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Exterior Siding Dilemma (James Hardie Arctic White vs. another option)

Equanimity
7 years ago

We're building a new construction traditional colonial home in a mature neighborhood in northern New Jersey. Here is the front elevation:



We'd like the exterior of the house to be classic and timeless. So, we're planning on the following:

a) a white exterior

b) architecturally-correct 14" Western red cedar shutters in a black color

c) a red door


We're considering using the James Hardie "Smooth" Lap Siding.

But, here's the problem. The only shade of white that James Hardie offers is called the "Arctic White".


Here is the arctic white on James Hardie's website:


And, here is a photo of the James Hardie "Arctic White" on a home in our neighborhood:


(left side is Arctic White Smooth; right side is Arctic White Select Cedarmill)


As you can see, the "Arctic White" has a grey hue.


And, here is a photo of the Arctic White (left side ) vs. the white color that we actually want (right side):

Here are our questions:

1) Has anyone in the community used the James Hardie unprimed lap siding and then had a third-party paint the boards? If yes, what was the result? (note: James Hardie's warranty indicates that the "performance of any third party paints" is not covered, but this is a separate issue altogether).

and;

2) Are there other manufacturers of fiber cement siding, e.g. Louisiana Pacific SmartSide, (or another high quality, maintenance-free material) that we should consider that perhaps offer a lighter shade of white similar to the "Desired Color" in the photo above?


Thanks!

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