HardiePlank Lap Siding
The #1 brand of siding in North America. Fiber cement that won’t burn, won’t rot, and won’t need repainting for 15 years. ColorPlus Technology baked on at the factory — warranty covers paint AND labor.
James Hardie Preferred Remodeler • HZ5 Engineered for Illinois • Family-Owned Since 2005
Year Lifespan
Resale ROI (Cost vs Value Report)
Non-Combustible Fire Rating
Non-Prorated Warranty
Your Siding Is Due. This Is the One You Install Last.
Your builder-grade vinyl has faded on the south face. The seams are pulling. Woodpeckers found the cedar shakes three years ago and nobody’s told them to leave. When the hail hit last April, two panels cracked clean through. And every time you think about repainting the trim, you pretend you didn’t see it.
HardiePlank is what goes on when you’re done cycling through siding. Fiber cement — Portland cement, sand, cellulose fibers, essentially man-made stone. Non-combustible. Won’t rot. Woodpeckers can’t chew it. Termites can’t eat it. And it’s engineered specifically for Illinois in Hardie’s HZ5 zone — enhanced moisture resistance, superior paint adhesion, drip edge for water management. Not a generic product shipped nationwide.
Why HardiePlank Is What We Install When a Homeowner Wants It Right
I’ve been siding houses in McHenry County for 21 years. We’ve been a James Hardie Preferred Remodeler since 2008. Here’s what makes HardiePlank the one I put on my own house.
Non-Combustible — Your Siding Won’t Add Fuel to a Fire
Every other mainstream siding material is combustible. Vinyl melts and drips. LP SmartSide is engineered wood — treated, but still wood, and rated for hail, not fire. HardiePlank is Class A non-combustible. That’s the same rating as brick or stone. If a grill fire flares up on the deck or a neighbor’s house catches, your HardiePlank isn’t going to accelerate what’s happening.
Home insurance underwriters know this. Some carriers give a discount for fiber cement on homes in wildfire zones — not a concern in Illinois, but still. Non-combustible is the honest peace-of-mind upgrade that’s hard to sell because it’s invisible until you need it.
HZ5 Engineered for Illinois — Not a Generic Product
James Hardie doesn’t ship the same siding everywhere. Illinois sits in HardieZone 5 (HZ5), engineered for cold climates with heavy freeze-thaw cycles. The HZ5 composition has enhanced moisture resistance specifically for the water-freeze-melt-refreeze rhythm that destroys ordinary siding in Crystal Lake, McHenry, Woodstock, and Cary winters. Superior paint adhesion. Built-in drip edge for water management. HZ10 ships to the Gulf Coast for hurricane zones. HZ5 ships to you.
This is the difference between a siding product designed for January in McHenry County and a generic product built to an average climate that doesn’t exist anywhere real.
ColorPlus Technology — Factory Color, 15-Year Warranty That Covers Paint AND Labor
Every other siding you’d consider gets painted in the field after it’s hung. Weather delays the job. Coverage is uneven. The first repaint is in 7-10 years. ColorPlus is different: the color is baked on in a climate-controlled factory, multiple coats, consistent across every board, with a 15-year limited warranty that covers both the paint and the labor to refinish. That’s unique in the industry. 19 curated colors in the Statement Collection. ~700 custom matches in the Dream Collection. 2026 Color of the Year: Iron Gray.
The ColorPlus warranty covering labor is the part nobody else can match. Most siding warranties cover the product — you still pay the labor to repaint. Hardie covers both. That’s a real number over 15 years.
30-Year Non-Prorated Warranty — Transferable When You Sell
Read competitor siding warranties carefully. Most say “50-year warranty” in bold and “prorated” in the fine print — meaning at year 25, the warranty is worth half of whatever it started at, and at year 49 it’s worth almost nothing. HardiePlank’s 30-year substrate warranty is non-prorated. Year 1 coverage = Year 29 coverage. It also transfers to the next homeowner when you sell — so the buyer inherits the warranty, which shows up on appraisal. That’s part of why HardiePlank returns 86.4% on resale per the Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report — the highest ROI of any siding material.
Prorated warranties are a marketing number. Non-prorated is a real number. If Hardie is going to stand behind the substrate for 30 years regardless of when a problem shows up, they’re telling you they already know it won’t.
See HardiePlank Installed by IHC
Real projects by our crews across McHenry County and surrounding areas. No stock photos.
