Vinyl vs Fiber Cement Siding for New Jersey Homes

When it's time to replace your home's exterior siding, picking the right siding can be daunting. There are hundreds of different options across the spectrum, and you have to balance everything from material longevity to color and aesthetics to pricing and ROI. 

Here in New Jersey, most of the time, you can narrow it down to two main choices of material. The majority of homeowners we work with tend to choose either vinyl siding or fiber cement siding. 

The question is, which is the right choice for your home? 

We put together this guide to help you pick between the two materials, and from there, you can start comparing brands and product lines. If you want our expert opinion, taking your home's style, your neighborhood, and your preferences into account, feel free to reach out to us for a discussion and quote. We've been installing new siding throughout north and central New Jersey for over 30 years, so we can tell you what works and what you're better off avoiding.

Let's get right into the comparison and see which siding wins in a head-to-head battle.

Vinyl vs Fiber Cement: Materials and Environmental Friendliness

To start, let's take a look at the materials each form of siding is made from.

Vinyl siding is an artificial, extruded plastic product made from PVC. As an inorganic material, it is durable, resists pests, moisture, and fading. It can be simple vinyl or insulated vinyl, which improves the R-value of your home and can save a little on energy bills over time. 

Fiber cement is also an artificial product, but it's made of natural materials like sand, cellulose fibers, and cement to bind it together. The fibers lend it strength and durability, while the sand allows it to resist all kinds of damage. 

You probably don't need us to explain that PVC is worse for the environment than something made of sand and wood pulp, but it's worth stating plainly. If anything, the big concern would be hidden environmental damage in the fiber cement. 

Well, it's worth a look, right? Cement, actually isn't very sustainable; it's a very energy and water-intensive process. Is it worse than PVC? Doubtful.

All of that said, it's also worth mentioning that the biggest maker of fiber cement siding offers a specific line of greenguard gold-certified siding, which is evaluated for low emissions, local production, and minimal transport.

Not everyone worries about the environmental considerations of their siding (there are a lot of bigger concerns in the world, after all), but if it's something you want to consider, that's the answer.

Vinyl vs Fiber Cement: Durability and Longevity

How strong is your siding, and how long can you expect it to last?

Vinyl is a fairly durable material, but it's far from perfect. It can fade over time, and constant exposure to the environment can leave it brittle after a couple of decades. Strong enough impacts can break it, it can crack under large temperature swings, and high heat can warp it.

In our experience, the most common sources of damage to vinyl siding are:

• Improper installation with no room left for thermal expansion, causing warping and eventual cracking.
• Cold weather or impacts causing cracks or breaks in the siding.
• High winds pulling siding loose from the wall.
• Fading from decades of UV exposure.

Fiber cement is stronger and much more difficult to damage. It's very resistant to impacts, temperature, and more. It's also fire-resistant. It can still develop some problems over time, though:

• Improperly sealed joints leading to moisture intrusion.
• Paint that cracks, peels, or blisters.
• Moisture swelling at the joints.
• Minor chips and dings in the paint.

Almost all of this is caused by improper installation, though some can crop up decades in after neglect and disrepair. As long as you take care of your siding, it will take care of you for a very long time to come.

Vinyl siding, on average, lasts around 20-30 years before it needs to be replaced. Small dings and damage can be repaired by replacing individual slats along the way. Fiber cement is even more long-lasting, with many versions lasting 40-50 years. It needs proper maintenance, but so does everything else about a house, right?

Vinyl vs Fiber Cement: Aesthetics

You want to come home every day and see a house that looks good, don't you? So, picking the right aesthetic can be a compelling driver of your decision-making process.

Vinyl siding comes in a lot of different styles, from horizontal lap to faux shingles to board and batten styles and more. Since it's a mechanically extruded product, it can be made in a wide range of different styles.

Fiber cement tends to be a little more limited in styling, but not by a lot. For nearly every home, you'll find the style you want in both materials. 

Since both materials are produced rather than natural, they can be found in flat finishes or in faux woodgrain to give your home the appearance of wood. Fiber cement tends to have deeper patterning and looks more like real wood than vinyl, and vinyl's patterning can dull over time. But, after a few coats of paint, fiber cement can also lose some of that definition.

One of the big differences between the two is in color. Vinyl is infused with color when it's produced, and can't really be recolored. The colorant is resistant to sun fading, but can still fade over the course of its lifespan. Fiber cement, on the other hand, relies on paint to get its color. You can buy it pre-primed or pre-painted, but the paint will need touching up over time.

Vinyl vs Fiber Cement: Maintenance

What do you need to do to keep your siding looking good over the years?

Vinyl siding doesn't need much of any upkeep at all. Once a year, you'll want to hose it down or give it a quick once-over with soap and water. This helps strip off all of the mold and mildew, the dust, and anything else that builds up over time. Coastal homes might want to wash it more often to deal with salt build-up.

