Burlington Two Sidings, Two Very Different Bets on Wet Weather
Homeowners in Burlington eventually run into the same fork in the road: fiber cement or engineered wood siding. Both are marketed as upgrades over vinyl, both look good on a spec sheet, and both show up on contractor bids across Skagit County. But they are not the same product wearing different labels. One is a cement-based composite that does not absorb water into its core. The other is wood fiber, engineered and resin-treated, but still wood at its core. That difference matters more here than almost anywhere else in the state, because Burlington sits in a corridor of salt-tinged marine air off Padilla Bay and Puget Sound, driving winter rain that comes in sideways off the water, and a moss and mildew season that can run eight months or longer on north-facing walls. We install only James Hardie fiber cement siding, and this page explains the honest reasoning behind that decision — including what engineered wood does well.
What Engineered Wood Siding Actually Is
LP SmartSide and similar engineered wood products are made from wood strands compressed under heat and pressure with resins, then coated with a zinc-borate treatment for insect and fungal resistance, and finished with a factory primer or overlay. It is a genuine improvement over the OSB siding of decades past — the strand orientation and resin binders give it more structural consistency and better nail-holding than raw plywood or hardboard ever had.
What It Gets Right
Engineered wood is lighter than fiber cement, which can make it faster to install and easier on a crew's back over a long day. It accepts fasteners and cuts more like traditional carpentry, which some builders prefer. The zinc-borate treatment genuinely improves resistance to termites and fungal decay compared to untreated lumber, and reputable manufacturers back it with a real warranty. For homeowners in drier parts of the state, or on well-detailed walls with generous roof overhangs, it can perform for many years.
What Fiber Cement Siding Actually Is
James Hardie siding is made from Portland cement, sand, and cellulose fiber, cured into a rigid board. There is no wood substrate to swell, no strand structure that can wick moisture along its grain, and no organic material for mold or insects to feed on. It is factory-finished with ColorPlus Technology — a baked-on finish applied and cured before the board ever reaches the jobsite — rather than a coating that goes on after installation and needs field touch-up.
Why That Composition Behaves Differently in Wet Climates
The core reason we settled on fiber cement isn't cosmetic — it's about how the material responds when it inevitably gets wet, which every siding does eventually, regardless of installation quality. Fiber cement does not swell, delaminate, or lose structural integrity from repeated wetting and drying cycles. Engineered wood, even with resin treatment, is still fundamentally a wood product, and wood products respond to sustained moisture exposure differently than cement-based ones — that is chemistry, not brand loyalty.
The Moisture Question: Skagit County's Real Climate Test
Burlington doesn't get the heaviest rainfall totals in Washington, but it gets something arguably harder on siding: persistent low-intensity moisture combined with salt-laden marine air moving in off the bay, plus long stretches of shade and low sun angle on north and west elevations that keep walls damp for days after a storm passes. That combination is exactly the scenario where the difference between a cement-based product and a wood-based one shows up over a 10- to 20-year horizon — not in year one, but in how the siding ages through repeated soak-and-dry cycles, at cut edges, at butt joints, and anywhere caulking eventually fails and lets water sit against the material.
Moss is the other local reality. On shaded, north-facing walls throughout Skagit County, moss and algae growth is a matter of when, not if. Fiber cement's mineral composition doesn't feed organic growth the way a wood-based product's surface can, and its factory finish holds up to the periodic soft-washing needed to keep moss in check. That's a maintenance cost difference that adds up over the life of the siding.
Side-by-Side: How the Two Materials Actually Compare
| Factor | James Hardie Fiber Cement | Engineered Wood (LP SmartSide) |
|---|---|---|
| Core material | Cement, sand, cellulose fiber | Wood strands with resin binders |
| Moisture response | Does not swell or delaminate | Wood-based core, moisture-sensitive at cut edges and joints |
| Fire behavior | Non-combustible | Combustible, treated wood product |
| Finish | Factory-baked ColorPlus, cured before install | Factory primer or overlay, often needs field-applied topcoat |
| Insect/fungal resistance | Not a food source — mineral-based | Zinc-borate treated wood, resistant but organic |
| Weight | Heavier, more rigid on the wall | Lighter, easier handling |
| Typical manufacturer warranty | 30-year limited, transferable | 5-year workmanship / longer limited product warranty, terms vary |
| Moss/algae resistance | Mineral surface, tolerates soft-washing | Requires more careful surface maintenance |
Installation Sensitivity: Why the Crew Matters as Much as the Material
Where Engineered Wood Installations Go Wrong
Most problems homeowners hear about with engineered wood siding don't trace back to the material being defective — they trace back to installation shortcuts. Field-cut edges left uncoated, insufficient clearance at grade, caulk joints that fail and aren't maintained, or house wrap and flashing details that don't manage water correctly behind the siding. Wood-based products are less forgiving of these mistakes because once moisture gets past the surface treatment at an unsealed edge, the wood substrate underneath is exposed.
Why Fiber Cement Is More Forgiving — But Still Requires Skill
Fiber cement is more tolerant of the occasional imperfect detail because the material itself doesn't degrade from moisture contact the way wood does. That said, it still demands a crew that understands proper fastening patterns, correct nailing (not overdriving), rain-screen or drainage plane detailing behind the siding, and manufacturer-specified clearances at grade, decks, and roof lines. James Hardie's own warranty requires installation to their published specifications — cutting corners on install voids the protection the product is designed to offer.
Warranty and Long-Term Ownership Cost
A siding warranty is only as good as what it actually covers and how transferable it is if you sell the home. James Hardie's product warranty is a real, well-documented limited warranty that transfers to a subsequent owner, which matters for resale in a market like Burlington where buyers increasingly ask what the exterior is made of. Engineered wood warranties vary by manufacturer and have historically included more exclusions tied to installation and maintenance requirements — read the fine print on any product before assuming coverage matches what fiber cement offers.
Beyond the warranty document, the practical cost difference shows up in maintenance: repainting cycles, caulk maintenance, moss treatment, and the labor to address any edge or joint issues over 15-20 years. Fiber cement's factory finish and mineral composition generally mean fewer maintenance touchpoints over that span in a climate like ours.
Why We Standardized on James Hardie
We made a deliberate choice to install only James Hardie fiber cement products — not LP SmartSide, not vinyl, not primed spruce or cedar. It's a smaller product lineup to sell, but it lets our crews master one installation system to manufacturer spec rather than spreading expertise thin across several materials with different moisture behaviors and detailing requirements. In a climate where salt air, driving rain, and extended moss season are the norm rather than the exception, we'd rather stand behind a non-combustible, factory-finished product with a strong transferable warranty than split the difference. Hardie's HZ5 product line, engineered specifically for the wetter climate zones of the Pacific Northwest, was built for exactly the conditions Burlington sees.
A Practical Checklist for Comparing Siding Bids
- Ask what warranty transfers to a future buyer if you sell the home, and get the terms in writing.
- Ask how the contractor details moisture management behind the siding — house wrap, flashing, and drainage plane.
- Ask whether cut edges get factory-matched sealant or coating before installation, not just field caulk after.
- Ask for the manufacturer's installation manual and whether the crew follows it to the letter — not "close enough."
- Ask what maintenance the product realistically needs in a marine climate — repainting, moss treatment, caulk checks.
- Compare non-combustible fiber cement against wood-based products if wildfire insurance rating matters in your area.
If you're weighing siding options for a home in Burlington or elsewhere in Skagit County, we're happy to walk your specific house, talk through what we see, and give you a free, no-pressure estimate for a James Hardie installation done to spec.