Both the materials are known to increase the beauty of the homes and upgrade many homeowners are looking for in an investment. It is going to increase the value of their home as well as providing various protection factors. Both the companies, LP and Hardie, are making their way to a high market business run and providing technology that underlies quality control. We can see that Hardie has been in business for the last 127 years, making it one of the most popular among fiber cement brands, whereas LP is in business for the last 20 years. Let’s see the difference between both the companies to see which is a better choice.
Composition And Raw Material
LP smart side engineered wood made of basic raw material is Aspen, a regenerating tree (up to 4 sprouts per root system). Along with aspen, very sophisticated resins are added as a binding agent and a treating element, zinc borate, and again a phenolic resin overlay.
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Durability
With all the resin composition and aspen help, the LP product is quite durable with high performance and prevents damage from insects and other elements. Though it does not give termite protection as part of the composition contains wood. Hence, it is not quite suitable in places where termites are common.
James Hardie, also is known as cement board siding, is made of Cementous materials and cellulose fibers. Which does not chip or crack even after a long time. Since the composition does not contain any wood material, it gives termite protection to homes, which is one of the greater benefits of investing in Hardie.
LP vs. Hardie
Keeping durability in mind, LP is far more durable than Hardie as Hardie has its basic material like cement that is prone to denting or breaking on impact. During the installation LP smart side, since it is light in weight and long Planck length, it is easy to install, and with its amazing durability, it does not dent or break. Whereas Hardie is prone to denting and breaking and is quite heavy, with comparatively smaller plank size making it difficult to install. However, both of them are resistant to adverse weather conditions, temperature fluctuations, and moisture infiltration. Hardie is proved to be fire-resistant, whereas LP has a composition of wood in it, which makes it less durable to fire. Hardie providing termite protection, which cannot be said for the latter side. Having a longer plank size gives a lesser seam requirement offering a more aesthetically pleasing finished product.
Installation
LP has a plank length of 16, and Hardie has that of 12. Due to LP being light n weight, it requires less labor to move the planks around. A worker can single-handedly carry the 16-foot plank around. IT can easily cut using a regular saw and does not chip, easy to cut and fit in many places. LP is a greater imitation of wood, making it quite the first preference, especially for the cabin in the woods. Also, being lightweight and strong, it is quite easy to install, whereas Hardie is quite heavy, and it breaks at times during the installment. Hardie is cut with the help of nippers, which kind of breaks them when wrongly cut. It is sometimes ground to cut, which produces silica particles that are small and harmful. When the particles enter the lungs, they are minute that it is difficult to remove, promoting cancerous cells in the body.
Appearance
James Hardie siding in New Jersey is typically designed to look like wood. It prevails the general nature of wood, not quite exactly woody appearance; it is a poor imitation of wood. However, it gives quite an aesthetic look to the homes. LP smart side was mainly designed to look like wood, with a deeper wood grain pattern; it is a better wood counterfeit. From afar looks exactly like wood panels.
Durability Test
- By placing both the side of the plank by the side vertically on the steps.
- By using a hammer, give each one a hard and strong impact on the planks.
The result is LP smart side remains unharmed, whereas James Hardie gets broken into pieces. This shows how LP is strong and durable and a good investment in the long run.
Warranty And Cost
Hardie the popular fiber cement brand with an average cost of $6631, mid-cost $8283, and a High-end value &10360. And the average price per square foot is $7-9.5, whereas that of LP is $5.5-7.5 per square foot. This makes LP far much less cheap as the cost of labor and raw materials are both cheap. The cost difference across the Us is about 25-35 %. Hardie offers a warranty of 30 years limited on boards with 15 years warranty on factory color finish and trims and covers HZ5 and HZ10 LP offering a 50-year warranty without covering the finishes a 5-year limited warranty on trim without any hail coverage.
These are one of the most famous engineered smart woods. These are some of the differences between the companies’ materials and why people prefer the LP smart side over James Hardie plank. Even though Hardie has been in business for more than a century, and increases the value of the home. And once the customers are satisfied with the product, they keep repeatedly coming for more.
Smart Siding vs. HardiePlank Fiber Cement provides different values based on the type of location with reasonable prices increasing the curb value and providing homes with a safe future and aesthetically pleasing view. Both are good investments for homes based on the given budget and the type of preference customers want. For a little cheaper budget LP smart side would an amazing choice. Nonetheless, both are an amazing investment to give a beautiful and modern upgrade to the homes.