Other than that, all you need to do with vinyl is give it an inspection. Look for places where it might have warped or come loose from the wall, where it has cracked or been damaged, and so on. It's easy to repair, but you still need to spot the issues to fix them.

Fiber cement siding needs a little bit more maintenance. Like vinyl, you want to wash it down annually. You also want to inspect it. Beyond that, fiber cement relies on caulking to seal gaps between boards, and that caulk needs to be inspected and periodically replaced. We've already mentioned repainting it, which usually needs to be done every 10 years or so.

Vinyl vs Fiber Cement: Pricing and ROI

Let's be honest; budget is going to be the deciding factor for many homeowners.

Pricing can depend a lot on your specific choices. Lower-end fiber cement is comparable to higher-end vinyl, in general. Vinyl is usually the most budget-friendly option, though premium vinyl siding will command a premium price. Fiber cement is more expensive, both because of the cost of the materials and because it's more labor-intensive to install.

Fiber cement's increased maintenance burden over the years also adds to the costs; buying a house's worth of paint every decade isn't exactly a ton of money, but it's not something you need to think about with vinyl.

As far as ROI is concerned, fiber cement tends to perform a little better. Since it's viewed as a higher-tier product, mid-range and high-end homes tend to get more ROI out of it. You don't see it as much in lower-end homes.

All of that said, depending on the conditions, vinyl can end up even more costly; if your vinyl needs replacing at 20-25 years, you're buying two whole homes worth of vinyl siding in the time you only needed one 50-year set of fiber cement.

Vinyl vs Fiber Cement: Insulation and Energy Efficiency

How much does your choice of siding affect the interior of your home?

Basic vinyl siding is very thin and doesn't offer much in the way of insulation. Insulated vinyl has a layer of insulation, which adds to the R-value of your home and resists exterior heat and cold. It's not going to replace actual insulation in your walls, but a little bit of added help can shave a few dollars off of your energy bills. Though you do need to make sure your windows are efficient too!

Fiber cement, despite being a thicker material, is not an insulative material. It doesn't do much for the R-value, at just .5 versus 2-3 for insulated vinyl. It's not going to be a life-changing difference in insulating either way, but it's worth keeping in mind.

Vinyl vs Fiber Cement: Installation

Putting the siding on your home is a project, and the easier a project is, the smoother it will go.

Vinyl is one of the most common kinds of siding. It's very fast and easy to install, with a whole house able to be finished in a few days or a week. Now, there's more to the whole project, from planning to tearing off the old siding to any under-siding repairs that can extend that timeline, but the fact is, vinyl is fast and easy.

You also don't have to look very hard for a crew that knows how to install vinyl siding. Since it's so common, there's hardly anyone in the home improvement trade that doesn't have experience with it. Our team has decades of expertise!

Fiber cement is trickier. It's heavy and bulky, and it requires specialized tools to cut, modify, and install properly. Properly installing and sealing fiber cement is a more intensive process, requires more knowledge, and just takes longer to do.

That said, a crew that knows what they're doing, like ours, can still get it done pretty quickly. It will take a couple of days longer than vinyl, probably, but it's not like there are weeks of difference between them. 

For a specific quote for how long a project will take on your home, contact Magnolia Home Remodeling Group today. We discuss your home, including architectural details, the overall size, and any complexities with the project, and can give you an estimate of both pricing and timeline to help you make your decision.

Vinyl vs Fiber Cement: Exploring the Brands

So far, we've been talking in generic terms, but there's a reason for that: we've covered siding extensively with direct brand-to-brand comparisons already!

Here in New Jersey, the best choice for fiber cement siding is James Hardie. For vinyl, on the other hand, you have options. Two of the most popular brands are CertainTeed and Alside, and we have comparison posts for both.

• CertainTeed vs James Hardie
• Alside vs James Hardie

If you're trying to decide between two kinds of siding, feel free to give us a call, and we'll offer our expert opinions as well.

Vinyl vs Fiber Cement: The Final Choice

So, which comes out ahead? There's no one right answer. 

We usually recommend vinyl when:

• You're operating on a small budget and don't want to finance a larger project.
• You're in a relatively sheltered location and aren't exposed to high winds and weather.
• You want as little maintenance as possible.
• You don't intend to live in the home long-term.

On the other hand, fiber cement is a great option when:

• You're near the coast, where windblown rain and storms can pull lighter siding from the wall.
• You're looking for something that might outlive you, even if it requires more maintenance.
• You want something with a stronger and more luxurious appearance.
• You want something more eco-friendly and not made of plastic.

Vinyl tends to be the most common choice just because it's both cheap and readily available. But we find that our clients who go with fiber cement are very satisfied with their choice, whereas those who go with vinyl don't necessarily feel strongly about it.

And, of course, there are other options as well. Stone veneers, real wood, and even metal can all be worth considering. As always, we're happy to talk about your options and help you make a choice; just drop us a line!