Want the short answer? For most houses, fiber cement wins. James Hardie's HardiePlank lasts about 50 years, ignores termites and rot, and ships with a 30-year limited warranty. Wood siding looks warmer and costs less the day it goes up. That's the trade, and the rest is detail.
Here's the number that decides it for a lot of people. A 2,000 square foot exterior in HardiePlank runs roughly $12,000 to $26,000 installed. The same wall in real cedar lands around $10,000 to $20,000. Close enough that the upfront price tag isn't the real story. Maintenance is.
The cost picture over 30 years
Cedar needs paint or stain every 5 to 7 years. Figure $3,000 to $5,000 per repaint on a mid-size house. Run that math across three decades and you've spent $15,000 to $25,000 just keeping wood alive, on top of the install. Fiber cement with ColorPlus baked-on finish holds color 15 years before it needs a coat.
So the cheaper option gets expensive. Counter-intuitively, the product with the higher sticker price is usually the budget choice if you plan to stay past year ten. Family Handyman and This Old House both land in the same place here: wood is an upfront saving and a long-term bill.
| Factor | Fiber Cement (HardiePlank) | Wood (Cedar/Redwood) | |---|---|---| | Installed cost/sq ft | $6 to $13 | $5 to $10 | | Lifespan | 30 to 50 years | 20 to 40 years | | Repaint cycle | 12 to 15 years | 5 to 7 years | | Rot/insect resistance | Excellent | Poor without upkeep | | Fire rating | Class A (noncombustible) | Combustible | | Weight | ~2.3 lbs/sq ft | ~1 lb/sq ft | | DIY difficulty | Hard | Moderate |
Where wood still beats fiber cement
Don't write off cedar. Nothing fake matches the grain and depth of real wood, and you can refinish it forever. A 40-year-old cedar wall can be sanded, stained, and look new. Crack a fiber cement plank and you're replacing the board.
Wood is also lighter and kinder to tools. Cedar cuts with a standard circular saw blade. Fiber cement dulls carbide in an afternoon and throws silica dust you don't want in your lungs, so you'll need a dust-collecting saw and a respirator. If you're siding a small addition yourself, cedar is the friendlier weekend.
And in wildfire country the calculus flips back. Fiber cement is noncombustible, Class A rated. In a WUI (wildland urban interface) zone, insurers in California now reward that, sometimes 5 to 10 percent off the premium. Wood is a liability there, full stop.
Maintenance reality check
Both surfaces need washing once or twice a year. Mildew on the north face, pollen, road grime. Skip a gentle annual rinse and wood traps moisture that turns into rot at the seams. A low-pressure wash does the job for either material, and the right gear matters more than the muscle. See our picks for cordless power washers built for deck cleaning, since the same units handle siding fine if you stay under 1,500 PSI and keep the tip moving.
One thing most reviews miss: siding choice interacts with what's behind it. LP SmartSide, an engineered-wood product, installs faster than fiber cement and resists rot better than raw cedar, but it still needs sealed cut ends. And no siding fixes a cold wall. If your real problem is drafts and high bills, your money goes further upgrading what's underneath. Our beginner's guide to home insulation covers that before you spend $20,000 on the pretty layer.
So which one?
Pick fiber cement if you're staying put, hate ladders, or live where fire and termites are real. HardiePlank, Allura, and Nichiha all deliver the same basic deal: high cost now, near-zero drama for decades.
Pick wood if you want a look fiber cement can only imitate, you'll actually keep up with stain every 6 years, or you're flipping the house inside five years and the long-term math never hits you.
Still torn? Price both from two local contractors and ask for the 30-year repaint estimate in writing. The honest ones will tell you cedar costs more than the quote shows.
FAQ
How long does James Hardie HardiePlank last before needing a repaint?
HardiePlank with ColorPlus factory-applied finish holds color for 12 to 15 years before a repaint cycle. The product carries a 30-year limited warranty. Panels installed in 2024 should not need recoating until 2037 or 2038, assuming normal weathering and a single annual rinse to clear mildew and pollen. Raw primed HardiePlank painted on-site needs recoating sooner, closer to the 10-year mark.
What is the real 30-year cost of cedar siding on a 2,000 sq ft house?
Budget $10,000 to $20,000 to install cedar, then add $3,000 to $5,000 every 5 to 7 years for paint or stain. Over 30 years that maintenance adds another $15,000 to $25,000, putting the total at $25,000 to $45,000. Fiber cement runs $12,000 to $26,000 installed with roughly one repaint at year 15, making the long-term gap smaller than the install price suggests.
Can fiber cement siding be installed as a DIY project?
Technically yes, but it is the hardest common siding to DIY. Planks weigh about 2.3 lbs per square foot and require a fiber cement shear blade or dust-collecting circular saw, plus a P100 respirator for silica dust. James Hardie recommends professional installation to protect the 30-year warranty. Cedar is the better call for a weekend project on a small addition, cutting with standard carbide blades and fastening without specialty gear.
Does fiber cement siding qualify for California wildfire insurance discounts?
In California and other WUI-zone states, many insurers offer 5 to 10 percent premium reductions for homes clad in Class A noncombustible material. HardiePlank, Allura, and Nichiha all carry Class A ratings. Confirm the credit with your specific carrier before you install, because programs vary by insurer and county. Some California FAIR Plan policies require Class A exterior cladding as a condition of coverage in high-risk zones.
How do you tell if wood siding has rot before it becomes a structural problem?
Probe suspect boards with a flat-head screwdriver. Sound wood resists; rotted wood lets the tip sink with little pressure. Check seams, butt joints, and anywhere caulk has cracked first. On cedar, soft gray patches at horizontal laps are the earliest warning sign. Catching one or two boards early costs under $200 in materials to repair. Missing it through a second repaint cycle often means replacing full runs plus sheathing underneath.
