Good morning,
Could anyone help me with a siding and trim Question. I was looking to re-side and trim my home. I was thinking of using LP “Smartside” trim and siding. Then, I came across “Hardyplank”. Could someone help explane the difference and what would be a better product to use? Has anyone used either product before, installation the same?
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Replies
Until some of the contractors stop in to respond, I'll give you my impression.
This question has been asked several times recently, it seems. As far as I know, no one has responded that can give a good side-by-side comparison from actual use. Hardie has been around quite a while & is used all over. The SmartSide stuff is relatively new, and it seems, from the posts, that few contractors have used much of it.
I built a workshop a few years ago & used the Hardie lapped siding for the building & the LP Smartside panels to build a barn door & a walk door. If you're going to do this yourself, the Smartside is much easier & nicer to work with. Much lighter, not brittle or prone to breakage. The Hardie or other cement based products produce a horrendous amount of hazardous dust when cut with saws.
I'm starting on residing my house now, and seriously considered going with the Smartside because of the ease of work. Since I couldn't find any long term use reports, and since LP has produced a few products that resulted in class-action lawsuits in the past, I decided to stick with the Hardie.
Based on my experience with an older "hardboard" technology, I'd give the Smartside a thought, at least. It is much, much easier to work with than Hardiplank and is a bit thicker, producing a nicer "shadow line".
The downside is that it is "unproven" and some prior verisons of wood composite sidings suffered premature failures (though others are still in good condition after several decades).
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LP has produced so many bad products that I can't understand for the life of me how they are still in business
LP smartside is just osb primed and sometimes painted on the outside. It is much easier to work with - weight wise but I have a hard time believing it is as durable as hardi plank. Hardi plank is made of fiber cement and won't rot. It does create dust when sawed but they make scissors that can cut it with minimal dust. (it chews up the edges a little so the cut edge should be covered by trim or caulked) If you go with the smartside I'd prime the back first.
Depends on the glue used, and flake thicknesses
OSB can be extremely durable, if the glues used are selected correctly.
Some of the phenolic glued OSB is nearly impervious to water.
It is essentially a wood flake based phenolic sheet, similar to glass, canvas or paper phenolic.
Yeah, the trick is the amount and quality of phenolic they use. Unfortunately, their descriptions of the process are not reassuring, as they refer to a "coating", rather than having it perfused through the product. Hard to say if the coating is IN ADDITION to having phenolic perfused through the product, or the only treatment.
I'd say the thing to do is to buy a stick of it and experiment with it. Cut off some chunks and put them in water. Bury other chunks for a few months. I wouldn't expect it to not swell a bit (maybe 25-50%) in such circumstances, but it shouldn't blow up like a balloon or disassemble itself.
As I've said before, our house is finished in Masonite "Woodsman" siding, which is fully "tempered" with phenolic (unlike other hardboard sidings), and which is essentially impervious to water (unlike Hardi). After 20+ years there is nowhere on the house any sign of deterioration. So at least in theory it's possible for SmartSide to be good stuff, if they did it right.
I just finished residing my home with Hardiplank pre-painted (ColorPlus), and I'm very satisfied now that it's done. Previously, we had LP Innerseal siding--the POS predecessor to the current Smartside product, and I wouldn't buy another LP product again until it has a record of at least 50 years of proven longevity performance (our Innerseal siding was rotting in places after less than a decade).
Smartside (and previous Innerseal): wood chips compressed and combined with a glue/binder, run through a press/oven and given a wood-grained look.
Advantages: seems ecologically friendly, can be cut with ordinary wood-cutting tools, won't break under its own weight, 16' boards available.
Disadvantages: not fireproof; the binder is crucial, if it isn't done right, the siding wicks up moisture and rots (see LP Innerseal class action lawsuit).
Hardiplank: wood fiber impregnated with Portland cement and run through a press with imprinted wood grain (or not).
Advantages: Strong, long-lasting, impervious to insects, fireproof.
Disadvantages: requires special bladed tools to cut; dust-collection important (silica dust); has to be handled carefully (it's heavy and will break under its own weight if held in the middle), so max 12' boards available and has to be carried on edge. Has to be installed according to Hardie's guidelines. Probably more expensive than OSB siding.
I like the *idea* of OSB siding for ecological and ease-of-handling reasons, but like I said, I wouldn't touch another LP product until it has a long, proven track record. LP's record of dissembling and denying responsibility for the Innerseal debacle turned me off to them.