Smooth or Cedarmill: Choosing a James Hardie Texture
It’s a decision most people make in thirty seconds at the kitchen table. It deserves a few more minutes, outside, with a real sample.
The two main textures
Most James Hardie siding comes in a choice of two faces. Smooth is flat and even, like a planed board with a good coat of paint. Select Cedarmill is embossed with a wood-grain pattern meant to look like cedar. Both are the same board underneath, with the same performance and the same warranty. The difference is entirely in how the wall looks.
What smooth does
Smooth reads as clean and modern. It suits contemporary houses, modern farmhouse designs and anything with simple lines and strong colour contrast. On vertical board-and-batten it gives that crisp, painted look people have in mind when they picture the style.
The trade-off is that a perfectly flat, uniform surface shows everything. Dust, water marks, small scuffs and tiny dents are easier to see, especially in dark colours and in low sunlight. It also shows any waviness in the wall behind it, so the framing and sheathing need to be reasonably flat.
What Cedarmill does
The grain breaks up the surface, which makes it forgiving. Dust and minor marks disappear into the texture. It looks more traditional and sits comfortably on older houses, craftsman styles and neighbourhoods where most homes have a wood-look exterior.
Up close you can tell the grain is a repeating pattern pressed into the board. From the sidewalk it looks like painted wood. Some people find it slightly busy on a very modern design.
How light changes things
Texture is really about light. On a south or west wall in strong Calgary sun, wood grain throws tiny shadows and looks richer. Smooth looks flatter and brighter. On a shaded north wall the difference almost vanishes. This is why a sample looked at indoors tells you little.
Mixing the two
You don’t have to pick one for the whole house. A common approach is wood-grain lap siding on the main walls with smooth trim, or smooth panels on a feature wall with textured lap elsewhere. Keep it to two textures. More than that starts to look accidental.
Texture and colour together
Dark colours on a smooth face give the most dramatic result and the most upkeep, because they show dust and marks. Light colours on wood grain are the easiest to live with. If you love a dark, smooth look, go in knowing you may rinse the walls a bit more often. See colours.
Hail and wear
Neither texture is stronger. If a hailstone chips the finish, a grained surface hides it a little better. That’s a tiebreaker, not a reason to choose.
How to decide
- Ask for full-size sample boards in both textures, in the colour you’re considering.
- Stand them against your house, on the sunny side and the shady side.
- Look from the street as well as up close.
- Check a couple of nearby houses with each texture if your estimator can point some out.
Texture options vary by product, so confirm what’s available for the siding you want. Product details: HardiePlank and HardiePanel.