New and foreign diseases such as swine flu are usually over-hyped by the media. Notwithstanding that such foreign diseases do have the potential of causing great suffering and damage unless adequate and timely precautions are taken, the press often opts to overlook sufferings caused by other factors.

There are quite many things, other than swine flu, that injure and cause pain and anguish to Americans. Were you aware that every year more than 3,000 people die of fires in the country? Going by the assessment of CDC, deaths caused by fires are the fifth most widespread reason of accidental deaths in the US, with a large majority of accidents taking place in residential buildings.

The reasons that make residential properties susceptible to fire accidents are not difficult to guess. And, the most common and simplest cause is the use of wood for making homes. Of course, it would be quite impractical to consider building houses without using any wood at all, but we surely can take measures that minimize the use of fire-prone materials for building homes.

One such measure is to replace wooden siding with a far safer material, like Hardie plank siding.

What is Hardie Plank Siding?

Hardie plank, a comparatively new material for sidings, is easily the safest siding option that replaces wooden siding in homes. Its composition is a mix of synthetic and natural materials. It comprises of cement and cellulose fibers.

Here are the benefits of using Hardie Plank Siding:

Fire Resistant:

As far as safety is concerned, Hardie plank outperforms the customary materials of the kind of wood. It will be improper to claim that it’s fireproof, but it surely is fire resistant, meaning it won’t catch fire so easily. In the unfortunate incidence of any fire, people with Hardie plank at home get more time to react and that is a very valuable feature.

Green Material:

As we continue to get increasingly conscious of environments, most consumers do give consideration to that factor before buying any product. Yes, they like to opt for green materials. Hardi plank siding surely belongs to the category of green products. Hardie plank shouldn’t cause an issue for those who love to care for Mother Nature. Cellulose fibers needed for its manufacturing are derived from the variety of wood that doesn’t fall in the category of endangered spices.


When considering buying any household product the first question that comes to mind is its durability, and that holds true when considering a siding material. Obviously, no one likes to buy a siding material that crumbles soon, needing replacement every couple of years. Here, we are looking for strong materials that can survive many seasons of varying weather. Hardie plank is one such material that goes on and on. It doesn’t last a decade or two but provides assured protection for fifty years!

Hardie plank is solid like wood and can bear severe shocks that ordinary normal siding materials are unable to withstand. Though it comprises of cellulose fibers, it remains most unfriendly with vermin and insects.

Homeowners looking for siding for their house can choose from a wide variety of options in today’s market. You get sidings made from metal, wood and even plastics, among other materials. Each kind offers its own benefits and limitations, making it necessary for you to carry a comparative study of different options, keeping your budget in mind before you finalize one for your home.

It’s important for you to select an appropriate siding, depending upon the weather conditions that prevail in the area where you are living. Next, you have to consider the appearance you would like to have for your house as well the budget you have for the purpose.

Plank siding is a popular kind of siding that is generally installed in straight flat rows. It offers many advantages. As far as appearance is concerned, it’s quite versatile. You can pant it in wide range of colors. It is easy to replace and repair. When you want to provide extra protection to a particular part of your house, leaving the other part unprotected, you can very easily move it to the required location. It proves to be of great help to people living in areas that face wide fluctuations of weather.

This kind of siding has more advantages than metal sidings. Metal sidings being heavy are not portable and need a lot of maintenance. Moreover, metals are prone to getting rusted, making then undesirable for areas that face severe weather conditions. It’s a better option, compared to masonry siding. A major drawback of masonry siding is its permanent nature which you can’t alter to suit requirements. Though it offers ample protection against weather, it becomes useless when you want to change the siding because of damage caused by weather. Masonry sidings are extremely costly and generally not as good looking as other kinds of sidings.

Many people prefer to have fiber siding. While offering all the benefits of plank siding, fiber siding overcomes many of the disadvantages of the former. Plank siding being made from wood tend to begin rotting in sever weather conditions. Despite wood having processed to withstand different weather conditions, it can’t bear severe weather conditions and gets prone to rotting in due course. Moreover, planks are more likely to be affected by rodents and termites.

Though you can prevent it, spending so much time for pest control can be quite irritating. Quite like planks sidings, you can easily move fiber sidings from one point to another. Moreover, fiber being a versatile material allows you to change its looks, making it a very practical siding material.

These days the two most popular sidings for homeowners are fiber siding or plank sidings. The reason is that these slidings can bear almost any kind of weather. If you are on the look out for a siding for your home, you won’t regret having chosen any of these.