If you’re exploring siding options that bring lasting value and major curb appeal, James Hardie is a name you can trust—and for good reason. With over 8 million homes across the U.S. clad in their siding, Hardie’s reputation for beauty, durability, and performance is unmatched.
Two standout options—Hardie® Plank and Hardie® Panel—each offer unique design perks and protection that last for decades. Whether you love the timeless look of horizontal lap siding or the sleek lines of modern vertical panels, there’s a Hardie siding style to match your vision.
Let’s break down the key differences between these two popular styles so you can feel confident choosing the one that fits your home’s personality and your long-term goals.
Hardie Plank – Horizontal Lap Siding at Its Finest!
Hardie Plank is not only James Hardie’s most popular siding style, but it’s also the top-selling siding product in North America. Engineered for Climate®, it offers matchless weather resistance you can count on. It also comes with factory baked-on ColorPlus® finish in perfectly coordinated hues that are sure to bring out the best in your exterior.
Ideal for a Variety of Home Styles
Hardie Plank offers beauty and versatility that enhances the aesthetics of many home styles. It enriches the beauty of traditional, craftsman, colonial, ranch, modern farmhouse style homes, and more. These beautiful boards also pair well with other siding styles such as stone, brick, and even vertical siding panels (Hardie Panel). So, if you’re trying to decide between two siding options, consider going with both for even greater visual interest.
Perfectly Customizable to Match Your Taste
If you join millions of homeowners and decide to cover your home in timeless horizontal Hardie Plank siding, you can customize your choice even further by selecting your favorite texture. Choose from James Hardie’s gorgeous options:
- Select Cedarmill – This subtle wood grain pattern delivers a rustic aesthetic that mimics the look of natural cedar wood.
- Smooth Cedarmill – The sleek, modern appearance of this style along with its wood-like grain delivers a sophisticated aesthetic.
- Beaded Select Cedarmill – James Hardie pairs a wood grain appearance with a decorative beaded edge, providing timeless detail for your exterior.
- Beaded Smooth Cedarmill – These smooth, non-textured panels with a crisp beaded edge deliver a clean, contemporary look.
- Custom Colonial Roughsawn – This mimics the unique look of traditional Dutch lap siding, with its beautifully handcrafted aesthetic.
- Custom Colonial Smooth – These smoothly finished panels reflect the traditional historical look of Dutch lap siding.
Hardie Panel – Vertical Siding with Modern Flair
Vertical Hardie Panel siding is as versatile as it is attractive. Commonly used on farmhouse, country, modern, and traditional homes, its clean lines and layered texture offer an added layer of style that horizontal siding alone can’t provide.
Backed by a 30-year, non-prorated, limited transferable warranty, this gorgeous siding delivers! Engineered to withstand your region’s unique climate needs, Hardie Panel comes ready to face the demands of Pennsylvania’s warm, humid summers and cold, snowy winters. This durable fiber cement siding gives you peace of mind that your home is well protected.
Impeccable Modern Appeal for Your Home
Hardie’s vertical siding (Hardie Panel) can be applied to a variety of home styles to update them with contemporary appeal.
- Enjoy whole house coverage – Cover your entire exterior with these sleek, modern vertical panels for a contemporary look.
- Accent your home’s best features – Install horizontal lap siding, brick, or stone on the body of your house, then apply vertical Hardie Panel siding to draw attention to features of your home you’d like to accent—such as second-story dormers or gables.
- Add the illusion of height – Hardie Panel makes your house appear taller.
- Complement your home’s architecture _ Stunning vertical panels are sure to enhance your house’s design.
- Customize to match your desires – Much like Hardie Plank, Hardie Panel are available in a wide variety of styles, textures, and colors.
Create the Rustic Chic Board-and-Batten Look for Your Home
Board-and-batten style is achieved by installing gorgeous vertical Hardie Panel (boards) and then adding Hardie® Trim (battens) at their seams. This delightful look is an ideal choice you can use to update your home or to achieve the well-loved farmhouse design. It is also nicely applied upon modern new construction for contemporary charm. Board-and-batten siding delivers a warm, welcoming aesthetic to your exterior you’ll love coming home to.
Get Resilient Hardie Trim and Hardie Soffit to Finish Your Look
Whether you choose Hardie Plank or Hardie Panel, you can also add Hardie® Soffit and Hardie Trim to finish the look with the same resilient, long-lasting siding makeup James Hardie is known for. This ensures your home is fully weather, fire, and pest resistant.
Hardie’s Gorgeous ColorPlus Technology
Vibrant Color That Lasts!
Hardie’s high-performance finish offers greater protection and less maintenance for your exterior. It withstands harmful UV rays and remains vibrant for years.
Choose from designer-picked colors that will make your home stand out. Hardie’s Statement Collection™ offers a classic color palette with readily available hues well suited for a variety of architectural styles. Their Dream Collection™ delivers a wider array of options (over 700 to choose from) for optimal customization.
15-Year Warranty
While many exterior paint jobs only last 4–8 years, Hardie’s proprietary finish is applied in a factory-controlled setting. This baked-on color’s bond is so strong that James Hardie backs it with a 15-year warranty which covers paint and labor, along with protection against fading, peeling, chipping, or cracking.
Love Your Home’s Look for Decades with Hardie Siding Installed by the Pros
No matter which James Hardie style you fall in love with—Plank, Panel, or a beautiful combo of both—one thing’s for sure: you’re investing in a siding solution that’s built to last, designed to impress, and engineered to protect.
At Porter Family Exteriors, we’ve helped countless homeowners transform their curb appeal with the unmatched performance of James Hardie siding. As a James Hardie Elite Preferred Contractor, we follow all manufacturer guidelines to the letter—so your new siding won’t just look amazing, it’ll perform for decades to come.Ready to give your home the refresh it deserves? Reach out today to learn more about our James Hardie siding services—and let’s bring your exterior vision to life.
