Fairhaven Siding Two Different Materials, One Big Decision
If you're re-siding a home in Fairhaven or anywhere else in Whatcom County, you've probably come across two names again and again: James Hardie fiber cement and LP SmartSide engineered wood. Both are legitimate, widely used siding systems. They are not the same material, though, and they don't age the same way once they're up against a Pacific Northwest exterior wall for a few decades. This page walks through what each product actually is, where LP SmartSide earns its reputation, and why our company made the decision to install only James Hardie.
What LP SmartSide Actually Is
LP SmartSide is an engineered wood product. It starts as wood strands or wafers, similar to what you'd find in OSB sheathing, bonded together with resins and waxes, then treated with a zinc-borate preservative to resist fungal decay and insects. It's finished with a factory primer or, on some product lines, a factory-applied topcoat. It's genuinely a step up from the old hardboard sidings that failed badly in wet climates decades ago, and LP has done real engineering work to make it more moisture-resistant than its predecessors.
It has real strengths. It's lighter than fiber cement, which some installers find faster to handle and cut. It takes paint well and holds a crisp, traditional wood-grain or smooth look. It's generally less expensive than fiber cement, and for buildings where budget is the primary driver, that's a legitimate factor.
Where the Trade-Offs Show Up
The core of LP SmartSide is still wood fiber. That matters here specifically because Fairhaven sits on the water, and this stretch of Whatcom County gets a combination that's hard on any wood-based product: salt-laden air off Bellingham Bay, long stretches of driving, wind-blown rain, and a moss and algae season that can run most of the year in shaded, north-facing exposures. Engineered wood siding depends on its factory treatment and an intact paint film to keep moisture out of the wood strands. Cut edges, nail penetrations, and butt joints all expose that raw wood core, and if caulking or touch-up paint at those points isn't kept up over the years, moisture can work its way in. Once a wood-based panel takes on sustained moisture, it can swell, delaminate at the edges, or become a host site for the kind of moss and mildew growth this climate is very good at producing.
That doesn't make LP SmartSide a bad product when it's installed to spec and properly maintained. It does mean the homeowner is signing up for an ongoing maintenance relationship with the material — inspecting caulk lines, repainting on a schedule, and catching moisture intrusion early — that fiber cement simply doesn't require to the same degree.
What James Hardie Is Made Of
James Hardie siding is fiber cement: a mix of Portland cement, sand, and cellulose fiber, cured into a dense, stable board. There's no wood fiber core to absorb water and swell. It won't rot, and it's non-combustible, which matters more every wildfire season in the broader Pacific Northwest. Hardie also makes an HZ5 product line specifically engineered for regions with harsher moisture exposure — a relevant distinction for a coastal, high-rainfall county like this one.
The factory-applied ColorPlus finish is baked on under controlled conditions, rather than field-painted, and it's backed by a substantial finish warranty separate from the product's own limited warranty. That combination — a stable substrate plus a factory finish — is a big part of why fiber cement holds its look and its edges through repeated wet-dry cycling better than a wood-based panel over a long ownership horizon.
Side-by-Side Basics
| Factor | LP SmartSide | James Hardie |
|---|---|---|
| Core material | Engineered wood strands | Fiber cement |
| Combustibility | Combustible (wood-based) | Non-combustible |
| Moisture behavior | Relies on treatment + paint film integrity | Cement core doesn't absorb and swell like wood |
| Finish | Primed or factory topcoat; field maintenance expected | Factory-baked ColorPlus finish available |
| Typical maintenance | Regular caulk and paint upkeep | Periodic washing; less finish upkeep |
Why We Standardized on Hardie
We install siding for a living in a climate that doesn't forgive shortcuts. Salt air, driving rain off the water, and a long moss season will find every weak point in a building envelope eventually. We'd rather put a material on a Fairhaven home that's structurally indifferent to that exposure than one that performs well as long as its finish stays perfect. That's the honest reason we chose to be a Hardie-only contractor rather than offering both products: it's not that LP SmartSide can't be installed correctly, it's that we don't want to be in the business of telling a homeowner their siding is fine as long as they keep up with caulk and paint on a strict schedule for the next thirty years.
If you're weighing your options for a home in Fairhaven or elsewhere in Whatcom County, we're happy to walk through your specific house, exposure, and budget in person. There's no pressure and no charge for an estimate — just a straight conversation about what will actually hold up on your walls.