Fiber Cement Siding Vs Brick

The siding on this gothic revival style home looks like wood clapboard but it s actually fiber cement painted a custom color.

Fiber cement siding vs brick.

Fiber cement siding stormed onto the scene a few decades ago and revolutionized the house siding industry because it possesses the best of many worlds. Unlike wood it is fire resistant. Smooth fiber cement panels are a low cost alternative to stucco and homeowners can choose from fiber cement panels that come in 5 6 or 5 8 inch thickness varying in sizes from 18 inches by 6 feet to 4 by 12 feet. Brick and steel also generate the most carbon dioxide in their manufacturing process and brick has the highest total embodied energy at least initially.

The only typical building clad materials cheaper than fiber cement are vinyl and masonite. Fiber cement is cheaper than any of those. One of the reasons that many homeowners may consider brick siding is its durability. For the averaged sized home 15 000 to 25 000 is a realistic price range but it can easily be more if trimming options are also using cement board.

Fiber cement siding offers durability and easy maintenance in a product made to resemble wood clapboards shingles stone or brick. It offers the look of authentic wood shiplap siding even with lookalike textured wood grain. Brick is naturally insect and moisture resistant in a way that wood siding is not. Per square foot fiber cement is 7 00 to 10 00 for traditional lap siding installed.

Benefits shared between brick and fiber cement siding brick is a supremely durable material and fiber cement which is made of sand cement and cellulose provides a similar level of strength. Unlike brick fiber cement siding will usually come with a 50 year warranty that brick lacks. According to table 5 1 of the ashrae fundamentals handbook fiber cement has an r value of 15 better than brick and stone but lower than vinyl at r 60 wood at r 81 and insulated vinyl siding at r 2 0 3 5. Furthermore stucco or brick fiber cement siding won t crack or delaminate in the future.

The production of brick and steel siding generates the most pollution of all popular siding choices while fiber cement comes in third on that list.