Anacortes Siding Cemplank Is Real Fiber Cement — So Why Not Use It?
Homeowners in Anacortes sometimes ask us to bid a job with Cemplank because a supplier quoted it cheaper than James Hardie, or because a builder spec'd it on a previous project. It's a fair question, and it deserves an honest answer rather than a sales pitch. Cemplank is genuine fiber cement — it's not vinyl, and it's not a composite wood product. That puts it in the same broad category as James Hardie. But "same category" doesn't mean "same product," and after years of installing and maintaining siding on Fidalgo Island and across Skagit County, we've settled on Hardie as the only fiber cement line we put on a home. Here's the reasoning, product by product.
What Cemplank Gets Right
To be fair to the product: fiber cement in general is a good fit for this climate. It doesn't rot, it resists pests, and it holds paint far better than wood or engineered wood siding. Cemplank boards are non-combustible, dimensionally stable, and priced to undercut premium fiber cement lines, which makes it attractive on tighter budgets or larger new-construction jobs where margin matters more than brand. If your only goal is "cement board instead of wood," Cemplank technically clears that bar.
Where the Trade-Offs Show Up
Factory Finish vs. Field-Applied Paint
The biggest practical difference we see is the finish system. James Hardie's ColorPlus boards are baked on at the factory under controlled conditions, with a warranty that follows the finish itself. A lot of Cemplank product ships primed only, which means the topcoat quality depends entirely on the paint, the applicator, and the weather on installation day. In a region where we get long stretches of driving rain off the Strait and Rosario Strait, a field-applied finish has more variables that can go wrong — thin coverage at cut edges, rushed jobs during a dry window, or paint that wasn't matched to a coastal exposure.
Moisture Management at the Edges
Fiber cement is only as good as its cut edges and joints. Any fiber cement product — Hardie included — needs factory-sealed or properly primed edges, correct flashing, and rain-screen detailing to perform long-term. What we've found with Cemplank is more inconsistency in how boards arrive from the supplier and how forgiving they are of small installation errors. In Anacortes, where salt-laden air accelerates any weak point in a finish and moss has months of damp shade to work with on north-facing walls, small gaps in edge protection turn into real problems faster than they would in a drier inland climate.
Product Line Depth
James Hardie builds region-specific formulations — its HZ5 line is engineered for wet, freeze-thaw-prone climates like ours, with additives aimed at moisture resistance. Cemplank doesn't offer that same climate-tiered approach. For a house three blocks from Fidalgo Bay versus one further inland, that regional engineering is exactly the kind of detail that matters over a 20-30 year timeframe, not year one.
Warranty and Long-Term Support
James Hardie's warranty is transferable to a new owner if the home sells, which matters to buyers and appraisers alike, and Hardie has a large, established network of installers, distributors, and technical support that isn't going anywhere. Cemplank has changed hands and manufacturing arrangements over the years, and its distribution has leaned more heavily on big-box and builder-supply channels than a dedicated contractor network. When a warranty claim comes up 12 years from now, we want our clients dealing with a manufacturer that has consistent, well-documented backing — not tracking down who currently owns the product line.
Why This Matters More in Skagit County Than Elsewhere
Siding in a dry, mild climate can survive a lot of shortcuts. Siding in Anacortes doesn't get that luxury. Between salt air off the water, driving rain for a good chunk of the year, and a moss season that can run from fall through spring on shaded elevations, every weak point in a finish or a joint detail gets tested constantly. A product that performs fine in a builder-grade subdivision in a drier region can show its limits here within a handful of winters. That's the lens we use for every product decision, not just Cemplank.
Our Standard: James Hardie, Installed to Spec
We install James Hardie exclusively — not because it's the only fiber cement on the market, but because it's the one where the factory finish, the climate-specific formulations, the warranty structure, and the installer support all line up with what actually holds up on the west side of the Cascades. We'd rather turn down a job than install something we don't believe will still look right in fifteen years.
If you're comparing siding options for a home in Anacortes or elsewhere in Skagit County, we're happy to walk through what we install, why, and what it would look like on your house. Reach out for a free, no-pressure estimate.