What is Fiber Cement Siding?

Fiber cement siding is a popular alternative to both vinyl and wood siding. It looks great like wood siding but has less maintenance like vinyl. But what is fiber cement siding and why is it so popular?

Ingredients

No matter what brand of fiber cement siding, they all have similar ingredients. All use Portland cement, water, and wood pulp. There is one more ingredient which is either fly ash or silica sand depending on the manufacturer. The water, of course, binds the cement. It also dissolves the wood pulp. The wood pulp gives the fiberboard some flexibility. The sand or ash is the filler.

It Looks Great

Most fiber cement siding resembles an existing style of siding. Some emulate lap styles, some vertical siding. There is even scalloped and wood shake style fiber cement siding. Most manufacturers add the color during the manufacturing process. This helps cut down on maintenance and keeps the color looking great for a decade or longer.

It’s Durable

When you choose wood siding, your home is susceptible to pests. Vinyl siding cracks and breaks in hail storms. Bugs and rodents can’t chew through fiber cement siding, and they don’t want to. Hail bounces right off of fiber cement siding without leaving even a dent. It’s also fire resistant and doesn’t melt under heat like vinyl can when a grill is left too close to the home or a neighbor’s home catches fire.

It’s Affordable

At first glance you may decide that it’s more expensive than wood or vinyl siding. However, when you look at how long fiber cement lasts and how little maintenance it requires, it’s less expensive. With an average expected life of just over 50 years, it is cheaper than two or three installations of vinyl siding on your home. A recent study by the University of Minnesota gave fiber cement siding it’s recommendation as the best blend of durability and cost over it’s expected life. Add to that it is environmentally friendly, why wouldn’t you choose fiber cement siding?

Fiber cement siding is a resilient product great for any home. If you’re considering new siding for yours, call Affordable Replacement Window Systems. We sell and install James Hardie fiber cements siding. Our experts are happy to discuss with your the many options that may be right for your home. Call (817) 264-6509 to schedule your free estimate today.