Blaine Exterior Two Different Ways to Solve the Same Problem
When homeowners in Blaine start comparing siding options, two products almost always end up on the short list: James Hardie fiber cement and LP SmartSide engineered wood. Both are marketed as durable, low-maintenance alternatives to solid wood siding, and both hold up better than vinyl in a lot of ways. But they are built from fundamentally different materials, and those materials behave differently once they're exposed to a Whatcom County winter year after year. We only install fiber cement, and we think homeowners deserve to know exactly why before they sign a contract.
What LP SmartSide Actually Is
LP SmartSide is an engineered wood product. At its core, it's strand board (similar to OSB) bonded with resins, coated with a wax and zinc borate treatment for fungal and moisture resistance, and finished with a treated overlay. It's a legitimate improvement over old-school hardboard siding, which had a rough run in the Pacific Northwest decades ago. LP has addressed a lot of those earlier failure points with better resin systems and factory treatments.
The catch is that it's still wood at its core. Wood-based products absorb and release moisture, and the entire performance of the product depends on the wood fiber staying sealed. That means every cut edge, every fastener penetration, and every seam has to be field-caulked and field-painted correctly, and that seal has to be maintained indefinitely. Miss a spot, let caulk fail at a butt joint, or let paint wear thin on a south or west wall, and moisture has a path into the substrate. In a region like ours — with salt-laden air off the Strait of Georgia, driving winter rain, and a moss season that can stretch from October into May — that margin for error gets tested constantly.
What Fiber Cement Is Doing Differently
James Hardie siding is made from cement, sand, and cellulose fiber, cured into a rigid board. There's no wood substrate to protect, which means the material itself isn't the thing that fails when moisture gets past a seal — it simply doesn't absorb and swell the way engineered wood can. It's also non-combustible, which matters more every year as wildfire smoke and ember exposure become a bigger part of Pacific Northwest summers.
Hardie's ColorPlus finish is baked on in a factory-controlled environment, not brushed or sprayed on site, which gives it more consistent adhesion and UV resistance than field-applied paint. And Hardie's HZ5 product line is specifically formulated for climates like ours — freeze-thaw cycles, sustained damp, and coastal exposure — rather than a one-size-fits-all national spec.
Side-by-Side on the Things That Matter Locally
| Factor | LP SmartSide (Engineered Wood) | James Hardie (Fiber Cement) |
|---|---|---|
| Core material | Wood strand board with resin/zinc borate treatment | Cement, sand, cellulose fiber |
| Moisture behavior | Performance depends on sealed edges and coating staying intact | Rigid, non-organic core doesn't swell or rot |
| Finish | Field-applied paint requires repainting over time | Factory-cured ColorPlus finish |
| Fire rating | Combustible wood product | Non-combustible |
| Salt air / coastal exposure | Manageable with diligent maintenance | Formulated specifically for coastal/damp climates (HZ5) |
| Moss and algae growth | Can occur on any exposed siding; repainting is the main defense | Factory finish resists staining longer between cleanings |
Why Installation Sensitivity Is the Real Story
To be fair to LP SmartSide, most of its documented failures over the years haven't been about the base product — they've been about installation. Engineered wood siding is far less forgiving of installation shortcuts than fiber cement. Every joint, every fastener, every cut end needs to be treated correctly, every single time, by every crew member, for the life of the building. That's a lot of dependency on consistent field execution, on a job that often has multiple installers over multiple days.
Fiber cement isn't installer-proof either — it still needs correct fastening, clearances, and joint treatment to perform to spec — but the material itself isn't the weak link the way an exposed, unsealed edge on engineered wood can be. We'd rather build our reputation on a product where our installation discipline is what determines the outcome, not a product where a single missed caulk line ten years from now becomes a homeowner's problem.
Warranty Is Part of the Decision Too
James Hardie backs its ColorPlus finishes and substrate with a transferable, non-prorated warranty when installed to their specifications — a real factor if you sell the home down the road. Engineered wood warranties are typically structured around proper maintenance being kept up over the life of the product, which puts more of the long-term risk back on the homeowner.
Our Standard, Plain and Simple
We're not going to tell you LP SmartSide is a bad product — plenty of homes wear it fine when it's installed and maintained correctly. But given what Blaine's marine climate does to a home's exterior over 20 or 30 years, we decided we'd rather install one product and install it right than offer a menu of materials with very different long-term risk profiles. That's why every siding job we take on in Whatcom County is James Hardie fiber cement.
If you're weighing your options for an upcoming siding project, we're happy to walk through your home in person and give you a straight answer about what it needs. Reach out for a free, no-pressure estimate.