Lynden Exterior If you're re-siding a home in Lynden, the choice usually comes down to two materials: vinyl and fiber cement. Both have been used on Whatcom County homes for decades, and both have real advantages. This page lays out the honest differences, so you can make the call with your eyes open rather than relying on a sales pitch.
What Each Material Actually Is
Vinyl siding is an extruded PVC plastic panel, colored all the way through, installed by hanging on nail flanges over the wall. Fiber cement siding is a composite of cement, sand, and cellulose fibers, formed into planks or panels and typically finished with a factory-applied coating. They behave very differently once they're on a wall, and that difference matters more here than in a lot of the country.
How They Handle Our Climate
Lynden sits close enough to Puget Sound and the Strait of Georgia that salt-laden air is a real factor, on top of the steady rain and the long stretch of gray, damp months that keep north-facing walls wet for weeks at a time. That combination stresses siding in two ways: it drives moisture into any gap or seam, and it feeds moss and algae growth on surfaces that don't shed water and dry out quickly.
Vinyl doesn't rot or corrode, which is a genuine strength. But it's a thin plastic panel that expands and contracts significantly with temperature swings — installers have to leave slotted nailing room for that movement, and panels that are hung too tight can buckle or pop loose in a cold snap or a windstorm. Vinyl also isn't rigid; over time, especially on south and west exposures, UV exposure can leave it brittle and prone to cracking on impact.
Fiber cement is dense and dimensionally stable — it doesn't expand and contract nearly as much, so seams stay tighter over the years. It's also non-combustible, which matters given how often Whatcom County has seen dry-summer wildfire smoke drift in even though we're not a high fire-risk zone ourselves. Where fiber cement earns its reputation is moisture behavior: correctly installed with proper flashing, house wrap, and caulking details, it resists the constant damp of our moss season far better than a material that relies on friction-fit panels and open seams.
Moss and Algae, Specifically
Neither material is moss-proof — moss will grow on almost anything that stays damp and shaded long enough, including roofs, decks, and fences. The difference is what happens underneath. Vinyl's overlapping panels create small pockets where moisture and organic debris can sit against the wall sheathing without much air movement. Fiber cement, especially when finished with a factory coating like ColorPlus, sheds water off a harder, less porous surface and holds paint or finish longer, which makes a periodic wash-down more effective at actually removing growth instead of just knocking back the surface layer.
Cost and Installation
Vinyl is the less expensive material up front, and it installs faster, which is why it's common on production-built homes. Fiber cement costs more in materials and labor — it's heavier, requires different fasteners and blades, and the installer has to get the flashing and joint details right, because fiber cement doesn't forgive sloppy water management the way people assume a "hard" material will. A poorly installed fiber cement job can trap moisture just as badly as a poorly installed vinyl job. Installation quality matters more than the marketing on either side of this comparison.
Appearance and Longevity
Vinyl's color is molded into the plastic, so scratches are less visible, but that color can fade unevenly over time and can't be repainted without special primers. Fiber cement takes and holds paint like wood siding, and factory-finished lines come with a baked-on finish warranty separate from the substrate warranty. On sheer looks, fiber cement holds a crisp, low-sheen, wood-grain or smooth profile that reads as a solid material rather than a thin panel — something you can usually tell at a glance, even from the street.
On lifespan, vinyl manufacturers typically offer warranties in the 20-30 year range, though real-world performance depends heavily on UV exposure and impact damage. Fiber cement is generally rated for longer service life and carries transferable warranties that hold up its value at resale.
Where We Land
We made the decision years ago to install James Hardie fiber cement exclusively, and this comparison is why. Vinyl isn't a bad product — it has a place, and plenty of homes wear it fine. But for the wind, rain, salt air, and moss-heavy stretch of weather that Whatcom County homes sit through every year, we think the added upfront cost of fiber cement buys real, measurable durability: tighter seams, a harder surface that resists moss buildup, non-combustible construction, and a finish that holds its color and its paint far longer. We'd rather install one product exceptionally well than offer several and hedge on the honest answer.
If you're weighing your options for a home in Lynden or anywhere else in Whatcom County, we're glad to walk your property, look at your exposures, and give you a straightforward, no-pressure estimate — no hard sell, just an honest read on what your home needs.