Deep Ocean ColorPlus finish — McHenry County, IL
Aged Pewter on Victorian — McHenry County, IL
Finished HardiePlank install — McHenry County, IL
Install in progress — Burr Oak Court, McHenry, IL
Mid-install over weather barrier — McHenry County, IL
Weather-resistive barrier behind the siding
5 Textures, 4 Widths, 19 Colors Plus ~700 Customs
HardiePlank is built around the idea that lap siding should look like the wood it replaces — but behave like cement. Textures match real wood grain. Widths scale for anything from a cottage to a full Victorian. ColorPlus covers virtually any palette you can imagine.
Textures (5)
Select CedarMill
Most popular — rich wood grain texture, looks like stained cedar.
Smooth
Clean, modern, contemporary look. Pairs well with black trim.
Beaded CedarMill
Wood grain with a beaded bottom edge — traditional colonial profile.
Beaded Smooth
Modern beaded detail — historic proportions with a cleaner finish.
Colonial Roughsawn
Deep wood-mill texture — for rustic, farmhouse, and lake-home aesthetics.
Widths (4)
5.25″
Narrow reveal
6.25″
Traditional
8.25″
Bold reveal
12″
Maximum scale
Boards are 144″ (12 ft) long, 0.312″ (5/16″) thick, ~2.5 lbs per square foot.
Most popular in McHenry County: Select CedarMill in Iron Gray (2026 Color of the Year) or Aged Pewter, with white or black trim. Farmhouse and lake-home projects often pair Select CedarMill lap with HardieShingle on the gables. See color samples in person at our Crystal Lake showroom.
HardiePlank vs. The Alternatives
We install Hardie and LP SmartSide at the same price point, and we install vinyl when a homeowner is working a tight budget. Here’s how the three actually compare.
| Feature | HardiePlank IHC Recommends | LP SmartSide | Vinyl |
|---|---|---|---|
| Material | Fiber cement (Portland cement + sand + cellulose) | Engineered wood (treated strand) | PVC plastic |
| Lifespan | 50+ years | 30–50 years | 20–30 years |
| Warranty | 30-year non-prorated substrate + 15-year ColorPlus (paint + labor) | 50-year limited (prorated) | Varies by brand |
| Fire Rating | Class A non-combustible | Combustible (treated wood) | Melts (not fire-rated) |
| Resale ROI | 86.4% (highest of any siding) | 75–80% | ~70% |
| Moisture Resistance | Inherent — won’t rot, swell, or delaminate | Treated — relies on coating holding up | Inherent — plastic doesn’t absorb water |
| Pest Resistance | Immune — termites, woodpeckers, carpenter ants | Treated — resistant but not immune | Immune — plastic |
| Impact Resistance | Lower — cement is brittle, can crack on heavy impact | Higher — wood composite flexes | Cracks or shatters in cold |
| Cold Weather | Engineered for freeze-thaw (HZ5) | Stable | Brittle below 32°F |
| Appearance | Looks like real wood — heavy, textured, premium | Looks like real wood | Looks like plastic |
Want the detailed Hardie vs. LP SmartSide breakdown? Read our side-by-side comparison →
Why Buy HardiePlank Through IHC
James Hardie Preferred Remodeler Since 2008
Hardie certifies three tiers of contractor: Select, Preferred, and Elite. IHC has been a Preferred Remodeler since 2008. That means Hardie has audited our insurance, our crews, our installations, and our customer reviews every year — and we’ve maintained 90%+ “Likely to Recommend” on GuildQuality to hold the status. Hardie warranties only apply to installations that follow the installation manual to the letter. Using a Preferred Remodeler is how you get the warranty to stick.
There’s one callback issue I’ll tell you about up front: caulk thickness. If caulk goes on too thin at the butt joints, it fades and creates splotches on the wall. Our crews apply caulk at factory-spec thickness, every joint. It’s the only thing that ever needs addressing on a Hardie install, and we address it by doing it right the first time.
21+
Years in McHenry County
Since 2008
Hardie Preferred Remodeler
380+
Google Reviews at 4.6 Stars
A+
BBB Rating
Come see HardiePlank in person at our Crystal Lake showroom — we have samples of every texture and color swatches from the Statement Collection. But the real work is us coming to your house, looking at the exposures, the existing trim, and the elevations, and showing you what HardiePlank is going to look like on your home.
Notes From the Field — What We Actually Install
I’ve been installing Hardie in McHenry County since 2008. Our most common HardiePlank order is the 6.25-inch reveal with Select CedarMill texture in Iron Gray ColorPlus — that combination has dominated our 2025 and 2026 siding projects, and we’ve watched it rack up the best resale feedback we’ve ever gotten. The 8.25-inch reveal shows up on larger elevations and modern farmhouse designs where a bolder shadow line reads right. The 12-inch width is reserved for architect-specified contemporary builds where the client wants maximum scale.
