James Hardie vs Cedar vs LP SmartSide vs Metal — Which Siding Wins in Seattle?
An honest comparison from a contractor who installs every one of these materials. We’re not loyal to any single brand — we install what fits the home, the budget, and Seattle’s climate. Here’s how each option actually performs against the others.
WA License #GPGENGC830KD 
Hardie Certified Installer 
5-Star Rated 
Honest Material AdviceGP General Corp installs every major siding material across Seattle, the Eastside, and Snohomish County — James Hardie, cedar, metal, LP SmartSide, and thermally-modified wood — so this comparison comes from a crew that fits each to the home, not one brand. WA license GPGENGC830KD, MBAKS member, rated 5.0 on Google. Real installed rates on our pricing page; free written quote after an on-site assessment.
By Paul Gubenya — Owner, James Hardie Certified Installer · WA License #GPGENGC830KD · MBAKS Member · Rated 5.0 on Google · (425) 344-9635
What Homeowners Say
Real reviews from our Google profile — unedited, from real projects.
“We recently had Paul with GP General repair a damaged corner protector and sidings. His estimate was reasonable, his availability was timely, and his job was excellent. Our home hadn’t been re-painted in a while and the paint had considerably faded, yet he was able to match the color perfectly. Now we know who to turn to when in need of another repair work.”
“GP General replaced LP siding on our garage. Paul was very thorough when he came out to do the estimate; he listened to my concerns and was able to work out solutions on the spot. His crew did a great job and were very courteous. They also were careful about cleaning up (I didn’t find any nails!). Really happy with the job and can recommend GP General.”
“I highly recommend GP General Corp for siding replacement. We recently had our wood siding replaced with James Hardie lap siding, and Paul and his team did an excellent job.”
Skip the Read — Here’s the One-Line Recommendation
If you want our short answer for typical Seattle homes:
James Hardie HardiePlank HZ10 — $14–$20/sf installed. 30-year non-prorated warranty when certified-installed, 15-year ColorPlus finish, fire-resistant, won’t rot, holds up to PNW moisture without maintenance.
LP SmartSide — $15–$21/sf installed. Engineered wood with 50-year prorated warranty. Solid PNW performance for $3–$5/sf less than Hardie. Real wood texture, looks great on traditional homes.
Western Red Cedar — $20–$40/sf installed. Real wood beauty, unmatched character, 30+ year life with maintenance. Requires back-priming, rainscreen, and repaint every 3–7 years. Worth it if you love wood and accept the upkeep.
Standing Seam Metal — $30–$55/sf installed. Modern aesthetic, 50+ year service life, fireproof, virtually no maintenance. Premium pricing and requires expert install for thermal expansion details.
Lunawood, Accoya, or Hardie Artisan — $20–$50/sf installed. Real wood without the maintenance penalty (Lunawood is thermally modified, Accoya is acetylated) or premium fiber cement (Artisan is 5/8″ thick with deep shadow lines). For homes where the siding is the design statement.
Vinyl, hardboard, T1-11. Vinyl warps in PNW summer heat and looks cheap on most Seattle homes. Hardboard fails in our climate. Stucco is a different trade (we don’t do it). If a contractor is pushing vinyl in Seattle, ask why.
Every Material We Install, Compared on the Same Attributes
Pricing is installed cost per square foot of wall area in the Seattle market in 2026, including tear-off, WRB, rainscreen, and material. See full cost breakdown →
See the materials on real projects:
James Hardie vs Cedar Siding for Seattle
The most-asked comparison in our market. The honest answer depends on what you actually want.
- You want the lowest long-term maintenance.
- You don’t want to think about repainting for 15+ years.
- You want a transferable 30-year non-prorated warranty.
- You live in a high-fire area or near tree exposure.
- Your home has high moisture exposure (waterfront, dense canopy, north-facing walls).
- You want real wood and accept the upkeep that comes with it.
- Your home is a Craftsman, bungalow, or heritage build where cedar is part of the design vocabulary.
- You like the weathered patina that cedar develops over years.
- You’re willing to repaint or restain every 3–7 years.
- Budget allows for $20–$40/sf installed plus periodic refinishing.
Our take, as a contractor who installs both
Most Seattle homeowners who think they want cedar actually want the look of wood without the maintenance reality. For those projects, we recommend Hardie’s Cedarmill texture or Hardie Artisan thick-lap — both have a real wood embossing that reads correctly from 10 feet, and Hardie’s ColorPlus finish lasts 15+ years vs cedar’s 5–8 between repaints. If you genuinely love wood, install cedar. If you just want the visual, save the maintenance and go Hardie.
James Hardie vs LP SmartSide for Seattle
Two engineered products, very different materials. Both legitimate. Here’s how to choose.
- You want the longer non-prorated warranty (30 yr Hardie vs 50 yr prorated LP).
- Fire resistance matters (Hardie is non-combustible, LP is Class C).
- Zero moisture absorption matters (Hardie won’t swell or wick at all).
- You can absorb the $3–$5/sf premium for the longer-term performance.
- Budget is the deciding factor and Hardie is out of reach.
- You want real wood texture (LP’s embossed grain is more pronounced).
- You’re comfortable with 50-year prorated coverage (claim value drops over time).
- The home is in a moderate-exposure area (not waterfront, not deep canopy).
