Siding Evolves as Home Renovations Look to Maximize Curb Appeal

Story at a glance:

• Home renovation trends and sales fluctuate rapidly, but sustainable materials continue to be in demand.
• Engineered wood siding is one option that provides beauty and durability to update a home’s appearance.

Over the past few years the home renovation industry has reached new heights. Driven by the pandemic, when many homeowners began doing more renovations inside and out, the home remodeling market saw a high of nearly $500 billion in 2021 and reached an estimated $567 billion in 2022, according to Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies’ Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA).

While high interest rates and inflation have pointed to a slowdown in sales at some major retailers, spending on home improvements may pick up next year, partially due to the aging US housing stock, according to Home Depot. The number of single-family homes in the 20- to 39-year-old range, the prime years for remodeling, is expected to increase 16% by 2026.

Trends in Exteriors

Photo courtesy of LP Building Solutions

When it comes to exterior renovations, updating siding can be an inexpensive way to change a home’s appearance and increase its value, with reports of as much as an 80% ROI, according to many manufacturers.

While kitchen and bath remodels are among the most common home renovation projects, replacing siding ranks as one of the top four remodeling projects for ROI from 2023, according to Home Depot.

Replacement projects like roofing, siding, windows, and doors continue to dominate the $331 billion homeowner market in 2021, making up 48% of expenditures, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University’s Improving America’s Housing 2023 report.

A Closer Look at Siding

These days exterior siding comes in all sorts of materials, styles, and colors.

A subset of composite siding, engineered wood siding is an innovative solution that offers the look of wood while being lighter and more durable. LP SmartSide is built off of the company’s proprietary oriented strand board (OSB) technology. Utilizing wood substrates, LP SmartSide is a combination of Aspen wood laid onto a mat after being coated with resins and waxes, impregnated with zinc borate, and pressed into the siding with a paper overlay, creating a highly durable siding product that resists moisture, fungal decay, and insects. Every strand in the board is wrapped in a 360-degree covering to protect the engineered wood substrate.

“What this allows us to do is create a highly durable product that looks amazing,” says Derek Blank, senior director of marketing at LP Building Solutions. “It looks and works just like wood so you can use typical woodworking saws and tools. There are no special tools needed to cut and work with the siding.”

Aesthetic Options

Photo courtesy of LP Building Solutions

Blank says many people choose engineered wood siding over vinyl or stone to improve a home’s curb appeal while enjoying other benefits. LP SmartSide is a hardboard siding that is a premium relative of vinyl and an alternative to brick that still looks great. “LP SmartSide is cheaper to install than brick and a little more expensive than vinyl, but it gives you that premium look homeowners are looking for.”

Last year LP Building Solutions launched a brushed smooth texture to complement its cedar grain texture. While the brushed smooth texture has a modern and timeless feel, the cedar texture more closely resembles the look of real wood.

“Many modern homes are desiring a smooth texture, and we have a texture that meets those needs,” Blank says. “If you’re in a region or an area where the preferred texture is cedar, we have that as well. Those are the two most desired textures.”

LP SmartSide’s ExpertFinish comes in 16 prefinished colors for even more design flexibility—from Snowscape White to Abyss Black. ExpertFinish is also available in brushed smooth and cedar textures and comes with a 15-year paint warranty. “ExpertFinish provides a factory-finished paint that goes on and maintains the durability of the product as well as or better than field paint,” Blank says.

Depending on the need, LP SmartSide runs the gamut of siding styles, including lap, nickel gap, shakes, panel, and vertical. LP Building Solutions recently launched nickel gap to give homeowners a flat siding look with a 1-inch reveal. Styles like nickel gap can be installed horizontally or vertically. LP SmartSide also has matching trim, fascia, and soffit.

Sustainability & Demand

Photo courtesy of LP Building Solutions

Siding is important in part because it protects buildings from the elements. Choosing nontoxic building materials and safe building materials add up to long-lasting, sustainable projects. Carbon-negative LP SmartSide is engineered to provide strength and powerful resistance; it’s made to resist hail up to 1.75 inches in diameter.

LP SmartSide’s limited 50-year warranty backs up its claims. “It’s an exceptional warranty for long life, making sure the product will hold up over the course of time on the side of the home, looking beautiful for years to come,” Blank says.

“We offer a good level of durability due to the waxes and resins in the product but also the orientation of the strand to make them more durable,” says Isaac Ojeda, construction service associate at LP Building Solutions. “During manufacturing the strands are arranged in cross-directional layers to help improve the resilience of the product.”

High wind and freeze-thaw are other concerns LP Building Solutions has designed for. “High-wind zones are mapped from Maine to South Texas,” Ojeda says. “LP SmartSide lap and panel siding can withstand high winds and has earned APA Product Approval.”

Major retailers like Lowe’s and Home Depot are also committed to sustainability and continue to carry engineered wood siding solutions. Lowe’s recently announced its own 2050 science-based, net zero target across more than 1,000 stores.

The addition of products like brushed smooth panels have allowed LP Building Solutions to double its business in the Northeast, Blank says, while across the US the company continues to see growing interest in its SmartSide products. “A lot of that demand is a trade up from vinyl and traditional lumber such as cedar lap or shakes,” he says. “We provide great options for that trade up as well as competition to other existing premium hardboard siding.”