Siding is an important investment, and, like roofing, your choice of material can benefit your home’s exterior in many ways. In today’s post, the exterior renovation contractors at PJ Sullivan Exteriors share the features that make fiber cement siding worth considering for your next siding replacement.
Fiber cement is a composite made of wood fibers, silica from sand and cement. The wood fibers help reduce the brittleness of cement, while the fine sand adds mass and durability. Fiber cement has been around for over a hundred years, but underwent a major change when one of its components, asbestos, was banned in the 1980s. The wood fibers have since replaced asbestos. The realistic wood grain and baked-on paint are applied during manufacture.
Much like a luxury front door, fiber cement siding can provide both protection and aesthetic improvements to your home’s exterior. It offers the following unique advantages:
Durability — Fiber cement is one of the most durable building materials. A standard fiber cement siding plank is significantly thicker than similar extruded siding materials, giving it better impact resistance and long-term durability. The thicker profile also makes it possible to have deep surface relief that lets the siding surface retain the wood grain, even when paint is applied.
Long Life Span — Fiber cement siding has an expected life span of 30 to 50 years, with care and maintenance. It’s comparatively similar to the expected life span of metal roofs, making it a comparable investment.
Weather Resistance — As a type of composite, fiber cement siding does not warp or crack from thermal expansion and contraction like natural wood does. One of the reasons why we at PJ Sullivan Exteriors chose to offer James Hardie® siding is because their HardieZone® system helps make sure that we are installing products designed for the local climate.
Low Maintenance — Almost every siding option nowadays is touted as having low-maintenance requirements. Fiber cement siding does not disappoint in this regard. The aforementioned factory-applied coatings, borne of James Hardie’s ColorPlus® technology, require no repainting while remaining vibrant for a very long time.
PJ Sullivan Exteriors is your leading provider of exterior renovation services, including siding installation and chimney repair. Give us a call at (201) 857-0600 or (914) 768-3002. You can also fill out our contact form to schedule an appointment. We serve customers in Bergen County, NJ, and surrounding communities.