I have Hardiplank on SEVEN homes which I own. Speaking from experience the James Hardy product is pure junk. It is highly hydroscopic, meaning iT absorbs water readily. Once the siding has absorbed water, paint peeling is the likely result. We observe that on the south, west and eastern sides of our homes paint peeling is generally less of a problem as the sun exposure warms the siding and drives out most of the moisture absorbed in a heavy rain. The northern exposures are a different situation and that's where paint peeling is the biggest problem. In coastal locations Hardiplank is at its worst. Wind driven rain will force its way behind the siding and will often find its way behind the laps and will literally get between the siding and the paint forming large balloons under the paint filled with water! These balloons can be as large as a foot or two wide and unbelievably can hold 4-6 ounces of water for months until the peeling sets in. You pop the balloon and water runs down the side of the home! Additional areas where paint peeling and Hardiplank delamination often occur are any location where there is a high 'slash' effect off of gable roofs or splash from decks or porches back onto this siding. iF YOU READ THE MANUFACTURER'S INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS, THEY WANT YOU TO KEEP THE PRODUCT 'X' INCHES AWAY FROM DECKS AND ROOF SURFACES, HOWEVER THIS ISJUST NOT PRACTICAL IN MANY CASES. In a real sense this is Hardy's own admission that the product is not suited for geographic areas of the US which receive a fair amount of rain due to water absorption. I've read lots of painters saying the problem is the paint. Over the years, we've tried all the major brands including Behr and Sherwin Williams and numerous others, and in our experience the paint makes little to no difference. In our view the product is not suitable as an exterior siding unless the structure is located in an arid environment like the southwest. Many homeowners have been told it's an installation problem. Except in the rarest cases, I do not believe it. I have seen rampant delamination of the product 2" from a patio surface and 20' above as well. I have experienced the butt joints open up as much as 3/4 of an inch on hot southern exposures. All this means that the product is swelling and shrinking constantly and inherently causes paint to peel as a result. In short, the product does not appear to be suited for the purpose for which it is intended: SIDING. I would not put it on a dog house!

Hardie is probably the best manufacturer of fiber-cement siding products (I think they bought most of their competitors so there aren't many alternatives but the product does have limitations. Before committing to fiber-cement, you may wish to consider other composites such as Boral's fly ash-polymer siding https://truexterior.com/ or vinyl plank siding by Everlast https://www.everlastsiding.com/ I just finished a home on which we installed Everlast vinyl plank siding. It was easy to work with, it looks fantastic and it never needs to be painted. I had to convince the architect who designed it with Hardie to endorse the switch. Now he's using the Everlast product in many applications where he formerly would have used fiber-cement. Best wishes for a successful project.

Been in the same thought process. We have decided on the Royal Celect. Hardie in the past years has had some not great reviews. Our contractor guided us toward Celect. We have seen it in person and it looks quite nice. Wish I could give you more input. Let us know what you choose !

The contractor mentioned that the Cedarplank is recommended more than the smooth because every imperfection will show up on smooth. It seems you like smooth—do you think the contractor is just saying this because it is harder for him to place smooth planks?