Comparing Hard Board Siding: Part 4- Royal Celect Siding

This is it – 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 specific brands LP Smartside and James Hardie Fiber Cement. Now we are going to look at Royal Celect Siding; what it is, it’s history, and the benefits and negatives!

History

While Celect Siding is a new product to the industry, Royal Building Products has been one of the leading siding manufacturers for many years. Royal started off as a plastic company in the 70’s. They specialized in PVC products and window frames while maintaining a rather large PVC recycling facility. Very early on they developed a cellular PVC process that was the foundation to many off shoot companies Royal started. One of the products Royal has been popular for is their cellular PVC trim mouldings. These trim pieces have been nationally used for 30 plus years and still going strong. Celect is essentially the trim mould make-up but in a siding format. Celect siding has the addition of color options and a patented interlocking mechanism.

Make-up

Royal Celect Siding is made up of recyclable, cellular PVC material that is unaffected by moisture and the elements. It’s covered with a Kynar Aquatic coating which is stain and water resitant.

Pros

Royal Celect siding has so many Pros. It’s completely maintenance free, looks like real cedar, extremely durable and gives your home stunning curb appeal.

It’s made up of a cellular PVC material you don’t have to worry about recaulking, repainting, or any other annoying maintenance task. The cellular PVC has hardly any expansion during climate changes – this allows the seams to be incredibly tight and hard to see. The images below show that the siding seams are almost invisible from all angles.

This side profile of a Celect siding seam is completely flush

If you look closely you can see the seam where two siding panels butt up next to each other

The surface coating is not lacking on the durability and maintenance free aspect. The Kynar Aquatic coating doesn’t fade, doesn’t chip easily, and will not need repainting. The proof is in the 25 year warranty against fading.

Celect Siding is extremely durable against hail, golf balls, baseballs, bikes, etc. So if you live near a golf course or have kids this might be a big advantage to you. It’s wind resistance to winds up to 210mph. This siding is not going anywhere. You won’t have to worry about termites or any kind of mold growth. If the siding start to look dirty a simple wash with a garden hose will perk it up.

Visually, the panels create a striking appearance. The panels come in four inch and seven inch reveals; so whether you desire the standard four inch reveal look or crave the trending wider reveal, Celect will have a panel for you. Royal also offers the Celect line in  a shake profile and board and batten.

The panels are made by a patented joint interlocking system. The interlocking of panels on all four sides prevents and buckling, warping, blown off panels, and shifting in panels. Celect siding is the only siding line that offers this unique joining system.

Pricing is both a pro and a con. If you are in the market for a hard board, Celect siding materials are around the same price range as other hard board materials. The labor pricing can fluctuate quite a bit depending on your contractor and how many windows you have (more on this in the Cons section).

While Celect siding has not been around for a long time, the Royal brand comes with longevity, a great reputation, and a decent warranty on both the panel and the color coating. Click here to read the Celect warranty.

Cons

The biggest negative comes from an install perspective. Celect siding is not installed the typical way so it requires a contractor to learn a new process. This isn’t necessarily bad, but many contractors don’t like taking the time to learn how to hang siding all over again. Since it’s a new product, not all contractors know how to install the panels so it may be difficult finding a contractor willing to quote your siding project. Typically, siding is installed corners and trim pieces first. This creates a framework for siding panels to fit inside. With Celect, you have to install siding panels first then use the corners and trim as finishing pieces.

Royal Celect siding only offers 20 colors. This is enough to cover the basics; however, compared to LP and James Hardie you do not have endless choices or a custom color option. Along with being somewhat limited in colors, it is limited in panel options. Again, Royal Celect covers the basics with two siding widths, one shake style, and the board and batten option. Both LP and James Hardie have multiple siding widths, a few shake styles, and different finish options. I assume Royal has limited the product lines since it’s a new product testing the waters of client demand. Their options may grow as the popularity of Celect increases.

Even though pricing was listed as a pro it’s also a con. Contractors willing to install may not know what labor price is required with this product. You may wind up paying more than you should or you might luck out and get a bargain on labor if the contractor underestimates. The most tedious part of installing is the trim work around windows. If you have many windows or rather large windows, your pricing may be much higher than a home with less or smaller windows.

Windows make the con list because they take up a majority of installer time and require exquisite craftsmanship. Each edge of a window is one piece. The four trim pieces of a window are joined together, like a frame, before installing on the wall around the window. If your window is a 3′ x 4′ you will need a trim work frame that fits a 3′ x 4′ window; if your window is 20′ x 7′ you will need a trim work frame that fits a 20′ x 7′ window. The larger trim frames become harder to hold and lift up to the window; it requires more man power holding in place as it’s secured. Since each side is a single piece, any larger sizes that may be accidentally cut too short add up to significant waste by an unexperienced installer.

All hard boards are special order and are ordered specifically to the house. Usually special order siding materials cannot be returned, or if they can be returned come with a re-stocking fee. Contractors try not to order any waste with special order products. If materials are short ordered, it make take much longer to get any additional materials. Celect is no stranger to longer order times.

Conclusion

Even thought Celect is newer product on the market, no homeowner should feel like they are taking a gamble by choosing this as your siding. If you don’t mind the options being limited to the basics, you will be thrilled with the durability, maintenance-free qualities to Celect siding.

Gable shakes are hard board in chestnut brown, siding is hardboard latte tan, and weathered wood shingles

Weathered wood shingles, chestnut brown shakes, latte tan siding, tan gutters

Small turret with tan hard board siding and CertainTeed Weathered Wood Roof

Tan hardboard siding with CertainTeed weathered wood roof