Our take, as a contractor who installs both
For most Seattle projects we recommend Hardie. The $3–$5/sf premium pays back in 10–15 years through fewer paint cycles and the non-prorated warranty. That said, LP SmartSide is a real product, not a corner-cut compromise — it’s engineered wood with proven zinc-borate treatment, 50-year warranty, and excellent dimensional stability. We install LP where impact resistance or its long-length look is the priority and exposure is moderate. Where we don’t recommend LP: oceanfront, lakefront, deep north-facing tree canopy — those go Hardie regardless.
What Actually Matters in Seattle’s Climate
Most siding marketing copy is written for the dry-climate Sun Belt. Here’s what actually changes the recommendation in the Pacific Northwest.
Rain also sets your upkeep bill: here’s what each material costs to maintain over 10 and 20 years in Seattle — and if you’re leaning Hardie, the ColorPlus-vs-primed choice moves that math more than most people expect.
Seattle averages 38 inches of rain spread across 150+ rain days — not Sun Belt-style cloudbursts but a near-constant low-grade soak. Materials with any moisture absorption (untreated wood, hardboard) lose performance fast. Pick a material with zero or near-zero water absorption: Hardie HZ10, metal, Lunawood, Accoya.
Western Washington has 30–50 freeze-thaw cycles per year. Hardie sells two formulations — HZ10 for wet climates like ours, HZ5 for regions with snow, ice and hard freezes. Installing HZ5 here voids the warranty. Confirm any Hardie quote specifies HZ10. More on Hardie certification →
Wildfire season has reached the Cascades. Class A non-combustible siding (Hardie, metal) is now a meaningful insurance and resale factor for homes in or near WUI (wildland-urban interface) zones. Cedar is still beautiful, but flag this conversation if your home backs onto greenbelt or canyon.
British Columbia mandated rainscreen installation in 1996 after their envelope crisis cost billions. Washington didn’t — but the climate is identical. Whatever material you pick, install it over a ventilated rainscreen with a proper drainable WRB. We do this on every project regardless of material.
Compared to Phoenix or Denver, Seattle’s UV exposure is lower and paint cycles are longer. Hardie’s ColorPlus 15-year fade warranty applies in the PNW with confidence. Cedar in Seattle gets 5–8 years between repaints (vs 3–5 in dry-sun climates).
North-facing walls and shaded areas grow algae and mildew. Light-colored finishes show it more. Hardie ColorPlus and metal handle washing without finish damage; cedar requires careful low-pressure wash to avoid damaging the patina. Plan a soft wash every 2–3 years on most siding in Seattle, more often on shaded north exposures.
Decision Tree by Project Type
What we typically recommend by home style and project priority.
Default recommendation: HardiePlank Lap in ColorPlus. Clean lines suit the architecture, low maintenance suits the buyer profile, and the price-to-performance ratio is unbeatable. More on Hardie installs →
If preserving original character matters: cedar lap or HardieShingle® in cedar texture. If modernizing: HardiePanel Board & Batten with HardieTrim battens. Both work; cedar is the heritage choice and Hardie is the maintenance choice.
Standing seam metal panels or Hardie Artisan thick-lap in dark ColorPlus. For a true premium statement: Lunawood or Accoya vertical with cross-batten rainscreen. Metal siding → · Premium wood →
LP SmartSide. Lowest installed cost, real wood look, 50-year warranty, holds paint well. Tenants don’t care about brand and the math works for the owner.
Lunawood or Accoya with stainless fasteners over cross-batten rainscreen, or standing seam metal as accent on architectural feature walls. Use Hardie Artisan as the workhorse on secondary walls if mixing materials.
HardiePlank HZ10 or standing seam metal. Both have zero moisture absorption and shrug off salt-spray and wind-driven rain. Avoid wood (any kind) on the windward elevation.
What We Don’t Install — and Why
Not every siding is wrong, but some don’t belong on most Seattle homes. Here’s what we won’t bid.
It’s cheap and that’s the appeal. The downsides: visible plastic seams, color fade over time, warping in summer heat, brittleness in cold, and a visual quality that drags down most Seattle architecture. The price gap vs LP SmartSide ($3–$5/sf) doesn’t justify the long-term performance gap. We don’t install it.
A 1980s product that does poorly in PNW moisture. The face starts bubbling, the back swells against sheathing, and rot follows. We’ve pulled this off homes in Ballard, Greenwood, and Lynnwood and found OSB rotted to mush behind it. Don’t buy it; replace it if you have it.
It’s structural sheathing, not siding — and using it as siding traps moisture and accelerates failure. Common on garages and outbuildings from the 70s and 80s. We replace it; we don’t install it.
Different trade, different scaffolding, different specialty. Done right, stucco performs. Done wrong (and most Seattle stucco is done wrong for the climate), it cracks and traps moisture. Not our specialty — if you want stucco, we can refer you to a specialist.
Real cedar without back-priming, rainscreen, and proper flashing will fail in 10 years. We install cedar — properly. We don’t install it as a budget hack.
HZ5 is the Hardie built for snow, ice and hard freezes. Installing it in Seattle voids the warranty and accelerates failure. Some bargain quotes specify it because it’s slightly cheaper at the supplier. We always specify HZ10 in writing.
Common Comparison Questions
Still Not Sure Which Material Is Right for Your Home?
Book a free on-site assessment. Paul walks the home, looks at exposure and architecture, gives you a written recommendation with cost ranges for your top two material choices. No upsell, no salesman — just an honest read on what fits. You can also see how we work as a Seattle siding contractor — from first walkthrough to final inspection.
Book Free Material Assessment → (425) 344-9635