# James Hardi Siding vs. Cedar Wood Siding - Link: https://www.oldhouseguy.com/hardi-board/ - Published: 2017-02-10T16:20:18-05:00 - Author: Ken Roginski **James Hardi siding** also known as **Hardi board** and **fiber cement siding** is NOT a replacement for cedar wood siding. Hardi board siding is an ALTERNATIVE siding to vinyl and aluminum sidings. It is a SOMEWHAT healthier version of Asbestos siding. Everyone hates or at least those with some intelligence should hate the cheap ugly [look of vinyl siding ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/vinyl-siding/) but does Hardi’s fiber cement siding look any better or is it just all hype? Although homes you have seen with Hardi board fiber cement siding may look slightly better than vinyl siding it is still a far cry from wood**. ** **If you are one to fall for the sales pitch and consider replacing your siding and trim, I recommend going with vinyl siding instead of Hardi board.** [⌊hardi board siding⌉⌊hardi board siding⌉[ Hardiboard siding on a house with cheap windows. **There is a great video at the end of this article where Brent Hull explains Hardi board.** Hardiboard is advertised as a replacement to wood. **When comparing a house sided with [cedar wood siding ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/is-vinyl-siding-saving-the-forest/) and hardi there will always be a noticeable difference.** This is also why the James Hardie manufacturer does not recommend replacing a damaged cedar clapboard with this product. It just won’t match. **Hardi board is cheap, thin, and it breaks. It costs a lot more than wood siding and is very difficult to install.** ## Hardi board Siding is Too Thin. One reason it won’t match is that it is too thin. Wood cedar siding (clapboard and shingle) is tapered and has a thickness of 7/16” at the base. Hardiboard  is just a straight flat board with a thickness of 5/16”. **That is 1/8 of an inch, almost a third narrower.** This may sound minimal but it does make a difference. [⌊hardi board versus clapboard width thickness⌉⌊hardi board versus clapboard width thickness⌉[ Hardiboard is 1/8 inch (one third) thinner than cedar wood siding. That means that there is less of a shadow line. **Shadow lines are extremely important on all architecture for they play with the light and create the character and interest that makes old buildings interesting.** A question I have is if hardiboard was created to replace wood siding then why is it a different thickness and shape?  Well the shape may have something to do with how it is manufactured and I don’t think that makes a great difference but I would expect hardi to have the same thickness. **Product versus Thickness** * Cedar siding and shingles    7/16 * Hardi Shingle                        4/16 * Hardi Plank                           5/16 * Hardi Artisan Lap clapboard    10/16  UPDATE: Artisan is no longer offered.   **Remember that most pre WWII homes have a clapboard and shingle reveal of 4.25 to 4.5 inches wide.** There are many styles of wood siding. Check out the [Ultimate Guide to Wood Siding here ](https://thecraftsmanblog.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-wood-siding/). If you are in the market for wood siding, don’t stop here, there is a ton of information out there that you still need to know.  Here is one on [Recreating Historic Siding With Modern Materials. ](http://www.wardclapboard.com/old_house_article.pdf) [⌊hardiboard versus wood siding⌉⌊hardiboard versus wood siding⌉[ Wood clapboard provides so much more character created by the shadow-lines of thicker wood. **You should read this: The above image is taken from a National Park Service**, [Preservation Briefs 16_ The Use of Substitute Materials on Historic Building Exteriors ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Preservation-Briefs-16_-The-Use-of-Substitute-Materials-on-Historic-Building-Exteriors.pdf) [⌊hardiboard versus wood clapboard⌉⌊hardiboard versus wood clapboard⌉[ James Hardi board on the left – wood on the right. Real wood had a apx. 4.5″ reveal on this Italianate. Not a good house based on other features on either side. A duplex is supposed to look like one grand house not like two crazy houses put together. ## James Hardi board Fiber Cement Siding Has a Fake Texture. Do you fall for that fake wood grain? Real wood clapboard is smooth and does not have this texture. Only vinyl siding has it. If you don’t know this then I guess you have never seen real wood. The reason is to **make the simple-minded believe** it looks like real wood. The bigger problem is that it works – the simpletons fall for it. How can so many homeowner lack any integrity? Open your eyes people! **Hardi board SHOULD BE replicating real wood siding not vinyl siding!