Last reviewed October 31, 2026.
The rep sets a sample board on the kitchen table. It looks like painted cedar, weighs less than the fiber cement sample from last week, and comes with a 50-year warranty.
Read that warranty the way LP wrote it before you sign. After year five, the coverage changes a lot.
Engineered wood, treated to the core
LP SmartSide is not solid lumber. LP describes it as wood treated to the core with waxes, adhesive resins and zinc borate, a step it calls the SmartGuard process. A resin-saturated overlay goes on the face, and LP says it resists excessive moisture intrusion.
LP says this helps the boards resist termites and fungal decay, and credits the adhesive resins for part of their resistance to hail.
Unified Home Remodeling, a Long Island installer, says the boards are lighter than fiber cement and cut cleanly with regular tools, which makes them easier to handle on the job.
How the 50-year warranty pays out
LP’s warranty for product bought on or after August 1, 2025 splits into two stages:
- Years 1 to 5. LP pays labor and material to repair or replace defective siding, with labor priced by the RSMeans construction cost estimator.
- Years 6 to 50. Material only, no labor, reduced 2.22 percent a year (2.22 percent off in year six, 4.44 percent in year seven, and so on). LP’s total payout is capped at twice what the affected product originally cost.
The warranty covers the original owner and the next owner of the house. No one after that. It also requires a licensed contractor and an install that follows LP’s instructions and local codes, and it excludes damage from improper cutting, priming or painting.
LP’s hail terms are just as specific. Damage has to be a crack or chip in the overlay, or a dent in the board, larger than 3/8 inch, from a storm with hail no bigger than 1.75 inches.
Your homeowners insurance goes first. If that money falls short, LP pays the material cost to replace the damaged area, minus the insurance proceeds and your deductible, and then applies the same yearly reduction.
Salt spray and cut edges
LP’s warranty lists salt water among the causes of damage it does not cover, right alongside hurricanes, windstorms and fire. On the South Shore and the barrier islands, that line matters.
Long Island Exterior Co. says homes there need more vigilant maintenance because moisture can get in at cut edges, and calls priming every cut during installation non-negotiable near the coast. Ask your installer how they seal ends and cuts, then get the answer into the contract.
Primed boards or ExpertFinish
SmartSide comes primed for painting on site or prefinished. LP’s ExpertFinish line has a factory paint coat in 16 colors and carries a 5/15/50 warranty: five years on labor and materials, 15 years on the finish and 50 on the substrate.
Either way, you are buying a painted wall. Unified Home Remodeling tells homeowners to expect repainting every 3 to 10 years depending on conditions, and to avoid pressure washing.
Long Island installers and what they charge
Few Long Island companies post SmartSide prices. These are the ones we found:
| Company | What it says | Published price |
|---|---|---|
| Unified Home Remodeling, Baldwin and Patchogue (Apr 2025) | LP SmartSide Master Preferred Contractor with a dedicated crew | about $9 per sq ft typical, $5 to $12 range |
| J&M Gutter Tech Inc., Nassau and Suffolk (Mar 2026) | Engineered wood, brand not named | $6 to $13 per sq ft installed |
| JAGG Roofing, Siding and Windows | Lists LP SmartSide among its options | none published |
Our siding cost guide has one more Long Island company’s SmartSide price next to vinyl and Hardie. Unified notes SmartSide usually costs more than vinyl in both material and labor.
Lines to ask for in a SmartSide contract
- whether the boards are primed or ExpertFinish, and the color name
- how every cut end is primed or sealed, especially on walls that face the water
- the contractor’s license number, since LP’s warranty requires a licensed installer
- who paints primed boards, with what paint, and how soon after they go up
- the installer’s own workmanship warranty, in writing, because LP stops paying labor after year five
Hang on to the purchase paperwork, too. LP’s warranty puts it on the owner to prove the install date, ownership and, where needed, the purchase price with invoices, receipts or contractor billings, and that applies to the next owner of the house as well.
Where it fits against Hardie and vinyl
SmartSide lands between the two. Long Island Exterior Co. says it takes paint exceptionally well, and Unified finds it lighter to hang than fiber cement.
On the other side of the ledger, James Hardie markets its board as noncombustible and gives a 30-year non-prorated substrate warranty, while LP’s long-term coverage shrinks each year after year five. Our fiber cement vs vinyl comparison sets those two side by side, and the James Hardie page covers that brand in depth.
