When you decide to invest in James Hardie fiber cement siding, you are already making a smart choice for your home’s longevity and protection. But once you have settled on the brand, you are faced with a surprisingly difficult design decision: texture.

Should you go with the sleek, modern appeal of Smooth siding? Or should you embrace the traditional, authentic warmth of Select Cedarmill® (Woodgrain)?

It might seem like a small detail, but texture plays a massive role in the final look of your home. It interacts with light, shadows, and architectural style in ways that color alone cannot. A smooth finish can make a farmhouse look contemporary and sharp, while a woodgrain finish can soften a stark design and add historical character.

In this comprehensive guide, we will dive deep into the “texture debate.” We will compare the aesthetics, durability, maintenance, and architectural suitability of smooth versus woodgrain types of James Hardie siding. By the end, you will have the clarity you need to pick the finish that perfectly complements your vision.

The Importance of Texture in Exterior Design

Before we analyze the specific products, it is important to understand why texture matters. In exterior design, we often focus heavily on color—obsessing over the perfect shade of navy blue or slate gray. But texture is what gives that color depth.

• Light Interaction: Smooth surfaces reflect light more evenly, creating a clean, consistent color appearance. Textured surfaces absorb and scatter light, creating micro-shadows that can make the color appear richer or more varied depending on the time of day.
• Perceived Quality: For centuries, wood was the standard building material. Because of this, our brains often associate wood grain with “solid” and “traditional” construction. Smooth siding, historically associated with plaster or metal, signals “modernity” and “precision.”
• Tactile Experience: Even if you aren’t touching your siding every day, the visual “feel” of the material impacts curb appeal. A textured house feels grounded and organic; a smooth house feels tailored and architectural.

James Hardie offers both options across most of their product lines (HardiePlank®, HardiePanel®, etc.), giving you total control over this crucial design element.

Option 1: Select Cedarmill® (Woodgrain)

Select Cedarmill® is James Hardie’s best-selling texture. It is designed to mimic the natural look of cedar wood without the downsides of actual timber.

The Aesthetic: Warmth and Tradition

The defining feature of Select Cedarmill® is its realistic grain pattern. James Hardie engineers created this texture by casting the fiber cement from real wood templates. The result is a soft, non-repetitive grain that looks incredibly authentic, even from a few feet away.

This texture breaks up the surface of the board. When the sun hits it, the tiny ridges and grooves create shadows that add visual interest. It prevents the house from looking “flat” or “plastic.”

Best Use Cases for Woodgrain

Select Cedarmill® is the go-to choice for homes rooted in tradition.

1. Historic Renovations: If you are replacing rotting clapboard on a 1920s bungalow or a Victorian home, smooth siding often looks too perfect and sterile. Woodgrain respects the history of the home, maintaining the original aesthetic while upgrading the material performance.
2. Craftsman and Arts & Crafts Styles: These architectural styles celebrate natural materials. The “hand-worked” look of the woodgrain texture fits perfectly with stone columns, exposed rafters, and brick accents.
3. Mountain and Lake Homes: In rustic settings, you want your home to blend with the environment. A woodgrain texture harmonizes with trees and natural landscapes better than a slick, smooth surface.
4. Traditional Subdivisions: If you live in a neighborhood where most homes have vinyl (which often has a fake wood grain) or real wood, Select Cedarmill® helps your home fit the local vernacular while looking significantly higher-end.

Advantages of Woodgrain

• Forgiving Installation: The textured surface is excellent at hiding minor imperfections. If a wall isn’t perfectly flat (which is common in older homes), the busy texture of the woodgrain distracts the eye, masking subtle waves or bumps.
• Dirt Camouflage: Similarly, dust, pollen, and minor splashes are less visible on a textured surface than on a smooth one. The variation in the surface breaks up the visual field, meaning you might feel the need to clean it slightly less often.
• Classic Resale Value: Because it is the standard for traditional American homes, it appeals to a very broad range of buyers. It is a “safe” choice that rarely alienates anyone.

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Option 2: Smooth Siding

Smooth James Hardie siding is exactly what it sounds like—it has no grain pattern. It feels like a sanded board or a pristine plaster surface. While it was once a niche product, its popularity has exploded in recent years alongside modern design trends.

