this freeze thaw climate would be wise. Keeping a supply of paint in the chosen color would make sense. Both products are pre finished and should be good for the decade or two I hope to be in the house. I do like that LP Smartside would perhaps hang more lightly on this aging structure.
Another benefit of Hardi is that it comes in several different forms. The first picture below shows large flat panels and the second shows lap siding, shingles and, in the entry, board and batten.
All are roughly the same price per square foot.
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I promise I don’t work for smart side or have any financial stake and I do think Hardie is also good. Smart side also comes in different forms like shakes, panel, vertical. We have two different forms of it in the same color on our house ( plus a different color trim); I’m just not sure what those forms are called.
We are in the process of getting quotes for new windows and siding. Anyone know how the price of Hardie compares to Smart Side?
Did anyone continue wood flooring into a half bath or laundry room? Any problems?
I have wood flooring in our half bath. No problems!
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We have wood flooring throughout our entire ground floor, which includes laundry room and powder room. No issues with the bathroom but once one of our cats decided to explore behind the washer and pulled the hose out of the drain leading to a minor leak when I started a load. The floors survived because I took care of the situation quickly, but they will be replaced with tile when we remodel.
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In my neighborhood of 100 year old plus houses, there can be wood flooring everywhere. Oak does not blacken as emphatically as maple. My previous kitchen was maple, and I was very quick to dry any spills or standing water. There was a bit of an ice maker leak that left a mark. With other woods, am not sure. But tolerance of water with spills and splashes is a question to ask when selecting the type of wood.
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I have solid wood floor in my powder room. My sister has it in her guest bathroom and did have an issue when she had a leak behind her toilet.
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I also have hardwood throughout my house and no issues. If you’re worried about a leak wood is probably not the best choice. I live in a cold climate, even my mud room has wood. I used to have tile but when we remodeled I replaced the mud room, kitchen and powder room tile floors with wood to match the other rooms.
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When we built our house (21 yr) we installed white oak flooring throughout (including a laundry area). Never had a problem until 5 years ago, when we had an issue with an air handler (HVAC system). It was located in a closet in the laundry area. That problem (a slow leak) caused the floor to buckle and we had to replace the floor. Our contractor thought it would be wise to use tile rather than replace the hardwood, which is what we did.
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My sister put tile under her kitchen appliances at the suggestion of her contractor. The rest of the house is solid wood.
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My parents had tile in a laundry room. When the washer went off balance, tiles broke from the vibrations! YMMV
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Wow - I’ve lived with tile for 20 years and haven’t had that happen, but I have worried about it, or dropping a big glass jar and having it break the tile. So far no issues.