The Scoop on Stucco and Hearty Hardie
People take a strong stance, or shall we say that they truly take sides when it comes to the types of siding they put on their home.
Whether you like the look of a wood house, colorful shingles, or a smooth stucco finish, the type of siding you put on your home makes a big difference in the amount of maintenance that is required.
The California Central Coast has thousands of unique homes, so understanding the fundamentals of the most common siding types makes it a lot easier to pick what’s best for you. This is the first of a two part series on the types of siding you may want to consider for your home.
Table of Contents
- It’s Not Bad to be Stuck with Stucco
- Hardly Insignificant: Hardie Siding for Home Health
It’s Not Bad to be Stuck with Stucco
Stucco may easily be one of the most common types of siding here in California. There are different types of stucco – from that smooth finish like a Mediterranean dream home, or a rough texture which is a bit more common.
Stucco is a cementitious product that is made up of different layers designed to help water travel across the surface and away from your home to protect the wood framing underneath. Stucco has been used for thousands of years and it has many advantages but also some disadvantages.
The Good
Stucco’s major plus, popularity, and winning choice over most other siding types is that it’s not prone to as much damage from rain, sun, dry rot, insects, salt, or fire. Its siding counterpart, wood, is very much prone to damage at the hands of these home villains.
The key for this elemental defense is that stucco is a cement based product, very few elements are able to damage the exterior of the stucco; it is a low maintenance option. Having stucco as your siding is a big win here on the Central Coast, since all the elements, dry rot, and insects are set out to relentlessly damage your home, and stucco is fairly resistant to those dangers.
In terms of cost, stucco is considered a mid to high range siding option. This could be a pro or a con to your budget.
The Bad
One major drawback to stucco, especially here on the central coast, is that it is not flexible. So, in a seismic event or when the ground settles over time, you’ll see fine stucco cracks or chunks being displaced.
Another problematic issue with stucco is that if water is able to get behind the stucco, the surface does not breathe well trapping excess moisture behind the film. You would never know there is damage behind the stucco.
Despite the drawbacks listed above stucco’s ability to stand up to the elements has made it a popular choice when siding new homes.
Hardly Insignificant: Hardie Siding for Home Health
When it comes to home health – aka protecting your treasure – Hardie ranks very high in terms of protection.
The Good
Hardie is a cement fiber product that is designed to be extremely element resistant. This product is resilient to termite and insect damage, water damage, sun damage, and has been particularly tested for fire resistance, and has proved to be one of the most fire retardant sidings available.
Hardie Siding, similarly to stucco, is a cementitious product, but it comes in pre-made sheets. Hardie siding typically comes in a few different styles: plank or horizontal siding, shingles, and board and batten.
The Bad
Hardie Siding usually costs a bit more than stucco, on the higher end of siding options. Similar to stucco, Hardie is at risk for some of the same disadvantages, as it is not a flexible product experiencing cracking, shifting, or displacement as the ground settles or moves with seismic activity.
Additionally, since Hardie siding is resilient to the elements, if there’s damage behind the siding, such as framing damage, it’s typically not noticeable until the wood framing has been so far damaged that the Hardie siding detaches from the framing. This makes it impossible to detect framing damage behind the boards.
Stucco and Hardie are two popular options for siding, and we at Rogall+Co have a lot of expertise installing, repairing, and working with both types of siding. Check out part two of our three part series on siding, where we explore different types of wood siding.
