Microposite siding is engineered to deliver exceptional performance and durability while retaining the natural look and benefits of traditional wood. The premium 7/16-inch boards feature a combination of lightweight microspheres and proprietary resins. (Photograph courtesy of Microposite Inc.)

While vinyl continues to be the most popular choice among siders and their customers, the use of alternative claddings is growing, particularly at the high end of the residential market.

The last time we looked, vinyl owned almost 60 percent of the residential cladding market. While this popular product remains far ahead of its competitors in market share, vinyl continues to slowly lose ground to newer materials. In fact, its days of true dominance — when vinyl accounted for almost 80 percent of the average contractor's business — will almost certainly never return.

More impressive is the growth of fiber cement siding. Fortunately, only a few contractors and homeowners are confusing fiber cement with the Louisiana-Pacific composite siding product that failed miserably between 1975 and 2000 and initiated an unprecedented number of class action lawsuits that continue to this day.

A couple of years after this debacle, fiber cement products seemed to come out of nowhere and catapulted to a current 18 percent share-of-market, according to RSI's 2008 State of the Industry Report.

Manufacturer James Hardie describes itself as the "world leader in fiber cement siding and backerboard," and even its competitors have to give the company credit for an outstanding job in producing and marketing its product (Hardiplank). Other suppliers, such as GAF Materials Corp., have since introduced their own product lines, which is all the better for contractors who prefer fiber cement.

Siding innovations

What's so great about fiber cement?

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Research Center reports that 70 percent of builders are "moving to more innovative (siding) materials," and RSI's surveys support this notion.

"All the research points to two key trends: the market for premium siding products is on the rise, and the siding industry is ready for a high-performance, modern siding alternative that maximizes ease of installation and offers the ultimate in curb appeal and energy efficiency for homeowners," Marc Carlson, president and CEO of Microposite Inc., said.

Carlson is speaking of Microposite's new siding product, which at this writing was still under a press embargo. However, contractors who attended the International Builders Show in February were able to get a closer look at it.

The company says the product is engineered to deliver exceptional performance and durability while retaining the natural look and benefits of traditional wood. The premium 7/16-inch boards are made using a combination of lightweight microspheres and proprietary resins.

Our biggest questions are, What are "microspheres?" and what types of resins the company is using and how they differ from vinyl siding. Carlson says his company's product is the "first new residential siding category to appear in 20 years." Exactly what that category will be called remains to be seen.

The company's 7/16-inch boards are half the weight of fiber cement, which would be a benefit to installers and may cut down on shipping costs as well.