What’s the Difference Between James Hardie Siding and Vinyl Siding?

Choosing the siding material and color for the exterior of your home is no small matter. The amount of options can be overwhelming and it can leave you with a lot of questions. What are the benefits of each style? What color of siding do I want? And what is the difference between James Hardie siding and vinyl siding?

Hardie siding and vinyl siding are the two most popular siding materials for Sacramento area homeowners. They share a lot of properties, but also differ in many ways. Each material has pros and cons, and the best option for your home depends on a lot of factors. Consider what matters most to you when you are making a decision.

What Is James Hardie Siding?

James Hardie Siding, also known as HardiePlank siding or fiber-cement siding, is made of a combination of cellulose fibers, Portland cement, and sand. It was introduced in the 1980s, and it has become a very popular siding material because of its durability and sophisticated appearance.

Hardie siding’s thickness and deep grooves give it the appearance of wood. It is resistant to water, fire and pests, and it can withstand extreme rain, wind and snow. It is usually called hardie siding because of James Hardie Industries, which is the world leader in fiber cement siding.

What Is Vinyl Siding?

Vinyl siding is made out of polyvinyl chloride, a plastic resin material that is commonly used as a construction material. It is flexible and lightweight but still extremely durable. It has been a popular siding material since it was introduced in the 1950s. Homeowners appreciate that it is an affordable material that is simple to install.

It is resistant to weather, such as wind, rain and snow. It is also impervious to pests, and it requires little maintenance to upkeep. It is the most popular siding material in the U.S.

Choosing the siding material and color for the exterior of your home is no small matter. The amount of options can be overwhelming and it can leave you with a lot of questions. What are the benefits of each style? What color of siding do I want? And what is the difference between James Hardie siding and vinyl siding?

Hardie siding and vinyl siding are the two most popular siding materials for Sacramento area homeowners. They share a lot of properties, but also differ in many ways. Each material has pros and cons, and the best option for your home depends on a lot of factors. Consider what matters most to you when you are making a decision.

Hardie Siding

Hardie siding is much thicker than vinyl siding. It comes in a range of thickness levels, but the average thickness is 5/16 of an inch. Because it is made of cement, it is tough enough to withstand hail storms, rain storms and intense winds. If a stray baseball hits it, you don’t have to worry. The siding won’t dent or break. Hardie siding’s material is also very resistant to flames. If you don’t want to ever worry about the durability of your siding, hardie siding is choice.

Hardie siding that has not been properly installed could crack while it is settling, though. For that reason, it’s important to hire a professional siding contractor to install hardie siding.

Vinyl Siding 

Vinyl siding is thinner than hardie siding, which makes it more susceptible to dents from stray balls, rocks or hail. Still, vinyl siding is extremely durable. It is not affected by heavy rainfall or snow, and winds don’t usually impact the siding. If the wind is especially strong or if the vinyl siding was not properly installed, the siding can rip off. However, the level of winds that would cause this do not usually occur in Sacramento.

Extremely cold weather can also cause problems with vinyl siding. Cold temperatures can leave vinyl brittle and more susceptible to cracking. It is fire-retardant, so it won’t catch fire. But, it can warp or melt during fires, or by extreme heat from the sun reflecting off a window, or even smoke from a grill. The heat from a home burning up to 60 ft. away could cause vinyl siding to warp.

Hardie Siding

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Hardie siding is typically more expensive than vinyl siding. It has a higher quality than vinyl siding, so most people expect to pay more for it. But, what many people forget is that labor costs are also expensive. Hardie siding is heavy, and it takes special equipment to cut and install. Typically, you can expect to pay between $6 and $12 per square foot to get hardie siding on your home. There are several different styles you can choose from.

Vinyl Siding

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One of the reasons vinyl siding is so popular is because it is the most affordable siding option. In general, what you would pay for the most expensive vinyl siding product is what you would pay for the cheapest hardie siding. Vinyl siding is simple and cheap to produce, and those low costs get passed onto the consumer. Vinyl is also inexpensive to install. Vinyl is lightweight and easy to cut and place.

It is a less intensive installation process overall, which makes it a very attractive option to Sacramento homeowners. If cost is important to you, vinyl comes out on top every time.

Hardie Siding

Most hardie siding is made to look like wood, and it truly resembles it. Because hardie siding is thick, it is able to have deep grooves that make it look like real wood. It can also be made to resemble stone, logs and cedar shingles, and its depth makes it incredibly realistic. For those who want the exterior of their home to have the appearance of wood or stone, they should choose hardie siding.

Vinyl Siding 

Vinyl siding can also mimic wood, log and stone, but the quality is not as good as it is on hardie siding. Because vinyl siding is thinner, it does not have the depth necessary to resemble wood or stone. Vinyl siding also comes in shingles and vertical styles, just like hardie siding. There are hundreds of colors to choose from, which homeowners love.

Hardie Siding

You won’t have to worry about hardie siding bending, breaking, ripping, or falling off. It is durable enough to last for decades. Usually, warranties on hardie siding products are between 30 and 50 years. Still, there is some maintenance needed. Unlike vinyl siding, hardie siding will require a paint job ten to fifteen years down the road. It should also be washed about every year.

Vinyl Siding

Because vinyl siding is thin, it is sometimes damaged by intense wind or errant balls and rocks. Luckily, it is easy to replace torn or otherwise damaged vinyl siding. Vinyl siding is built to last, and it typically has a warranty of 15 to 20 years.

Like hardie siding, vinyl siding should be washed once a year. It’s easy to spray vinyl siding off with a hose, or to wipe it down with soap and water.

Hardie Siding

By itself, hardie siding is not a very great insulator. But, there are ways to improve the insulation properties of this material. If house wrap is used under the hardie siding, or if an insulated version is used, hardie siding is fantastic. Insulated forms of hardie siding are not as popular, but they are available.

Vinyl Siding

Like hardie siding, vinyl siding on its own does not have good insulation properties. However, insulated versions of vinyl siding raise the effectiveness of insulation even higher than insulated hardie siding. Thanks to the better insulation from vinyl siding, you can keep loud noises and cold or hot temperatures outside your home.

Hardie Siding

Hardie siding is made mostly of natural materials. Wood fibers and sand are not toxic to the environment, and the production of hardie siding does not create harmful byproducts. There are no recycling options for fiber-cement siding, but, luckily, this material lasts so long that it doesn’t usually end up in landfills. In the event that it catches fire in a landfill or on a home, it does not emit harmful toxins like vinyl siding does.

Hardie siding does have some impact on the environment, though. Because it is so heavy, it costs more and uses more gas to transport the finished product. The wood used to make the hardie may also have to travel long distances.

Vinyl Siding 

The PVC that vinyl siding is made of is toxic to humans and to the environment. Since it doesn’t last as long as hardie siding, it is more likely to end up in a landfill. If it is burned in a landfill, it releases hazardous dioxins into the air. Those dioxins are also released if the vinyl siding catches fire on a home.

But, vinyl siding is lighter and therefore is less impactful when it is transported. Plus, it does not have to be repainted or caulked.