The beauty of James Hardie® siding enhances your home’s value. Its low maintenance, long-lasting makeup, and exquisite beauty make it a favorite among Kansas City homeowners. With some basic care, it will give you the high performance you desire for decades.

Here are some simple tips from StateLine Exteriors to keep your Hardie siding looking fabulous over its lifetime.

The Low Maintenance of Hardie Siding

There are a variety of factors that contribute to this outstanding siding being so low maintenance:

Its Makeup

Hardie siding is made of a proprietary blend of cement, sand, and cellulose. It resists moisture penetration, so you can skip the hassle of repairing damaged siding due to wood rot, mold and mildew.

Its Durability

Due to fiber cement’s curing process, it’s less likely to crack or break. Hardie siding lasts up to 50 years, and carries a 30-year warranty that’s honored when you have it installed by a James Hardie Preferred contractor (like us).

Its Weather Resistance

Engineered for climate, this strong siding is made for your specific region of the country, with the needed protection relative to your area’s weather. Kansas City homeowners install the HardieZone System’s HZ5 product to ensure their home is well protected. HZ5 stands up to high winds, severe storms, and even hail damage.

Its Fade Resistant Color

ColorPlus® technology keeps your home looking beautiful throughout the years. While other siding products fade and lose their original look over time, Hardie siding gives you UV resistance, fade resistance, and long-lasting, baked-on color.

Its Pest Resistance

Hardie siding resists pests such as termites, carpenter ants, and stink bugs. It’s also woodpecker resistant, so you don’t have to deal with the time-consuming trouble of repairing insect or woodpecker damage.

Keep Your Hardie Siding Looking Fabulous with These Tips

Whether you have HardiePlank®, HardiePanel®, or HardieShingle®, it’s vital you maintain it well over the years. Cleaning your siding will help prevent water intrusion and sustain the beauty and value of your home.

The amount of upkeep your siding needs is based on your geographic location, how much sun exposure your home gets, landscaping factors, and your home style.

Here are some tips to make your Hardie siding look gorgeous throughout its life:

Clean your siding

Here are some simple steps to help you clean your siding:

• Every 6-12 months, wash your Hardie siding with a garden hose. The low pressure water spray will protect your home exterior.
• Avoid the temptation to use your power washer because it could damage your siding.
• Use a soft, (non-metal) siding cleaning brush.
• Use a side-to-side motion in the direction of the planks. Don’t clean against the grain.
• Work in small sections at a time.
• Start at the top and work down to the bottom of your siding.

Dirt—When cleaning ColorPlus products, if your siding has some stubborn dirt or stains on it, use a mild detergent to remove the grime.

Mold stains—If your siding has mold or mildew on it, use a soft sponge and a garden hose along with a mildew-specific cleaner. Lightly scrub the area. Be careful with chemicals, and use caution so you don’t damage your siding’s finish. Be sure to follow the instructions on the mildew cleaner.

Oil stains—If oil or grease soils your siding, use some mild liquid dishwashing soap and water to remove it. Grab your soft cloth and saturate it with soapy water. Clean the stains off your siding while rinsing the cloth often. When it is full of soap suds, use a garden hose to rinse the area. Be sure to keep the siding wet the whole time you work on it, and rinse it thoroughly.

Note: Avoid using harsh chemicals, cleaners not made for siding, and abrasive scrub brushes and rags while cleaning your siding.

Maintain your home exterior

In addition to cleaning your siding, when you take care of the following, it will enhance your siding’s endurance over the years.

• Install gutters and downspouts to prevent moisture damage.
• Clean out gutters regularly to ensure they function properly.
• Keep shrubs, bushes, and trees trimmed back from your home siding.
• Adjust your sprinkler system so it doesn’t spray excessively on your siding or saturate the ground surrounding your home.
• Use sand or gravel to manage snow and ice near your home. Deicing salts should never come into contact with your siding.

Paint Hardie Siding with ColorPlus Technology every 15 years.

• ColorPlus technology is warrantied for 15 years, and should be repainted at that time.
• ColorPlus technology Touch-up Kits can be used to cover any nicks or scrapes on your siding that may have occurred over time.
• If a siding blemish on your ColorPlus finish is larger than a small coin, replace the damage with a new plank.

Paint Pre-primed Hardie Siding More Frequently

Check the original paint manufacturer’s recommendations for how soon you need to reapply paint.

On average, a high quality, 100-percent acrylic exterior house paint should last anywhere from five to 15 years on fiber cement that’s properly primed at the factory, as long as the paint was applied correctly and there hasn’t been any unusual damage to the home.

Get Siding You Can Trust Installed Right the First Time

At Stateline Exteriors, we understand how overwhelming it can be to need home exterior upgrades. That’s why we created a simple process to help educate you on siding material, style, and color options so you can have a home that reflects your style.

We prioritize our relationship with you and ensure you understand the siding installation process before we begin. We keep you informed throughout your project, and our installers go the extra mile to make sure you get a finished product that exceeds your expectations.

Check out our Ultimate Hardie Board and Fiber Cement Siding Guide to learn more about Hardie siding.