When it comes to remodeling the outside of your home, one of the best and most affordable sidings to consider would be fiber cement siding, also know as hardie board or hardie plank. Hardie board siding is a fiber cement board shaped to imitate the look of natural wood, so it looks beautiful and will last a life time.

With wood siding there is always the worry that it won’t last to the outdoor elements or that it will be damaged by insects, such as termites.  Another added benifit to hardie siding is that it does not absorb water like wood does so it will not rot or warp. Many other sidings along with wood and vinyl begin to sag or warp over time, but hardie board is ridged and will keep its shape for as long as the cement fiber lasts. You won’t even need to worry about painting your hardie board because it comes in twenty-six different colors to choose from which cuts out many hours of additional work that you or your hired contractor would have to spend priming and painting. If you do choose to paint your hardie board though you can opt to purchase the pre-primed hardie board which will still cut down on many hours of work.
Depending on the different styles of hardie board there is also included a thirty to fifty year warranty. The various styles of fiber cement siding come in horizontal lap plank with different textures such as a realistic wood grain, smooth, or a concrete type look. There is also a vertical plank with the same type of textures and a shingle siding that looks exactly like real wood shingles. Each of these is made from the same type of cement fiber which means they are strong and will last up to the elements such as rain, snow, wind and hail.
A few things to consider about hardie board sidings are that there is a measure of difficulty in the installation process. Much care and attention will have to be given when installing, the length of each piece of hardie board can present a problem because if they are dropped from high they will most likely break in half. They don’t bend very much so they can break more easily. It is also much heavier than most other types of siding. It is also recommended that you purchase various tools to help with the installation, such as a saw blade designed to cut through hardie board. When cutting hardie board there is a lot of dust that can contribute to respiratory problems so it is recommended that you make your cuts in a ventilated area, install a dust filter on the saw you will be using or wear a breathing mask   you will also need to pre-drill pilot holes if you’re using a hammer and nails, not doing this can result in breaking the hardie board. The easiest thing to do would be to install your siding with a drill; much success can be done using a SENCO brand drill.
You may want to take this job on yourself but it may be easier on you to hire a contractor who has the tools and experience to do this job. Never take short cuts, skip steps or skimp as this may cause a catastrophic failure and void your warranty.