Fiber Cement Siding Breakage Leading to SmartSide as Preferable Siding Choice

As you read this, keep in mind that many of the LP SmartSide Siding Reviews are coming from the comparison of the product to other siding products being used on the market like fiber cement (Hardie).

Note: The older LP siding that failed some years ago (1996) was called the Inner Seal product. There was a class action lawsuit that was settled. This new SmartSide siding product is different as it is not a fiber (cardboard / pressed board like). The SS is a stranded product that some say is similar to OSB, oriented strand board only much stronger. 

This blog post I am sharing because I personally often have homeowners asking me the question, “what are the reviews on LP SmartSide Siding (engineered wood)?“.

Having experienced this, as well as being the owner of siding company, I decided to share my opinion based on my many years of experience as well as research on the LP SmartSide Siding product as well as other siding options.

Additionally, during my research, I  found this question addressed in a slightly different manner in an article from a well-respected home real estate site called “Zillow.com” you can read their article as well – Zillow Trying to Decide Hardie board LP SmartSide. We are also seeing that many homeowners throughout the country are asking the same if not similar question regarding SmartSide Siding and it’s Reviews.

Damage from Baseball – Fiber Cement Siding Left SmartSide Siding Right

Here are my findings, which inadvertently answers this question, based on feedback from several Houston homeowners. Note that I have installed both the Hardie and LP SmartSide Siding in the Houston TX metro area for quite a few years now through my company Texas Home Exteriors, Inc.

Siding Durability Issues

What I have found is that both the LP SmartSide and Hardie siding options are holding up quite well after a period of time with just one exception.  We have have had a few homeowners call us back with concerns due to the Hardie siding (fiber cement) chipping and breaking along the bottom row.

We have found that homeowners and landscapers are causing the damage by running into it with their weedeaters and lawnmowers which is causing the breakage, the homeowners then call expressing their disappointment in the fiber cement (Hardie) siding product. One Houston Texas homeowner call the Hardie siding…”crumble a plank”, another asked me, “can we get our money back for this, look” as he was aggressively pointing at the broken siding the bottom of his garage where his lawnmower wheels hit the siding and broke off pieces.

Wikipedia on Engineered Wood and LP (Louisiana Pacific)

LP SmartSide Siding is made from strands of wood fibers that are bonded together to form a product that is incredibly strong. Due to its strength, we have not experienced any reports of this problem with the LP (Louisiana Pacific) SmartSide Siding (engineered wood) product. Because of the the durability of the SmartSide engineered wood product, it does not break like the other siding products. Additionally, homeowners have expressed over and over, how much they like the deeper woodgrain of this siding product over what the competition is offering is much flatter.

It is important that both products are properly installed as closely to manufacturer’s specifications as possible as to not void the warranties. The long and short of what we have found, from reports of several homeowners, is that they love the durability and moisture resistance of the LP SmartSide product. They love that you CANNOT easily damage the siding and express they are pleased with the look of the deep woodgrain embossing of the siding panels, a great plus with this siding option.

Insider Reviews – USA Northeast Compared to the South

This portion of my report are, “Insider Siding Reviews“, I call it this for a reason. LP has its “Build Smart” siding contractors who attend a Build Smart training conference  each year, (you can see the attached certificate). They recommend that siding contractors using the LP SmartSide Siding product, attend this yearly conference in not only for a refresher of installation techniques but to learn of any updates for the correct installation of the LP SmartSide siding product. This is important as to not void the warranty due to incorrect installation of the product.

LP SmartSide Build Smart Platinum Certificate – Texas Home Exteriors

I found it interesting that Louisiana Pacific (LP) hired independent building professionals from the Northeast part of the country to teach building contractors in the South as it is no secret that in the northeast part of the country there are many years and generations of talented craftsmen.

Not only are there are much more stringent licensing requirements in the north but this is where many of the “old-school craftsman” reside. The contractor’s love the SmartSide siding product and many have migrated away from other siding products due the durability of the LP SmartSide product and to get away from products experiencing breakage amongst other issues.

Now in consideration of the South, the licensing requirements are different being much less, or in many cases, non existent. You will find that many of the contractors choose the path of least resistance and install the most popular or well-known siding product. Choosing the path of least resistance is not always the best choice and often leads to contractors who follow one another, focusing on price competitiveness for the popular, well-known product rather than choosing to offer products of better quality. Many contractors will often follow this pattern until pressured by homeowners who have done their research.

As promised, I will wrap up with a list of reviews of the LP SmartSide Siding product I found across the web. A fair amount of the reviews I am sharing below are comparisons of one siding product to another because this is what homeowners have been inquiring about.

LP SmartSide Siding Reviews Across the Web Google Search

Here are a list of links for across the web about LP SmartSide Siding reviews:

THS Gardenweb LP Smart Siding Feedback…read more

Bob Vila – Engineered Wood Siding… read more

Garage Journal – LP Smartside Reviews…read more

Aconcord Carpenter – LP Smartside Siding… read more

Audio Circle – Siding… read more

Hot Spot Outdoors- LP SmartSide vs Hardie… read more

FineHomeBuilding – LP Smart Side Siding… read more

Contractor Talk – LP Smart Siding Reviews…read more

As you can see, there are many homeowners and contractors across the country offering their opinions and most of them are positive towards the LP SmartSide Siding product. Keep in mind that LP had onler siding product that failed called “inner-seal” that was manufactured back in 1980. The SmartSide Siding Product is an engineered wood that is far more advanced and sports a 5/50 year warranty to showcase LP’s confidence in this new siding product.

I hope this article on LP SmartSide Siding reviews helps to clarify any questions you might have regarding the product. I hope it assists you in making an informed decision about your siding options. Additionally for Houston Texas area homeowners, Texas Home Exteriors has an exciting financing option called Texas EZ Pay Financing offering a monthly payment of only 1% of the financed amount. Should you have any questions, please fill out the form below, email me directly at: [email protected] or give us a call at 281.919.6999.

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