Soaring prices and the decreasing availability of high-quality lumber have made fiber-cement siding in Vancouver attractive to numerous builders and homeowners who don’t want to prefer Vinyl. Though it is not the coolest material in the world to go with, fiber cement outstrips wood in different ways and it’s available in forms appropriate for both ancient and modern architecture.
Fiber cement siding is basically a combination of cellulose, water, Portland cement, and either sand or fly ash, a by-product of burning coal. It’s produced by several manufacturers. The best known is probably James Hardie Building Products, the eponymic making of a Scottish immigrant who established in Melbourne, Australia, toward the end of the 19th century. Hardie started his journey as a merchant in oil and hide-tanning products, and it wasn’t until the 1980s that the company he discovered switched to Fiber-cement technology. The business is now worldwide in terms of reach and makes a wide range of Fiber-cement products.
Fiber cement siding in Vancouver resembles much like wood—wood shingles, wood clapboards, or wood board and batten, for instance. But it possesses some of wood’s performance inadequacies, which have become more distinct as the quality of lumber reduces. Contrary to wood, fiber cement won’t be confronted by wood-based insects such as ants or termites. It doesn’t rot. It’s resistant to fire, and it features warranties as long as 50 years. Fiber-cement siding grabs paint perfectly, and it doesn’t require heavy maintenance.
Lap siding comes with a smooth or textured surface. Shingles come separately or in panellized state, and panels are available in sizes up to 4 ft. by 10 ft. Some manufacturers make panels that appear like brick or stone. Siding can be ordered unprimed, primed, or with a factory-done finish.
So what are the downsides? A number of things: it’s hard and weighty, and there are health concerns unless Vancouver siding contractors take necessary steps to regulate dust as they cut it (this is not an issue that influences homeowners who live in houses sided with fiber cement). A 4-ft by 8-ft. panel weighs more than 70 lb., for instance, and to avert cracking, extended pieces of lap siding should be handled by two people. Due to its weight, installing fiber-cement lap siding solo can be harder.
One important point to keep in mind is that fiber cement siding installation, like other kinds of siding, should be installed over a voiced rain screen. This means that the siding is tacked to vertical furring strips functional over the water-resistive barrier, not to the WRB itself. The air gap presents a number of benefits, and it will help the paint on the siding last long.
When gasped, airborne silica dust can cause a grave, advanced lung disease known as silicosis. Tradespeople who work with stone, concocted quartz countertops, fiber cement, and other materials that contain silica must follow necessary steps to safeguard themselves from any dust that’s created when cutting or shaping.
No matter what kind of visual appeal you want to give to your home, fiber cement siding in Vancouver is always a wonderful option.
