smooth. hardiplank looks real, so i don't see why it would be a problem putting it on a Victorian home. but smooth will definitely be the right choice. my only concern would be the length of each board from top to bottom. victorian homes have 4" inch boards, right? the hardiplank i see is always 6" or more. right?? maybe i'm wrong about that

I think the only negative review I read regarding Cedar Valley (CV) or Shakertown was from someone who didn't like the idea of plywood behind the cedar. CV has a fiberglass laminate built in, and the product seems pretty solid to me with added moisture protection. I think the price is almost $100 more per square than Ecoshel, though. My concern is when different materials are married at the factory. I feel the same for plumbing and windows. Different materials expand and contract differently, respond to water differently, etc. Thankfully CV is only mixing plywood with cedar, and a fiberglass laminate. The fiberglass must be their moisture barrier, but my concern is getting moisture out from between the two products. I'll look into how they weep moisture. Question: being that CV is thicker than traditional cedar shingles, did that cause any problems around window/door trim? In regards to cedar impressions: Don't be fooled by the photos, I drove by a lot and even knocked on some doors. I could tell from the car which houses were vinyl shingles. Customers said it was the best thing they did, no maintenance, 10 years old, still looks new, etc. But like you found out, after pricing, it ended up costing just as much as the real thing. I think you need to love the idea of less maintenance more than your love for the real thing. Or go with fiber cement and ignore any negative reviews. We have family in Nantucket and when I asked them what the life span of cedar was for them, they said at least 20 years. And that's with brutal salt air and no stains or paints (not allowed on the island). So with stain I could see maybe 30 years or more? I'm OK with that kind of ROI. I'm also in the home renovation business, so working on my house is a pleasure. I don't care so much for "maintenance free" (maybe I'll feel differently in 30 years), but I love the detail and warmth of real cedar, I'm familiar with it, it's forgiving, and natural, so won't sit in a land fill for 100 years. They say vinyl is recyclable, but I've never seen anyone recycle it. Let me know how your installation goes, it's cold up here, so siding will have to wait until spring. Blessings.

I wish someone would make a more subtle grained plank. We have Nichiha in a grained finish, and it looks like it was sand-blasted. On our dark color, it looks OK, but I wish it were more subtle. Smooth product also has a fake look, mostly because it is so much thinner than real clapboards.

Hi Diana, I had a vinyl product from Certainteed - Cedarboard insulated siding in a 7" height, installed on my shed and have lived with if for a year to see how I like it. After some time with it, I like it but not enough to want to have it installed on my home. It has a bit of a plastic look to it like all vinyl. After seeing some well done paint jobs on aluminum siding in the area, have decided to have my aluminum siding painted. I have seen to many homes in the area with vinyl siding where the vinyl shows buckling or warping. My aluminum siding lays very flat and so think painting will be a good choice. Dave