Standard lap exposure runs 5 to 8 inches depending on the width we’re working with. Boards weigh roughly 2.5 pounds per square foot — which is why we work in two-man crews on anything above single-story. Every HardiePlank install we’ve done since 2008 has gone through the same checklist: house wrap verified, fastener schedule set at 16 inches on center with hot-dipped galvanized nails, 1/4-inch gaps at butt joints, factory-spec caulk thickness at every termination. That last one’s the only callback issue I’ve ever seen on Hardie, and we train every crew to get it right the first time.
When a homeowner asks me if HardiePlank is worth it over vinyl, my answer’s the same every time: if you’re planning to be in the house another 10 years, it’s the right call. If you’re selling in 2, it’s the upgrade that actually shows up on the appraisal. I’ve watched that 86.4% Cost vs. Value number play out in real McHenry County closings — the data matches what I see on the ground.
Other James Hardie Products We Install
Most Hardie projects pair two or three products together. Here’s what else we carry in our Crystal Lake showroom.
Ready to Install the Siding You Never Have to Replace?
We come to your home, look at the siding you have, the exposures you’re dealing with, and the look you’re going for — then walk you through HardiePlank textures, widths, and ColorPlus finishes with real samples in hand. No pressure, no obligation.
Visit Our Crystal Lake Showroom
4410 IL-176, Suite 1, Crystal Lake, IL 60014
Mon–Fri 9AM–4PM | Appointments available 24/7 via AI receptionist
380+ Google Reviews · 4.6 Stars · Family-Owned Since 2005
Frequently Asked Questions
Is HardiePlank really non-combustible?
Yes. HardiePlank is classified Class A non-combustible — the highest fire rating for a building material. Fiber cement is essentially man-made stone: Portland cement, sand, and cellulose fibers. It won’t ignite, won’t add fuel to a fire, and won’t drip molten material the way vinyl does. LP SmartSide, the other mainstream premium alternative, is engineered wood — treated for fire resistance but still combustible.
What’s the difference between ColorPlus and field-painted Hardie?
ColorPlus is factory-applied: the color is baked on in a climate-controlled facility, multiple coats, consistent across every board. It comes with a 15-year limited warranty that covers both the paint and the labor to refinish — that’s the only siding finish warranty in the industry that covers labor. Field-painted Hardie is primed at the factory and painted on-site after installation. The paint is subject to weather during application, coverage varies, and the first repaint typically comes in 7-10 years rather than 15+. For most McHenry County homeowners, ColorPlus is worth it.
What does “non-prorated warranty” actually mean?
A prorated warranty decreases in value over time. A “50-year prorated warranty” might cover 100% of replacement cost at year 1, 50% at year 25, and almost nothing at year 49. HardiePlank’s 30-year substrate warranty is non-prorated — year-1 coverage equals year-29 coverage. It also transfers automatically to the next homeowner when you sell. That combination (non-prorated + transferable) is part of why HardiePlank returns 86.4% on resale per the Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report.
Why does HardieZone 5 (HZ5) matter for Illinois?
James Hardie engineers their siding for eight different climate zones. Illinois sits in HZ5 — designed for cold climates with heavy freeze-thaw cycling. The HZ5 composition has enhanced moisture resistance for water that freezes inside siding, thaws, refreezes, and does it again 40 times a winter. It also has superior paint adhesion for UV plus cold, and a drip edge for water management. Generic siding shipped everywhere isn’t engineered for this — it’s designed to an average climate that doesn’t exist anywhere real.
Does HardiePlank require maintenance?
Far less than any wood-based siding. With ColorPlus, you don’t repaint for 15+ years. Field-painted Hardie repaints every 10-15 years. The substrate itself won’t rot, warp, swell, or delaminate — termites, carpenter ants, and woodpeckers can’t touch it. Annual maintenance: rinse the dirt off with a garden hose once or twice a year. Check caulk at butt joints every couple of years and recaulk if anything is separating. That’s it.
What are the most popular colors in McHenry County?
Iron Gray is Hardie’s 2026 Color of the Year and has been selling hard on modern farmhouse projects all year. Aged Pewter, Deep Ocean, and Arctic White are consistent top-sellers in our showroom. The Statement Collection has 19 curated colors that cover ~90% of homeowner requests; the Dream Collection adds about 700 custom matches if none of those land exactly where you want. We bring physical swatches to the in-home consultation so you can hold the color up against your trim, your roof, and your landscaping before you decide.