The Aesthetic: Crisp and Clean

Smooth siding is all about geometry and lines. Without the distraction of grain, the focus shifts to the form of the house. It emphasizes the horizontal lines of lap siding or the vertical lines of board-and-batten.

It creates a “tailored” look. Think of it like a perfectly ironed shirt versus a linen shirt; one is crisp and formal, the other is textured and relaxed. Smooth siding reflects light more directly, making colors pop with more intensity. A stark white smooth farmhouse looks incredibly bright and clean, while a dark charcoal smooth modern home looks monolithic and sleek.

Best Use Cases for Smooth

Smooth siding is the darling of contemporary designers.

1. Modern Farmhouse: This is currently the #1 driver of smooth siding sales. The modern farmhouse trend blends rural shapes (gables, porches) with industrial minimalism. Smooth white HardiePlank® or HardiePanel® provides that clean, minimalist backdrop that contrasts beautifully with black window frames.
2. Mid-Century Modern: These homes are defined by clean lines and a lack of ornamentation. Woodgrain feels out of place here. Smooth siding respects the modernist ethos of “form follows function.”
3. Contemporary/Box Style: For homes with flat roofs and sharp angles, smooth siding (especially in a panel format) reinforces the architectural blockiness.
4. Coastal Contemporary: While traditional beach houses use shakes, modern coastal homes often use smooth siding in light grays or blues to mimic the smoothness of sea glass or bleached driftwood.

Advantages of Smooth

• Architectural Sharpness: It makes shadows (from trim or rooflines) appear much sharper. If you have interesting architectural details you want to highlight, smooth siding provides a non-distracting canvas.
• Modern Appeal: It instantly updates the look of a home. Putting smooth siding on a 1970s ranch can make it look like a new build from 2024.
• Ease of Cleaning: While it might show dirt more easily, it is physically easier to wipe down. There are no crevices for algae or dirt to get “stuck” in. A quick spray usually clears the surface completely.

The “Imperfection” Factor

There is a critical consideration when choosing smooth siding that rarely gets discussed in brochures: Wall Preparation.

As mentioned earlier, textured siding hides sins. Smooth siding reveals them. Because smooth siding reflects light more evenly, any warp, bow, or bump in the underlying wall framing can “telegraph” through the siding. If a stud in your wall is slightly bowed out, the smooth siding will bend around it, and when the sun hits that spot at an angle, you might see a subtle wave.

Does this mean you shouldn’t choose it? Absolutely not. It just means you need a higher caliber of installation.

• If you are building a new home, framers can ensure the walls are perfectly plumb.
• If you are remodeling an older home, your siding contractor may need to spend extra time “furring out” the walls (shimming them to be flat) before installing smooth siding.

If you love the smooth look but have a very old, uneven house, be prepared for your contractor to do more prep work to get that glass-smooth finish you desire.

Durability and Performance: Is One Stronger?

A common myth is that the woodgrain texture adds strength or that the smooth finish is more fragile.

The Truth: Both textures are structurally identical.
They are made from the same fiber cement slurry (Portland cement, sand, cellulose). They are the same thickness (5/16-inch for planks). They undergo the same curing process.

• Impact Resistance: Both resist hail and baseballs equally well.
• Fire Resistance: Both are non-combustible.
• Rot Resistance: Neither will rot, swell, or get eaten by termites.
• Warranty: Both come with the same 30-year non-prorated warranty from James Hardie.

The texture is purely a surface-level impression; it does not alter the density or the chemical makeup of the board. You do not need to sacrifice durability to get the look you want.

Painting and ColorPlus® Considerations

You can buy both textures in two forms: Primed (ready to paint) or with ColorPlus® Technology (factory-painted).

Factory Finished (ColorPlus®)

James Hardie’s ColorPlus® technology looks fantastic on both, but it behaves differently.

• On Woodgrain: The paint settles into the grooves of the grain, creating a rich, multi-tonal depth. It looks very natural.
• On Smooth: The paint cures into a hard, shell-like finish. It looks almost like a factory powder coat on metal. It is incredibly consistent.

Painting It Yourself

If you choose to paint the siding yourself (or hire a painter later):

• Woodgrain: Requires a bit more effort to paint. You need to use a roller with a thicker nap or a sprayer to ensure the paint gets into all the tiny grain crevices. If you brush it, you have to be careful not to pool paint in the texture.
• Smooth: Is easier to roll or brush, but brush strokes are more visible. If you use a brush and leave streaks, you will see them. Spraying is the best method for smooth siding to maintain that flawless look.

