Ferndale Siding A Straight Answer From a Local Siding Contractor
Homeowners in Ferndale ask us about LP SmartSide often enough that it's worth a straight answer: we don't install it. Not because it's a scam or because every installation fails, but because after years of putting siding on homes in Whatcom County, we've made a professional call about what materials hold up best against our specific climate, and LP SmartSide isn't the product we're willing to put our name on. Here's the honest reasoning, not a sales pitch.
What LP SmartSide Actually Is
LP SmartSide is an engineered wood siding product, made from wood strands bonded with resins and coated with a wax and zinc-borate treatment for moisture and insect resistance, then finished with a primer coat. It's a real step up from old-style hardboard siding that gave engineered wood a bad name decades ago, and LP backs it with a warranty and a national dealer network. It installs relatively easily, takes paint well, and costs less upfront than fiber cement in most markets. For dry inland climates, plenty of installers use it without major issues.
Why It's a Harder Sell on the Coast
Ferndale sits close enough to Bellingham Bay and the Strait of Georgia that salt air is a real factor in how exterior materials age here, not just a talking point. Add Whatcom County's driving winter rain and a moss season that can run from October well into spring, and you've got a climate that stress-tests any wood-based product's weak point: the cut edges and seams where moisture can work its way in.
LP SmartSide is still an engineered wood product at its core. Wood strands, even treated and resin-bonded, will swell, soften, or delaminate if water gets past the factory coating and sits there — and on a coastal property, water has more opportunities to sit. Field-cut edges, nail penetrations, and butt joints all need to be primed and sealed correctly on-site, every time, or moisture finds a way in over the following years. That's not a defect in the product; it's a demand on installation discipline that doesn't leave much room for a missed step, a rushed caulk line, or a homeowner who skips repainting on schedule.
The Maintenance Reality
Because LP SmartSide ships primed rather than fully factory-finished, it needs a quality topcoat paint job after installation, and that paint job needs to be maintained — typically repainted on a multi-year cycle to keep the moisture barrier intact. In a climate with this much annual rainfall and humidity, that maintenance schedule isn't optional. Skip it or fall behind, and the product's moisture resistance starts to erode right when the weather is working hardest against it.
What We Install Instead: James Hardie Fiber Cement
We standardized on James Hardie fiber cement siding for every job we do, and the reasoning comes down to how the material behaves in exactly the conditions Ferndale deals with:
- Non-combustible core. Fiber cement is cement, sand, and cellulose fiber — it doesn't burn, swell, or rot the way wood-based products can.
- Climate-engineered product lines. Hardie's HZ5 formulation is built specifically for the Pacific Northwest's wet, moderate climate, addressing moisture exposure differently than their products made for hot, dry, or freeze-heavy regions.
- ColorPlus factory finish. Rather than relying on a field-applied primer and paint schedule, ColorPlus is baked on at the factory with a finish designed to resist fading and hold up without the repainting cycle SmartSide requires.
- Moisture behavior. Fiber cement doesn't absorb and swell the way wood strand products can, which matters a great deal under Ferndale's rain and moss conditions.
- Warranty structure. Hardie backs its products with a strong, transferable warranty, which also tends to matter to buyers if the home is ever sold.
To Be Fair to LP
None of this means LP SmartSide is a bad product across the board — it has a legitimate place in the market and plenty of installers stand behind it. Our decision isn't a verdict on LP as a company. It's a standard we've set for our own work based on what we've seen hold up best in a coastal, high-moisture county over the long haul, and on wanting every installation we do to need as little maintenance and as few callbacks as possible for the homeowner.
Table: The Core Trade-Off
| Factor | LP SmartSide | James Hardie Fiber Cement |
|---|---|---|
| Core material | Engineered wood strand | Cement, sand, cellulose fiber |
| Combustibility | Combustible (wood-based) | Non-combustible |
| Finish | Primed, needs field paint & repainting cycle | ColorPlus factory-baked finish |
| Coastal moisture sensitivity | Higher — depends on sealed edges/joints | Lower — doesn't swell like wood |
| Regional engineering | General-purpose formulation | HZ5 line engineered for PNW climate |
Let's Talk About Your Home
If you're weighing siding options for a home in Ferndale or elsewhere in Whatcom County, we're happy to walk through what we see in the field and why we've made the choices we have. Reach out for a free, no-pressure estimate — we'll take a look at your home's exposure, current siding condition, and what a James Hardie installation would actually involve, with no obligation attached.