James Hardie vs. Wood Siding: The Honest Comparison

We install cedar too. That is the point.

Most siding comparisons on the internet exist to talk you out of wood. This one does not.

Real cedar is the most beautiful cladding available. Nothing imitates it perfectly — not vinyl, not engineered wood, and not fibre cement. We install Maibec factory-finished cedar because we think it deserves to be on the shortlist for a forever home, not dismissed as the high-maintenance option.

We also install a lot of James Hardie fibre cement, and we will tell you plainly why.

The honest version of this comparison is not "which product is better." Both are good products. The real question is what you are willing to commit to over the decades you plan to own this house.

The part nobody in our industry likes to admit

Maibec's Red Cedar siding carries a 50-year warranty against wood decay. Its Classic siding carries the same 50 years against decay.

James Hardie's substrate limited warranty is 30 years, non-prorated and transferable.

So on the single question of "how long is the board itself covered," cedar wins. We are not going to bury that.

There is a reason for it. Western red cedar contains natural tannins, and Maibec's position is that red cedar "resists insects and rot without harsh chemicals" as a result. That is a genuine material property, not marketing.

Two things to hold alongside that number, though.

First, a decay warranty and a finish warranty are different things. Cedar's decay coverage runs 50 years. The finish on it does not. Maibec covers up to 15 years on solid stain in two coats on a textured finish, up to 10 years on solid stain for a brushed-face finish, and 8 years on Natural tones for Red Cedar siding, with 5 years on labour. That gap between 50 and 15 is where the maintenance commitment lives.

Second, wood remains an organic, combustible material. It is not a defect. It is what wood is.

What you actually get with Maibec cedar

Factory finishing is the reason cedar is a serious option again rather than a nostalgia purchase. A finish applied under controlled conditions in a Quebec plant behaves better than one rolled on in a GTA driveway in October.

Maibec's range covers Red Cedar siding, Eastern White Cedar shingles, and Stave Lake Western Red Cedar shingles. Red Cedar siding comes in 4" and 6" widths and can run horizontal or vertical using the Maibec em+ fastening system. Classic siding comes in 4", 6" and 8".

Cedar's technical profile is better than most homeowners expect:

• Dimensional stability. The Western Red Cedar Lumber Association describes the species as having a very low shrinkage factor and as superior to all other coniferous woods in its resistance to warping, twisting and checking.
• A little insulating value. Cedar is light — roughly 21 lb/ft³, specific gravity 0.32. Thermal conductivity at 12% moisture content is 0.74 BTU-in/ft²-h-°F, working out to about R-1.35 for one inch (34 mm) of thickness. It is not insulation, but it is not zero either.
• Class B fire performance. Western red cedar has a flame spread rating of 45 and a smoke developed index of 125.

The honest caveats: cedar requires preservative treatment anywhere it faces prolonged decay conditions, such as ground contact. And it needs a properly detailed ventilation and drainage cavity behind it — Maibec publishes guidance on exactly this, and it is not optional.

What you actually get with James Hardie

Fibre cement is cement, sand, cellulose fibre and water, plus proprietary additives. It is formed under pressure, textured, cured and cut. It is made to ASTM C1186 Grade II Type A, and the companion ASTM C1185 test regime includes freeze-thaw testing for cladding — relevant in a climate that swings across zero repeatedly.

The board contains no organic sugar or starch, so rot has nothing to feed on. In Hardie's own words, it holds "little appeal for woodpeckers, termites and other wood-boring insects and pests."

On fire, fibre cement is noncombustible per ASTM E136 and Class A per ASTM E84, with a flame spread of 0 and smoke developed under 5 (ICC-ES ESR-2290, ESR-1844). Hardie itself notes the caveat we would give you anyway: that performance belongs to the board, not the coating. Paint can char in direct flame.

Canada gets the HZ5 cold-climate line. The surface is engineered for what Hardie calls "higher performance, giving it superior paint adhesion and moisture resistance," and the boards include a drip edge for improved water management. Canadian installation requirements are also stricter than the US spec: 8 in. of ground clearance instead of 6 in., and 1/2 in. instead of 1/4 in. at sheltered locations. We build to the Canadian numbers.

Profiles: HardiePlank lap is 5/16 in. Artisan lap is a heavier 5/8 in., which reads closer to a milled wood board because of the shadow line the thickness creates. HardieShingle at 1/4 in. gives a shingle appearance for gables, dormers and heritage-sympathetic work.

The finish is the real argument

ColorPlus Technology is a factory-applied, baked-on finish cured between coats. It carries a 15-year limited warranty covering both paint and labour against peeling, cracking and chipping.

That is the number that matters for a forever home. It removes the recurring scaffold-and-repaint cost from your ownership plan.

One thing it does not cover: fading. Hardie treats fade resistance as a performance claim, not a warranted one. Anyone telling you the colour is guaranteed never to shift is overselling it.

Where Hardie is genuinely worse

• No insulating value. Fibre cement contributes essentially none. Cedar's R-1.35 per inch is small but real.
• Nothing imitates wood perfectly. Hardie's textures are the best in the category. They are still a texture, not grain.
• Heavier, slower, and messier to install. More labour than vinyl or aluminum. Cutting generates crystalline silica dust, which requires proper tooling and dust collection — Hardie maintains a formal silica safety program, and a crew that shrugs at it is not a crew you want on your house.
• Sealant is a maintenance item. Joints are sealed with ASTM C920 Grade NS Class 25+ or ASTM C834 latex sealant. Low effort, but not no effort.

Resale, with the caveat attached

The 2025 Cost vs. Value Report from Zonda and JLC put fibre-cement siding replacement at 114% cost recouped — $24,420 of resale value on $21,485 spent — ranking 4th of 28 projects.

That is US national average data, in US dollars. It does not translate directly to Mississauga or Oakville. We cite it because the direction is meaningful, not because the number is yours.

At a glance

So which one should you choose

Choose Maibec cedar if the authenticity of real wood matters more to you than the maintenance schedule, and you are honest with yourself about the refinishing. A cedar elevation that is looked after is one of the best-looking things you can put on a house in this city.

Choose James Hardie if you want the closest thing to wood's warmth with a materially lower long-term obligation, noncombustibility, and a warranty you can hand to the next owner.

And consider both. Some of the best projects we build use Hardie for the main field of the wall and cedar on a feature elevation, a soffit, or an entry surround, where the grain is close enough to be worth the upkeep.

Common questions

Is cedar actually higher maintenance than fibre cement?

Yes, and the warranties show it. Cedar's decay coverage runs 50 years, but the finish protecting it is covered 8 to 15 years depending on which finish you choose. Hardie's ColorPlus finish is covered 15 years including labour. Over thirty years of ownership that difference is several refinishing cycles.

Does cedar really have a longer warranty than Hardie?

Against decay, yes: 50 years versus Hardie's 30-year substrate warranty. We would rather tell you that than have you find it later. It is a genuine point in cedar's favour, and it is about the wood itself, not the finish on it.

Will cedar look grey and weathered in ten years?

Only if it is left alone. Factory-finished cedar with a maintained solid stain holds its colour. Unfinished or neglected cedar silvers, which some owners want deliberately. The outcome is a maintenance choice, not an inevitability.

Is fibre cement convincing as a wood substitute?

It is the most convincing in the category, particularly the thicker Artisan profiles where the shadow line does most of the work. Up close it is a texture, not grain. If you will be bothered by that, buy cedar.

Can I put cedar on the front and Hardie everywhere else?

Yes, and it is a common request. The transition detail between the two has to be designed rather than improvised on site, so raise it at the consultation stage.