There are so many different (and honestly really good) options out there for hard board siding. Before we jump in too deep, lets quickly cover what exactly “hard board siding” means. Hard board siding is any type of siding that is a solid lap; for a comparison, when you look at the profile of vinyl siding it is a hollow shell. See image below:
As you can see, vinyl is thin shell creating the allusion of a solid strip of siding while the 3 hard boards shown (LP, James Hardie, and Celect) are actual solid siding panels. LP Smartside is made up of wood fibers combined with waxes, industrial grade binders, Zinc-borate, and resin overlay. James Hardie has perfected the fiber cement industry with their line of fiber cement siding. Royal Celect is a cellular PVC siding very similar to Royal’s trim that they have been providing the construction industry for years.
Impact resistance, gives off a more truer wooden siding or shake appearance (aka greater curb appeal, wider range in color options, and wider range in siding reveal size are just a handful of advantages provided by Hardboard siding. Over the next couple of months, we will be focusing in on the pros and cons on each individual brand.
Hopefully these articles will help you decide if hardboard is right for you and narrow down your options if it is.
Stay tuned for the next blog, which will be all about LP Smartside! Here is a quick teaser-image of an LP Smartside job Carlson Exteriors installed in Savoy, IL.
7 responses to “Comparing Hard Board Siding: Part 1- LP SmartSide vs. James Hardie Fiber Cement vs. Royal Celect Siding”
[…] James Hardie Fiber Cement, and Royal Celect siding. If you missed it and want to catch up- Click Here! Part 2 is all about LP Smartside: it’s history, material make-up, the pros, and the […]
[…] Click here to read “Comparing Hardboards: Part 1” […]
[…] The final portion to our four part series on comparing hard board siding. Quick re-cap, we did a quick overview on what hard board siding is and it’s general pros and cons. After that we zoned in on the […]
[…] There are a few hard board sidings out there that do a fantastic job of looking like real wood siding. Some require more maintenance than others. These hard board sidings are LP Smartside, James Hardie Fiber Cement Siding, and Royal Celect Siding. Check out our earlier blog series on Comparing Hard Board Siding by click here to learn about them. […]
I am looking real hard at the Royal Celect, #1 rated by Consumers Reports. Hard to find a dealer for the product in the Midwest. I did find one that stocks the trim, but the siding will have to be special ordered. Finding an installer may be difficult also. Royal sent me an 18″ sample of the 7″ siding. Pretty impressive. I haven’t got a price on the product yet, but I am hoping it’s do-able.
I too am looking to use Royal Celect. I live on a golf course and balls are damaging th3 James Hardy siding.
I live in Nebraska and most likely will find it difficult to secure the product and a contractor willing to put it up.
I’d appreciate any updates on this.
Thanks
Hi Anthony, I’d suggest contacting Royal- can seeing who they suggest you use in your area.