LP SmartSide Siding Cost vs. Fiber Cement HardiePlank Siding in 2022

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LP Smartside siding on a house

The top two engineered lap siding brands are the defending champion HardiePlank fiber cement and the up-and-coming contender LP SmartSide engineered wood siding.

LP SmartSide Siding on a cabin style home

This guide covers the HardiePlank vs. LP SmartSide comparison from all angles that matter to a homeowner – Looks, durability, cost of materials and installation, and more. We’ll uncover the differences between the two to help you decide which one fits your project requirements better.

Cost

Expect to pay between $9.50 and $16.50 per square foot to install LP SmartSide siding. For HardiePlank siding, your costs will between $10.50 and $17.50 per square foot installed.

Note: LP’s SmartSide relative cost advantage is due to slightly lower material and installation costs thanks to its lighter weight.

The possible cost range is broad, however, based on factors spelled out below. This table breaks down costs for these two leading siding alternatives to natural wood.

HardiePlank LP SmartSide
Material Cost per sq.ft. $2.50 – $5.50 $2.50 – $4.50
Installation Cost per sq.ft. $8.00 – $12.50 $7.00 – $11.50
Total Cost Range per sq.ft. $10.50 – $17.50 $9.50 – $16.50
Average Cost per sq.ft. $11.50 – $15.50 $10.50 – $14.50
Cost to Value Recouped 69% – 86% 70% – 87%

As you can see in the table above, these are comparably priced materials, so unless you’re watching pennies very closely, this probably won’t be the deciding factor.

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Cedar Shake Siding Cost, Plus Pros & Cons: 2022

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Wood siding encompasses many styles, shapes, grains, and grades / quality. Here we’ll focus on the shakes and shingles for style and shape with cedar as the grain.

Cedar shakes and shingles are actually two distinct styles, even though people routinely reference them as if it were just one style. Both are shorter, vertical wood planks that are installed in an overlapping fashion.

Shake is traditionally axe-cut while shingles are saw-cut. In today’s world, they are quite likely both sawn and shake is just made to resemble the appearance of an axe chipping at the surface. Shake, historically, tends to have wider butt ends than shingles.

Wood siding isn’t as popular as it once was, but cedar shake and shingles display the beauty of wood in a prominent way. It tends to be more expensive than other wood siding options, due mostly to labor, and has some advantages over other wood siding options.

Pricing Information – Part 1

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