Our cedar siding is rotting in a few points.

We invited a few contractors, and a few of them mentioned "fiber
cement" as an alternative insulation. My readings on it are somewhat
favorable.

Is it really a almost zero trouble, zero maintenance material?

How easy is it to repair if, say, it suffers physical damage?

We are in Northern IL, would it stand up to our climate?

We are considering the style that can be described as "fake stucco".

thanks

i

Listen to the contractors. You won't do better than fiber cement siding
like HardiPlank. Won't burn, rot or crack and it's straight when it
goes up and stays that way.

Don't waste your money on anything less.

Jeff

Ignoramus7272 wrote:
Our cedar siding is rotting in a few points.

We invited a few contractors, and a few of them mentioned "fiber
cement" as an alternative insulation. My readings on it are somewhat
favorable.

Is it really a almost zero trouble, zero maintenance material?

How easy is it to repair if, say, it suffers physical damage?

We are in Northern IL, would it stand up to our climate?

We are considering the style that can be described as "fake stucco".

thanks

i

Ignoramus7272 wrote:
Our cedar siding is rotting in a few points.

We invited a few contractors, and a few of them mentioned "fiber
cement" as an alternative insulation. My readings on it are somewhat
favorable.

Is it really a almost zero trouble, zero maintenance material?

How easy is it to repair if, say, it suffers physical damage?

We are in Northern IL, would it stand up to our climate?

We are considering the style that can be described as "fake stucco".

thanks

i

Insulation? Forget about that.

HTH,
J

On Oct 6, 11:34 am, Ignoramus7272
wrote:
Our cedar siding is rotting in a few points.

We invited a few contractors, and a few of them mentioned "fiber
cement" as an alternative insulation. My readings on it are somewhat
favorable.

Insulation?

Is it really a almost zero trouble, zero maintenance material?

It's low maintenance, and it needs to be painted. The idea of zero
maintenance is attractive yet elusive, much like the unicorn. In other
words - there is no such thing as a maintenance free. In addition,
there shouldn't be. Maintenance, at the very minimum, is a yearly
inspection and cleaning, with whatever minor repairs and caulking
needed. That's how you avoid the big bills down the road.

How easy is it to repair if, say, it suffers physical damage?

Supposedly it can be patched with topping cement, although I've never
done it. It is one of the more dense and durable sidings. It's most
likely to be damaged during installation. As in most things, making
the patch invisible is the hard part. Since the siding has to be
painted, it's easier to hide the patchwork.

We are in Northern IL, would it stand up to our climate?

Admirably. It holds paint better than wood. A paint job will last you
longer on fiber cement siding...as long as you take care of the yearly
maintenance.

We are considering the style that can be described as "fake stucco".

HardiPanel. Be well aware that it is not a continuous "skin" of "fake
stucco". They're sheets of "fake stucco". Those seams are the weak
point. I usually work in a half-timbered look with fiber cement
battens over the seams which fits well with the stucco look (at least
in northern climates). If you try to just caulk the exposed seams
you'll never be able to hide them. Pay close attention to where the
seams are and incorporate them into your design.

R

Cedar does have a life span, but if its a few shingles or so just
replace them, its easy to do and Re- Stain. Sure a contractor wants a "
Job" that is worth $ to him, But if it isn`t total crap siding id wait.
1st, this time of year prices are highest, second, you have not
specified the Rot damage of total worth. Make the decision yourself,
contractors want " jobs". I have all Cedar in your heat zone of 5 and
won`t go hardi crap.

For your original question, fiberboard might require more maintenance ,
paint peels, stain on Cedar won`t. But your resale value might be
lowered.