Actually I have seriously considered building a home of light clay and may do so someday. Ideally we should not be building with materials that will not, when we are done with them, be able to return to components that existed in the environment before we intervened. Stone, wood, metal, even ceramic or concrete can eventually break down to ancestor substances. Many plastics will not. The ones I personally object to most vigorously are the vinyls and the styrofoam-related ones. On the other hand, plastics can do wonderful things that other materials simply cannot match. My personal code is that they should be used only when they are the best material, and not when they are merely the cheapest. But I do not make decisions for others, or even want to. You will note that I said what I would do, not what Larimie should do. (In fact, it is just now that I am noticing what an old thread this is. By now the decision has long since been made.) As always, each person must make his or her own decision. It is a wide world, and there is room for difference of opinion. Rosefolly

Hate on vinyl, if you must. But it is low-maintenance and inexpensive. If you take your time to try to hide things like J channel and generally remember how the real wood product would look - and emulate that - it's a reasonable choice. OP, I hope you found a product that will meet your needs. I DO find that if you hunt around online, you can find some profiles that are a little unusual. And, using something other than a D4 profile will, again, make it look less like vinyl. Using the longer lengths, to minimize seams can also help. There are more products available that you'll find sample boards for at a single supplier. And if you find something workable, you can often search for a dealer in your area, and behold! That said, the Certainteed product is the only one I see that is wider than 8" on a cursory search.

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

You may not need a professional installer, but you do need someone experienced with Hardie board, or someone willing to go online and learn the proper techniques. It is cement board, not wood, so some of the cutting and handling is different. Someone already mentioned how quickly it will chew up saw blades, so the contractor has to be prepared. And when you buy it in long lengths (e.g., 16") you need to make sure it is fully supported while being installed. For example, you can hold one end of a 16 foot piece of wood siding with 12 feet sticking straight out and it will support itself. Try the same thing with Hardie board and will definitely sag, and may even break the board. There is a lot of information out there on proper installation, but not every contractor will read it and do the job correctly. Bruce