Lynden Siding Cemplank Is a Real Fiber Cement Product — We Just Don't Install It
Homeowners in Lynden sometimes ask us to quote a job using Cemplank, and we understand why. It's fiber cement, it's sold through some of the same lumberyards as the products we do install, and on paper it looks like a reasonable alternative. We want to be upfront about why we don't put it on Whatcom County homes: it's not because the material is junk. It's because after years of siding work in this climate, we standardized on one manufacturer's system and stopped making exceptions.
What Cemplank Gets Right
Cemplank is manufactured fiber cement, meaning it shares the same basic chemistry as most fiber cement siding on the market — Portland cement, sand, and cellulose fiber, cured into rigid boards. That gives it real advantages over wood and vinyl: it's non-combustible, it resists rot better than raw wood, and it holds paint longer than untreated wood siding. For a homeowner comparing it to cedar or LP SmartSide, Cemplank is a legitimate step up.
Where the differences start to matter
The issue isn't the base material — it's everything built around it. Fiber cement siding lives or dies on three things: the factory finish, the engineering behind the product line, and the support system standing behind it once it's on the wall. That's where we've found the gap.
- Factory finish consistency. A baked-on factory finish is what keeps fiber cement siding from becoming a repainting project every seven to ten years. We've found the depth and consistency of finish options, and the track record of that finish holding color and adhesion long-term, isn't as proven or as widely documented as what we get with the product line we install.
- Climate-specific engineering. Whatcom County isn't a mild, dry climate. We're pulling moisture off Bellingham Bay and the Strait of Georgia, we get driving rain off the water for months at a stretch, and the siding on a Lynden home spends a long stretch of the year damp enough to grow moss on north-facing walls and trim. The product we install offers engineered variants built specifically for regions like ours — different moisture and rain-exposure profiles get different formulations. We haven't found that same tier of regional engineering documented for Cemplank.
- Warranty structure. A fiber cement warranty is only as good as what it actually covers and how transferable it is if the home sells. We standardized on a system with a warranty structure we understand completely, can explain to a homeowner without hedging, and that transfers cleanly — because we're the ones who'll get the call if something goes wrong ten years from now.
- Installation ecosystem. Trim, fasteners, joint flashing details, and touch-up materials all need to match the siding system precisely. When we install one product line exclusively, our crews know its installation specs cold — nailing patterns, clearances, caulking points — and we're not improvising details because a trim piece isn't available for a particular product.
Why This Matters More in Lynden Than It Would Elsewhere
If you're siding a house in a dry inland climate, some of these differences matter less. That's not the situation here. Whatcom County homes deal with salt-laden air moving inland from the Sound, sustained driving rain through the fall and winter, and a moss season that runs long enough to test any exterior finish. Siding that isn't engineered with that combination in mind tends to show it first at the finish level — fading, chalking, or finish breakdown at seams and cut edges — years before the core board itself would fail. We'd rather not find that out on a customer's home after the fact.
A quick side-by-side
| Factor | What we look for | Why it matters in Lynden |
|---|---|---|
| Factory finish | Long-documented adhesion and color-hold track record | Constant damp/dry cycling stresses any painted finish |
| Regional engineering | Product variants built for high-moisture, high-rain regions | Driving rain and moss season are a year-round reality here |
| Warranty | Clear, transferable coverage | Protects the homeowner and the next buyer if the home sells |
| Installation system | Matched trim, fasteners, and details for one product line | Reduces improvised details that can become moisture entry points |
Why We Standardized on James Hardie
We install James Hardie fiber cement exclusively, in the HZ product lines engineered for our region, finished with the ColorPlus factory finish system. It's non-combustible, it's built with Pacific Northwest moisture exposure specifically accounted for in the formulation, and it comes with a strong transferable warranty we can explain in plain terms. Just as important, our crews install nothing else — every detail on every job, from starter strip to trim to fastener spacing, follows the same spec every time. That consistency is what keeps siding performing the way it's supposed to for decades, not just the first few years.
We're not going to tell a homeowner that Cemplank is a bad product. We're telling you why we made a narrower choice: one manufacturer, one system, engineered for the climate we actually work in. If you're planning a siding project in Lynden or anywhere in Whatcom County, we'd be glad to walk your home and give you a straightforward, no-pressure estimate on what a James Hardie installation would look like for your project.