We are re-doing the exterior of our small/old cape cod home. Adding a new timber look porch and replacing old crumbling cedar shake siding. We are struggling with the choice for new siding. We would love to install real cedar shakes but know that we will not do the proper maintence to keep them looking good over time. We feel strongly that we want the exterior to still be shake. Does anyone have experience with what the ‘fake’ vinyl shakes on the market look like? Which products look the most like real wood and the least like vinyl fakery? I think that I like the nailite product line of ‘cedar blend’ colors.
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James Hardie makes fiber cement shingles that are formed like shakes. Nothing looks completely authentic, but these are the closest of anything I've seen. They are very low maintenance.
Attached is a link to a picture of the home I designed for myself which includes these shingles.
There are more pictures on the manufacturer's web site, http://www.jameshardie.com.
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=35025.3
Thanks so much for the photos. Beautiful house. The shakes do look good. Our porch design is very similar. Like the window trim color! Nice.
Ramy, if you get a pre-dipped cedar shingle and have it properly installed, it will last many years with the same maintenance as the fake products.
On the other hand, although vinyl shingles look awful, the Hardie products look pretty good, IMO.
Mike
Ramy,
we have just finished a house and I struggled with the same concerns. I just do not llike vinyl adn I shattered too many samples of Hardie Plank to be comfortable with the product. By chance, I stumbled on a product made by Ecostar that is primarily used for roofing shakes. It is, however, certified for verticle installations. We are on a lake here in Alabama and our house is the first in the state to used this material as siding. The material is made from re-cycled tires (80%) and plastic (20%). It comes in individual shakes and there are minor color variations to add realism. They are as thick as actual shakes and the color is mixed with the raw materials, not applied to the exterior. The product is warrantied for 50 years (I will be long gone) and we have received many complements about the appearance of the home. I could not be happier with the appearance and installation. In a verticle application, a double-sided tape is used to keep the shingles solidily attached to each other. We are moving in next thursday and i will try to post some pictures if you like. Do a search on Ecostar and you will find their web site. Good luck.
8
Wow! Hadn't thought about using roofing products. That opens up the field of possibilities a lot. Also, makes sense that they simulate cedar better than typical siding. I found the web site and it looks like a great product. Like the recycled plastic and rubber (old milk jugs maybe) - eco side a lot too. hmmmm. Love new ideas coming from others who have struggled with the same choices.
thanks, Ramy