** Hardi board does offer a smooth finish. This should never be an option but James Hardi knows the kind of people that will fall for his product. I hope you are not a simpleton. [⌊hardiboard texture⌉⌊hardiboard texture⌉[ James Hardi board fiber cement siding offers a fake texture to replicate vinyl siding. NEVER use this. This is meant to fool the simple-minded consumer. ## Installation Mistakes THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! If using hardiboard one must be aware of the mistakes that can be made. Some contractors are so accustomed to installing vinyl siding that they do not understand that wood siding and hardiboards are installed differently than vinyl.  What I mean is that when using wood siding, the window casing which is about 1” thick is first installed. The wood siding then butts up against that casing. [⌊window casing shingles⌉⌊window casing shingles⌉[ Window casing is installed First before siding. Siding then must butt up against casing.   [⌊hardiboard trim and casing⌉⌊hardiboard trim and casing⌉[ This is wrong! Siding must butt up against the window casing. Never under it like vinyl. The above is Hardi board siding AND Hardi board fiber cement siding trim.  When vinyl siding is installed, the siding is first installed and then a thin vinyl casing is installed around the window ON TOP OF the vinyl siding.  This is so wrong and many times **Hardi board is being[ installed the same way ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/freehold-history/)**. This just means that you the homeowner need to be the educated consumer. The example above was done to specifications of an architect (Bach & Clark LLC)! [⌊window painting⌉⌊window painting⌉[ Even Curious George does it right! This cartoon looks more real than a building designed by a bad architect. **Hardi board siding can affect the design of your home**. When using wood siding the outside corners can be left with an edge. With Hardi board the outside corners need trim. ## Painting Hardi board and Real Wood Siding **Please understand that if you want to either be authentic or have the best curb appeal, cedar wood siding is your ONLY answer**. From the street however, you will not notice the difference. Websites sometimes provide false information to promote Hardi board siding. One big mistake they make is saying that paint will last 15 years on Hardi board siding and only 3-5 years on cedar wood siding. This is dead wrong. If there is a huge paint build up your paint will peel. However if you remove all the paint from your original wood siding you will get that 15 plus years too. Click here for an article on [Why Paint Peels ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/assets/why-paint-peels.pdf). Some painters have a paint shaver that removes the old paint and will not hurt the wood. I had this done to my house to get more of a life out of a paint job. [⌊paint shaving removal⌉⌊paint shaving removal⌉[ Over 100 years of paint is removed to insure the new paint will last 15+ years. Why would anyone remove this wood? I get many emails from homeowners saying they plan to [remove their vinyl siding ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/removing-vinyl-siding/). I think that’s great. Then they go on to say they will install hardieboard siding.** Why in the world would you throw money away when you already have wood siding on your house!** If your siding is old then it’s from old growth wood and that wood is like iron. Don’t waste it! ![](/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/icon1.jpg)   [Why Old Growth Wood is Better ](https://thecraftsmanblog.com/why-old-growth-wood-is-better/) ## Some Other Points Some other points to keep in mind when considering a siding is that wood is a natural insulator. **Hardi board which is a cement product will hold the cold like a freezer.** Hardi is promoted as being durable due to its cement content and is therefore resistant to termites and other pests. But so is cedar. That said it is more likely that termites would infest the wood behind the hardiplank or cedar where the wood can remain damp. A big plus however is that the fiber cement will not ignite when exposed to direct flame or extreme heat. It has been rated for fire resistance rated construction. If your building is historic then you should stick with cedar wood siding. Manufacturers and contractors aggressively promote Hardi board and sometimes may neglect to mention some of the things covered in this article. Check for yourself. First drive around in a more **middle class neighborhood then go to an up-scale neighborhood.** There you should find real wood unless the homeowner is parvenu.(those having new money but lack the necessary refinement) Here is another video that discusses the problems of Hardiboard that most people– including me did not know.