Deciding between Alside’s Ascend® or James Hardie siding for your exterior upgrade? While both have a variety of benefits, it’s important to compare their features before landing on which will meet your long-term needs best.
As you look at these two options, keep in mind that you’re looking at an entire siding system, not just siding panels. We’ll touch on some things most people don’t talk about when comparing the two products. Take time to learn the facts about these popular materials, and you’ll make your choice with ease and be thrilled about it over your siding’s lifetime.
Comparing Ascend Siding with Hardie Siding
Makeup
- Ascend – Made of a specialized blend of polymers, stabilizers, and additives, this composite siding is built to endure the elements and resist UV rays and pests. It also provides moderate exposure to heat and flames.
- Hardie Siding – Durable Hardie siding is made of cement, sand, and cellulose fibers. It stands up to severe weather with ease, resists moisture penetration and pests, and is even non-combustible (so it won’t fuel a fire!).
Maintenance
- Ascend – This siding is resistant to rot, warping, cracking, and fading, so it doesn’t typically need extensive maintenance over its lifetime. Without using abrasive cleaners, wash your siding periodically. Its fade-resistant color means it won’t need to be repainted over the years.
- Hardie Siding – Known for its low maintenance, Hardie siding will simply need to be washed with a garden hose a couple of times a year to keep it looking as good as new! If you choose Hardie’s ColorPlus technology, you will need to repaint it in 15 years.
Style
- Ascend – From classic, traditional to contemporary and modern, there is a design option to create your unique vision for your exterior with Ascend. Choose from a variety of textures and finishes to align your new siding with your style preferences. Select from a wide array of options when it comes to your exterior’s color, and customize your home perfectly.
- Hardie Siding – This popular siding option comes in traditional horizontal lap siding as well as contemporary vertical panels, and can deliver the look of cedar shakes without genuine wood’s tedious upkeep. It comes with a choice of textures and gorgeous designer-picked color combinations from which to choose so you can create the look you’ve been dreaming of.
Cost
- Ascend – This siding is slightly less expensive—but not much. It can be installed with PVC trim, which looks very nice, but then it becomes more expensive than Hardie siding.
- Hardie Siding – The price is close (to Ascend), but the quality between the two options is not close. James Hardie siding products are a much better long-term option. Known to last up to 50 years when it is installed properly and maintained over the years, this resilient siding is an outstanding investment and provides an exceptional return on investment (ROI).
Installation
- Ascend – A really big difference between the two options is that with Ascend you are still using j-channel and vinyl corners, wrapping existing window trim and fascia, and so on. When it comes to window and corner trim—the look and the quality difference between installing a full 1” thick trim board around the openings and at the corners with James Hardie vs flimsy vinyl J’ channel and aluminum with Ascend siding is huge.
- Hardie Siding – At Smart Exteriors, when we install Hardie siding, we remove all of the existing fascia, and we add actual 1” thick window and door trim, corner trim, and more. We install new fascia boards even behind the gutters. This is primarily because at times some of the fascia is starting to rot and needs to be replaced.
Get Durable Hardie Siding Installed with Precision on Your Kansas City Area Home
While Hardie siding and trim are a slightly more significant initial investment than Alside Ascend, the long-term benefits you’ll enjoy (for decades!) from this outstanding siding product makes it well worth the vaguely higher cost.
At Smart Exteriors, we are a James Hardie Elite Preferred Contractor, so we are able to precisely install your new siding. Keep in mind, James Hardie doesn’t give that title to just anyone. They require us to have insurance, licensing, and both initial and continual training. You can rest at ease knowing we have been vetted by the manufacturer themselves. Learn more about the many benefits of having America’s favorite siding product—James Hardie—installed on your home.
