So long as your home is protected, you may not think there is much difference in siding choices for it, nor is much innovation being made. However, that is not true. While you may be familiar with wood, vinyl, and aluminum as siding materials, fiber cement siding is newer and not yet commonly counted among those staples even though it was introduced in the 1980's. Yet, what makes fiber cement siding different? What makes it special compared to other siding options?
Fiber cement siding very much lives up into the "cement" in its name. Fiber cement is planks that are principally made up of Portland cement, sand, water, and fibers. This creates a sturdy, yet lightweight synthetic alternative with many of the benefits of other materials.
One of the biggest benefits for fiber cement siding is its ability to retain color. Wood siding will need to be repainted while vinyl siding can fade over time. However, the baked on color of fiber cement stays vibrant over time with quite the variety of design options to suit your needs. It's customization in color is another great boon. If you want beautiful wood grain, but definitely don't want to deal with the rot, insects, and maintenance of wood siding, fiber cement siding can be a way to get that aesthetic without any of the downsides.
The one potential downside fiber cement siding has is one that you would expect given all the benefits. It has all the practical benefits, but it does cost quite a bit more compared to something very affordable like vinyl siding. Yet, with that initial higher investment, you do also get that low maintenance benefit from the siding as well. So you really will not need to put much more money or time into it once fiber cement siding is installed on your home.
How Does Fiber Cement Siding Differ From Other Siding Options?
So long as your home is protected, you may not think there is much difference in siding choices for it, nor is much innovation being made. However, that is not true. While you may be familiar with wood, vinyl, and aluminum as siding materials, fiber cement siding is newer and not yet commonly counted among those staples even though it was introduced in the 1980's. Yet, what makes fiber cement siding different? What makes it special compared to other siding options?
Fiber cement siding very much lives up into the "cement" in its name. Fiber cement is planks that are principally made up of Portland cement, sand, water, and fibers. This creates a sturdy, yet lightweight synthetic alternative with many of the benefits of other materials.
One of the biggest benefits for fiber cement siding is its ability to retain color. Wood siding will need to be repainted while vinyl siding can fade over time. However, the baked on color of fiber cement stays vibrant over time with quite the variety of design options to suit your needs. It's customization in color is another great boon. If you want beautiful wood grain, but definitely don't want to deal with the rot, insects, and maintenance of wood siding, fiber cement siding can be a way to get that aesthetic without any of the downsides.
The one potential downside fiber cement siding has is one that you would expect given all the benefits. It has all the practical benefits, but it does cost quite a bit more compared to something very affordable like vinyl siding. Yet, with that initial higher investment, you do also get that low maintenance benefit from the siding as well. So you really will not need to put much more money or time into it once fiber cement siding is installed on your home.
