Which siding is best for my shed?
Smartside vs Vinyl Siding
“We don’t need a fancy shed – just put on some vinyl siding.” As a salesman, I hear this often and I understand your feeling. It’s going to be in your backyard. Its purpose is purely utilitarian. Why make it complicated? Exactly! Consider this: You are going to be looking at your shed for a long time. It will protect your valuables that are in the shed. It must stay looking bright and fresh. It must resist all that Mother Nature and your kids can throw at it. Follow me in my study of LP Smartside vs Vinyl Siding.
LP smartside
Vinyl Siding
Simple is good.
Vinyl Siding
This is what a vinyl siding wall assembly looks like:
There are several different layers. Insects (and perhaps rodents!) will find their way between these layers because of the relative warmth to live – and die there.
LP Smartside
LP Smartside is a siding in panel form that when applied to a wall will give structural strength that OSB normally is used for. There is no OSB, strapping, or housewrap necessary.
Did you notice? There is no place for insects and rodents to live or get trapped. One panel does the job of structural panel and weather repellant.
Compare the look – Smartside vs Vinyl siding
Smartside
Vinyl
Smartside
Vinyl
What do you think about the difference in look? It is personal preference, of course.
Durability of Smartside and Vinyl
The panel is made up of wood chips as is OSB in order to be eco-friendly. In fact, when you first see it from the back side, you will think that it is OSB. However, the real details cannot be seen. The manufacturing process for Smartside is complicated and requires different products including Wax, Zinc Borates and Resins. These all work together to make the product impervious to rot. The company is so sure about this that they offer a 5 year warranty for material and labour to replace the product if it goes bad. Then they offer an extra 45 years of pro-rated warranty on the material. We have kept a sample of this siding in a pail of water for several months with the only effect being a barely noticeable swelling in thickness.
Vinyl siding is somewhat resistant to shocks to begin with, but as time passes it becomes more and more brittle. What is more, when the temperature dives to below 0ºC, it becomes still more brittle. A small shock may smash it into many pieces.
Do you want to know how these two sidings stand up to baseballs? What about hockey pucks?
For more information on LP Smartside product please see: General information on the advantages of Smartside
Money – Cost of LP Smartside vs Vinyl Siding
Here is a comparison of the costs: 
Since the process for Smartside involves only two steps instead of the four steps required for vinyl, Smartside offers you a better price for the finished product.
Conclusion
Who says that durability, beauty, and good price can’t meet?
