Lynden Exterior Homeowners in Lynden ask us about Cemplank fairly often, usually after getting a quote from another contractor or seeing it at a building supply yard. It's a legitimate fiber cement product, and we understand why it shows up in bids — it's typically priced lower than James Hardie. But Lynden Exterior Co installs James Hardie exclusively, and we think you deserve a straight answer about why, rather than a marketing pitch.
What Cemplank Gets Right
Cemplank is manufactured by Plycem, and like all true fiber cement siding, it shares the core advantages of the category: it's non-combustible, resistant to wood-boring insects, and holds paint or factory finish far better than wood or engineered wood products. Structurally, it's a real fiber cement board, not a vinyl or composite substitute. For a homeowner comparing it only against LP SmartSide or cedar, Cemplank looks like a reasonable step up.
Where It Falls Short for Whatcom County Homes
The differences that matter show up over time, not on install day — which is exactly why they're easy to miss when you're comparing two quotes side by side.
Factory Finish and Warranty Structure
James Hardie's ColorPlus finish is baked on in a controlled factory process and backed by a warranty that covers the finish itself for a specified term, plus a separate long-term warranty on the substrate. Cemplank's finish and warranty coverage don't match that same factory-applied, integrated system in our experience specifying and installing both. In a market like Lynden — where driving rain off the Strait and Georgia Basin, plus salt-laden air pulled in from Bellingham Bay and the Sound, hits siding finishes hard — the quality and durability of the factory coating is not a minor detail. It's the difference between a board that still looks sharp in year twelve and one that's chalking or showing lap-line staining.
Moisture Behavior in a Wet Climate
Fiber cement is inherently more moisture-stable than wood-based siding, but not all fiber cement performs identically at butt joints, cut edges, and fastener penetrations — the places where a coastal Washington climate actually tests a product. Whatcom County doesn't just get rain; it gets a long, low-angle drizzle season followed by an extended moss and algae season on north-facing and shaded walls. Hardie's HZ5 product line is engineered specifically for climates like ours, with moisture and freeze-thaw performance data behind it. We haven't seen the same climate-specific engineering documentation behind Cemplank's product line for our zone.
Installation Sensitivity and Field Consistency
Every fiber cement product is sensitive to installation quality — caulking, flashing, fastener spacing, and clearance from grade all matter enormously. Where we've found real-world differences is in board consistency from batch to batch and how forgiving the material is of the field conditions we actually work in: crews cutting and fitting siding in Whatcom County's damp shoulder seasons. Hardie's manufacturing consistency and the depth of installer training and documentation behind the HardieZone system reduce the number of variables our crews have to manage on-site, which translates directly into fewer callbacks and a tighter long-term seal.
Resale and Recognition
James Hardie has built enough brand recognition that "Hardie board" is often used as shorthand for fiber cement siding generally, and that recognition has real value at resale — appraisers, inspectors, and buyers in Lynden and across Whatcom County know the name and what it signals about a home's exterior. Cemplank doesn't carry the same market recognition, which can be a quiet factor when a home eventually goes up for sale.
A Comparison at a Glance
| Factor | Cemplank | James Hardie |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Fiber cement | Fiber cement |
| Factory finish | Standard finish options | ColorPlus baked-on finish system |
| Climate engineering | General-purpose formulation | HZ5 line engineered for Pacific Northwest moisture exposure |
| Warranty structure | Standard manufacturer warranty | Separate finish and substrate warranties, transferable |
| Market recognition | Limited | Widely recognized by buyers and appraisers |
Why We Standardized on Hardie
We made the decision to install only James Hardie products because it lets us stand behind a single, well-documented system rather than juggling installation specs and warranty terms across several fiber cement brands. In a climate that puts driving rain, salt air, and a long moss season to work on every exterior surface, we'd rather put our name behind the product line engineered and finished to hold up to it — and back that with installation done to Hardie's exact specification, every time.
If you're weighing siding options for a home in Lynden or elsewhere in Whatcom County, we're happy to walk through what we see on real jobs in this climate and give you a straightforward, no-pressure estimate for your project.