Fiber Cement Siding Stands Up to The Test of Time

Posted on June 9, 2008
Tag(s): Green Building, The Great Green Outdoors
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Fiber cement siding has actually been around for nearly 100 years, and is still present on many homes, although today’s siding has replaced dangerous asbestos with cellulose fiber as one of its ingredients. Portland cement, ground sand, additives and water make up the balance of this durable building product. It offers resistance to termites, wind, fire, fungus, rot, fading, and warping, and is considered a green building product.

Many styles, colors, and sizes are available to give your home timeless appeal. A variety of clapboard siding styles that have embossed wood grained texture or smooth finish are available and come in a multitude of widths that allow clapboard exposures ranging from 4 to nearly 11 inches. Because the cement products do not expand and contract to the extent that wood does, paint rarely peels and blisters. Factory applied priming and painting is recommended to give the longest lasting finish.

Consider fiber-cement products which use a high percentage of post-consumer or post-industrial waste wood fiber. Using recycled wood fiber reduces amount of wood waste entering landfills and reduces the environmental impact of extracting new material from forests.

Look for manufacturers which use a percentage of cement substitution such as fly ash to limit the environmental impact of cement production. Consider fiber-cement products which are made regionally from local resources to limit the energy and environmental impact of the transportation of materials.

Consider sealants, paints, and primers for fiber cement siding that contain low amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOC) to reduce exposure to workers and limit the toxins that contribute to smog.

Fiber cement siding is competitively priced to other means of exterior cladding and is warranted up to 50 years by some manufacturers. Makers of this long-lasting siding include James Hardie, Cemplank, Certainteed, and Nichiha (pdf).