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Vinyl vs fiber cement siding
Vinyl is cheaper and never needs painting. Fiber cement holds paint for fifteen years and looks considerably better up close. Fiber cement costs roughly double installed, so the choice comes down to budget, looks and how you plan to repair it.
Both are reasonable sidings. The real differences show up years later: how the material ages in sun, what a repair looks like after hail, and whether you are willing to repaint.
1Side by side
| Factor | Vinyl | Fiber cement |
|---|---|---|
| Installed cost | The cheaper option | Roughly double vinyl |
| Painting | Never needs it | Holds paint for about fifteen years, then repaint |
| Heat | Can warp or melt near strong heat | Does not melt or warp |
| Aging | Goes brittle with UV over twenty years | Paint wears; the board itself stays stable |
| Impact | Older vinyl cracks rather than dents | Hard surface; damaged boards are replaced and painted |
| Repairs | Easy panel by panel, if you can still get the profile | Boards can be replaced and painted to match |
| Installation | Light and quick | Much heavier to work with; cutting makes silica dust |
| Looks up close | Reads as plastic at close range | Considerably better |
2Which one fits your situation
Choose vinyl
- Budget is the deciding factor
- You never want to paint
- You want cheap, simple panel repairs
- You buy and store spare panels of your profile
Choose fiber cement
- Appearance up close matters to you
- The wall gets strong sun or sits near a heat source
- You are fine repainting about every fifteen years
- You want a surface that won’t warp or go brittle
Vinyl is the usual pick on cost. Fiber cement earns its price on looks and on how well it holds up in sun and heat.
3The repair problem nobody mentions
Vinyl is easy to replace panel by panel, but only if you can get the panel. Discontinued profiles and colors are often unobtainable. That matters when you need one panel after a storm and end up redoing a whole wall to match.
If you install vinyl, buy a box of extra panels, trim and corners in the same profile and color and keep them out of the sun. It is the cheapest insurance you can buy against a mismatched repair.
Old vinyl also changes how it fails. As UV makes it brittle, it cracks instead of denting. See cracks in vinyl rather than dents and buckling or waviness in vinyl.
4Before you sign
- Check what is underneathSoft sheathing or rot has to be fixed before new siding goes on. See soft spots under the siding.
- Identify old siding firstOn older houses, cement board may be asbestos-cement, not modern fiber cement. Have it identified before anyone cuts or removes it. See asbestos-cement board on an older house.
- Ask about the detailsTrim, flashing and the gaps at penetrations are where water gets in with either material. See gaps at trim and penetrations.
- Ask how they cut fiber cementCutting it releases silica dust. Crews should cut outdoors with dust control.
Talk to a local siding contractor and ask for vinyl and fiber cement quotes on the same scope of work.
877-360-46575Questions
Is fiber cement worth double the price?
If looks and heat resistance matter to you and you plan to stay, it can be. If budget comes first and you never want to paint, vinyl is the practical choice.
How often does fiber cement need painting?
It holds paint for about fifteen years. After that, plan on repainting.
Why is my old vinyl cracking instead of denting?
UV makes vinyl brittle over about twenty years. Brittle vinyl cracks on impact rather than flexing. See hail dents on one elevation if it happened in a storm.
Written by Jaylan Jones. I Like To Exterior Services earns a referral fee when a call connects to a contractor. See our business-model disclosure.
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