The Basics of Fiber Cement Siding

The technology is nearly 100 years old. Cement fiber siding products are still manufactured today. New styles, sizes and products will allow you to cover the exterior of your new home with a rot, fire, wind and insect resistant material. Fiber cement siding products represent some of the most exciting exterior products available to homeowners today.

At the turn of the century a French company was making fiber cement siding and roofing plates that had a unique ability to resist “fire, frost, acid and ants.” This material was exported worldwide in vast quantities from Australia to America. There are thousands of 80 and 90 year old homes in my own home town that still have this original material on their exterior walls and roofs.

Fiber cement building materials have a proven track record for resisting rot – that is a fact! Years ago the fiber cement products incorporated asbestos as the fibers. Soon after it was discovered that asbestos posed a serious health hazard, cellulose was substituted as the fiber material. Portland cement, ground sand, additives and water make up the balance of this wonderful building product. Fiber cement building products are attractive. You can choose from a variety of clapboard siding styles that have embossed wood grained texture or smooth finish.

The siding products come in a multitude of widths that will permit you to have clapboard exposures ranging from 4 inches up to nearly 11 inches. The stucco panels you desire are also available. You can purchase those with a smooth, stucco, or vertical rustic groove appearance. The rustic panels have a wood grained finish with recessed vertical channels spaced at 4 or 8 inch centers. You can even purchase fiber cement soffit panels to finish the underside of your roof overhangs.