James Hardie Siding: Products, Warranty and HZ5 Explained
Gorilla Works installs James Hardie fiber cement siding and trim across the Portland metro area and Southwest Washington. It is the siding we put on houses here because it is built for a wet climate, and because it is installed right, over a full moisture barrier with proper flashing, it keeps protecting the wall behind it for decades.
- James Hardie fiber cement siding and trim
- Licensed in Oregon (CCB #198186), registered in Washington (L&I EXTERDC884PP)
- Old siding torn off and hauled away
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What Makes James Hardie Different From Wood or Vinyl
James Hardie siding is fiber cement, a board made of cement, sand and cellulose fiber rather than wood or plastic. That mix is why it does not rot, warp, crack or swell the way wood does when rain gets into it, and why it does not soften or melt the way vinyl can. For a Northwest house that stands in rain eight months a year, the material itself is doing half the work. The other half is how it goes on the wall, which is where most siding jobs are won or lost.
The Boards We Install Are Made for Our Zone, Not Florida's
James Hardie does not sell one board for the whole country. The company calls its system Engineered for Climate, and it splits North America into zones. The Portland and Vancouver area sits in the HZ5 zone, the formulation made for climates with freezing temperatures, big seasonal swings, and snow and ice. Hardie says the HZ5 board is built with higher paint adhesion, better moisture resistance and a drip edge that moves water off the board, where the HZ10 board sold in the hot, humid South is tuned for hurricane wind and salt air instead.
This matters when you compare bids. Siding that performs in Phoenix or Houston is not the same board that belongs on a house in Oregon or Clark County. The HZ5 line is the one engineered for the rain and frost we actually get, and it is what goes on your house.
The James Hardie Products We Put On Houses
Most homes use one main board with matching trim, but Hardie makes several forms so the look fits the house.
HardiePlank lap siding
The classic horizontal clapboard look, and the most common choice on Northwest homes. Available in several widths and textures, including a cedar-grain finish.
HardiePanel vertical siding
Flat vertical sheets, often paired with battens for a board-and-batten look on modern farmhouse and craftsman elevations.
HardieShingle siding
Fiber cement shingles for gables, accents and whole walls where a shingle or shake look is wanted without the upkeep of wood.
HardieTrim and HardieSoffit
Matching trim boards for corners, windows and doors, plus soffit panels for the eaves, so the whole exterior is one matched system from one maker. The boards and the factory finish each carry their own warranty, covered below.
Many of these come with ColorPlus Technology, a color baked on at the factory in controlled conditions instead of painted on site. The finish is more even than a field paint job and carries its own warranty, covered below.
Two Warranties on a Hardie Job, and What Each One Covers
A Hardie siding job is covered by two separate warranties, and it helps to know which is which before you sign anything.
The product warranty comes from James Hardie. The siding, trim and soffit boards carry a 30-year limited, non-prorated, transferable substrate warranty. Non-prorated means the coverage does not shrink year by year, it holds for the full 30 years, and transferable means it can pass to the next owner if you sell. The ColorPlus factory finish carries its own 15-year limited warranty that covers paint and labor against peeling, cracking and chipping. These are the manufacturer's terms, the same whoever installs the board.
The workmanship warranty comes from us. That one covers how the siding was installed, the moisture barrier, the flashing, the fastening and the trim. A board can be perfect and still fail if the wall behind it was not detailed right, so the installer's warranty is the one worth reading closely. We put our limited 5-year workmanship warranty in writing and go over it with you before the job starts.
A Great Board on a Bad Wall Still Leaks
James Hardie publishes detailed installation instructions for each product, covering clearances, fastening patterns, gaps and flashing. Follow them and the product warranty holds and the wall stays dry. Skip them and you can void the warranty and trap water behind a board that looks fine from the street. Here is how every Hardie job we do is built:
- Tear-out and haul-away. The old siding comes off down to the sheathing and is hauled away, listed on your written estimate, so we can see the wall underneath before anything new goes on and you are not left with a pile in the driveway.
- Inspect and repair the wall. If the sheathing or framing is soft, you see it before it is covered up, and we handle any permit that work needs.
- Full moisture barrier and flashing. A water-resistive barrier over the whole wall, with flashing at every window, door and roof line, lapped so water runs out and never in.
- Hardie boards to the maker's pattern. Correct clearances, fastening and spacing, following the James Hardie instructions for the product on your house.
- Trim, caulk and walkthrough. HardieTrim at the corners and openings, sealed and finished, then a final check with you.
Replacing windows too? Doing both at once is the smart time, since the flashing and trim around each opening go in once instead of twice. See window installation.
What to Ask Before You Hire for a Hardie Job
James Hardie runs a contractor program called the James Hardie ALLIANCE, with Select, Preferred and Elite tiers. The James Hardie Contractor Locator at jameshardie.com is one place to check an installer. The straight answer on us: Gorilla Works is not an ALLIANCE member yet. We are scheduled to start Hardie's contractor onboarding in November 2026, and this line will be updated when that changes. The badge is not the whole story, though. Ask any contractor you are considering, us included, which James Hardie installation instructions they follow for your product, how they flash the windows and trim, and what workmanship warranty they put in writing. A clear answer to those three questions tells you more than any logo.
We are licensed in Oregon (CCB #198186) and registered in Washington (L&I EXTERDC884PP). Clark County work needs a Washington-registered contractor, and we are one. Every install crew is led by an installer with 5+ years of experience.
You get a written price that names the exact James Hardie product, trim and flashing for your house, so you can compare it with any other bid line for line. Our crews bring the same flashing standard Exteriors Design, the company behind Gorilla Works, uses on commercial buildings across the Northwest, and we offer financing options for qualified homeowners, including zero-down, so the whole house can be done at once. All financing is subject to credit approval. Rates, terms and payments may vary based on credit.
More on Siding Before You Decide
How siding goes on, what fails first here, and our Washington-side work.
Other Services We Offer in Portland & Vancouver
Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions about materials, pricing, or installation? Here are the answers homeowners ask us most.
Sources
Manufacturer facts checked against James Hardie's own pages, November 2026. Warranty terms are the manufacturer's and can change, so we confirm the current terms for your product before the job.
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