Which Siding Holds Up Best in Nebraska Weather?

There is no single winner. Fiber cement leads on fire, federal guidance puts engineered wood ahead on impact, and vinyl is the plastic option, with its own limits in heat. What decides it for a Nebraska wall is the risk that worries you most, what the building already has, and how much upkeep you will do.

On hail, the sources disagree, and both are worth knowing. James Hardie says its fiber cement resists hail and windblown debris. The U.S. Department of Energy's Building America Solution Center says wood composites perform better than fiber cement, which is more rigid, brittle and prone to cracking when struck, and that some vinyl products crack and fracture when hit by a fast-moving object. Large hail can mark any of them; what differs is whether the damage is a dent, a crack or a hole.

For wind, the Solution Center advises vinyl rated for high winds, which typically has an enhanced nailing hem and a thicker gauge, fastened as the manufacturer specifies. For moisture, it advises priming all six sides of wood, engineered wood and fiber cement, and installing siding over a rain-screen air gap to resist rot.

The table sets out what each material's maker or a federal source publishes. A warranty term is what the manufacturer promises in writing, not a prediction of how long the wall will last.

Because fire and freeze-thaw are where fiber cement's published performance is strongest, and a Nebraska wall faces both. James Hardie states that its fiber cement is noncombustible and carries a Class A fire rating when tested to ASTM E84. That rating covers the board, not the paint on it, which can still char in a fire.

For winter, James Hardie sorts its products by climate zone. Its HZ5 line is made for climates with freezing temperatures, wide seasonal temperature swings, snow and ice, and the company says HZ5 products resist shrinking, swelling and cracking after years of wet and freezing conditions. Its ColorPlus Technology finish is applied in multiple coats and cured in the factory, which the company says resists fading, chipping and cracking longer than paint applied on site.

Fiber cement has trade-offs. It is heavy, unforgiving of sloppy cuts, and specific about clearances and flashing, so the crew matters as much as the board. And the Department of Energy's Building America Solution Center rates it behind wood composites on impact.

These are the manufacturer's published claims, not Rocket Roofing General Contractor test results. What Rocket Roofing General Contractor adds is the installation, covered by its warranty-guaranteed workmanship on top of the manufacturer's product warranty. It also installs vinyl siding, and repairs and matches existing siding; see siding installation and repair in Omaha.

Yes. Hail can crack, chip or punch holes in vinyl siding, and the Department of Energy's Building America Solution Center notes that some vinyl products crack and fracture when struck by a fast-moving object. There is no single hail size at which vinyl fails, because the product's thickness and the wind driving the stones change the outcome.

What to look for from the ground:

• Cracks or small holes, usually on the walls that faced the storm
• Chipped or broken bottom edges on panels
• Missing pieces where a crack let go
• Dents and spatter marks on nearby soft metal: gutters, downspouts, window trim and air conditioner fins

Soft metal is worth checking because it shows a storm's hits clearly, even on a wall where the siding held up.

Do not pry at cracked panels. Photograph every wall with the date, keep any pieces that fell, and call your insurer before permanent repairs. Rocket Roofing General Contractor's inspections cover siding, gutters and other exterior components, with damage photographed and documented. For how hail marks roofs and how to judge what you see, read how to tell if you have hail damage.

Often only the damaged pieces need replacing, as long as a matching product can be found and the wall behind is sound. Storm damage rarely takes a whole wall, and Rocket Roofing General Contractor repairs and replaces damaged sections and matches existing siding where a full replacement is not needed.

Replacement makes more sense when damage runs across several walls, when the product is discontinued and nothing close is made, or when opening the wall shows wet or rotted sheathing that has to be fixed anyway. The table sets out the usual call.

Matching decides most of these jobs. Siding weathers, so a new piece from the same line can look different beside one that has been in the sun for years. Painted fiber cement and wood can be repainted to blend a repair.

When insurance is paying, whether the insurer must replace undamaged siding so the wall matches depends on your policy and on Nebraska's matching rule, which our Nebraska insurance claims guide explains. Rocket Roofing General Contractor documents the damage and meets the adjuster, but it is not a public adjuster and does not negotiate your claim.

Often, yes, starting from a piece of what is on the wall. Matching means three things: the profile (the shape and exposure of each course), the texture, and the color. A contractor can usually identify the profile from a removed piece, taken from a spot where it will not be missed.

Color is the hard part, because siding weathers and even the same product and color name can look different from pieces that have been in the sun for years. When an exact match is not available, the usual options are:

• Move original pieces from a wall few people see to the damaged wall, and put the new pieces on the hidden wall
• Replace a full wall, corner to corner, so any color difference lands at a natural break
• Repaint, where the siding is painted fiber cement or wood

James Hardie ColorPlus boards come in factory-applied colors, so blending them into a wall of older, site-painted boards is a question to settle at the estimate.

Rocket Roofing General Contractor matches existing siding where a full replacement is not needed. If the repair is part of an insurance claim, see our insurance claims guide for Nebraska's matching rule before you agree to a partial repair.

It depends on the walls: a repair of a few pieces is a short visit, and a full re-side takes longer. These are what set the schedule:

• The wall area and the number of stories, which decide how much ladder, staging or scaffold work there is
• How many windows, doors, corners and trim pieces the siding has to be cut and flashed around
• Whether the old siding comes off, and what the sheathing and housewrap look like underneath
• The product: fiber cement is heavy and needs careful cutting, and special-order colors can add lead time
• Weather, since sealants, paint and some installation steps need suitable temperatures
• On an insurance claim, the time for the adjuster's inspection and the insurer's approval before work starts

Permits vary by city and by the scope of work. Ask whoever you hire whether your job needs a permit and who pulls it; in Omaha, the City of Omaha Permits and Inspections office publishes its requirements at permits.cityofomaha.org.

Ask for the schedule for your walls at a free estimate from Rocket Roofing General Contractor: request one here.

Often, when both need it. Rocket Roofing General Contractor runs whole-exterior restoration after a storm as one project with one schedule, and the two trades meet where the roof meets the wall.

Reasons to do them together:

• The flashing where a roof meets a wall sits behind the siding, so doing both lets that joint be flashed once, in the right order
• Gutters come off the wall for new siding anyway, so replacing siding and gutters together shares the setup, crew and cleanup
• After a storm, the same hail or wind often damages the roof, siding and gutters, and documenting them together gives one record of one event
• Working from the top down, roof first, keeps debris from new roofing off new siding

Reasons you might not: one of the two may have years left, or your budget may favor the roof first, since it keeps water out. If insurance is paying, it pays for covered damage under your policy; an upgrade you choose is usually your cost, so ask for claim work and extras to be priced separately.

Rocket Roofing General Contractor's inspections can cover the roof, siding, gutters and other exterior components together. Book a free inspection.