Mixing and Matching: The Advanced Move

Just as you can mix profiles (lap siding + shingles), adventurous designers are starting to mix textures.

Contrast for Effect:
Imagine a home that is primarily Smooth HardiePlank®. It looks clean and modern. But for the front entryway bump-out or the gables, you switch to Select Cedarmill® HardieShingle® or even a board-and-batten with woodgrain texture.

This subtle contrast adds a layer of sophistication. It signals that the “smooth” areas are the architectural shell, while the “textured” areas are special feature points.

Tone-on-Tone:
Another trend is painting the smooth and textured areas the same color. The eye registers the difference not as a color change, but as a tactile change. This is very popular in high-end architectural designs where subtlety is key.

Cost Comparison

Is one more expensive than the other?

Generally speaking, Select Cedarmill® (Woodgrain) and Smooth textures are priced the same or very similarly from the manufacturer. You are not paying a “premium” for the grain, nor a premium for the smoothing process.

However, availability can vary by region.

• In some markets, woodgrain is the standard stock item at lumberyards, so it might be slightly cheaper due to volume.
• In other markets (like areas with many modern farmhouses), smooth is the stock item.
• If you have to “special order” a specific texture that isn’t stocked locally, you might pay a slight premium for shipping or small-batch ordering.

Installation Cost:
As noted in the “Imperfection” section, installing smooth siding can be more expensive on older homes if significant wall prep is needed to flatten the surface. Woodgrain is more forgiving and might allow the crew to move faster on a renovation project.

How to Choose: A Decision Framework

Still undecided? Let’s break it down by your specific situation.

Choose Select Cedarmill® (Woodgrain) If:

1. You love the “Classic” look. You want your house to feel established, warm, and traditional.
2. You are renovating a historic home. You want to honor the original wood cladding.
3. Your walls aren’t perfect. You have an older home with some settling or wavy framing, and you don’t want to pay for extensive wall flattening.
4. You want low maintenance cleaning. You want a surface that hides a little bit of dust and pollen between washings.
5. You live in a wooded area. You want the house to feel organic and connected to nature.

Choose Smooth If:

1. You love the “Modern” look. You want crisp lines, minimalism, and a sleek finish.
2. You are building a Modern Farmhouse. This is the definitive texture for that style.
3. You have a new build. Your framers can ensure straight walls, making the smooth siding look flawless.
4. You plan to use dark, bold colors. Smooth siding makes black, navy, and dark gray look incredibly sharp and architectural.
5. You dislike “fake” materials. Some homeowners prefer honest materials. They feel that if it’s fiber cement, it shouldn’t pretend to be wood. Smooth fiber cement embraces its own identity as a manufactured, masonry-like product.

The “Touch Test”

Ultimately, reading about texture can only get you so far. The most important step in this decision is the Touch Test.

Do not choose your siding from a PDF brochure or a website photo. Computer screens flatten images. You need to see the types of James Hardie siding in real life.

1. Request Samples: Any reputable contractor will provide small sample boards of both Smooth and Select Cedarmill®.
2. Go Outside: Do not look at them on your kitchen table. Take them outside.
3. Hold them up: Place them against your current exterior wall.
4. Step Back: Walk 10 feet back. Can you see the grain? Does the smooth look too flat?
5. Check different times: Look at them at noon (harsh overhead sun) and at sunset (angled light).

You might be surprised. Many people think they want smooth until they see it in the bright sun and realize it feels too “plain” for their taste. Others think they want woodgrain until they see how realistic and busy it looks, and realize they prefer the calmness of smooth.

Regional Preferences

It is also worth looking at your neighbors. While you don’t have to copy them, it helps to understand the “neighborhood fabric.”

• Northeast & Midwest: Heavy preference for Woodgrain (Cedarmill) to match historic colonial and cape cod styles.
• Pacific Northwest: A mix, but woodgrain is popular to match the cedar heritage of the region.
• California & Southwest: Heavy preference for Smooth, matching the stucco and modern architectural history of the region.
• The South: Traditional homes lean Woodgrain; new “Barndominium” builds lean Smooth.

If you plan to sell your home in the next 3–5 years, sticking to the regional preference can sometimes be a safer bet for resale value, though a well-executed design in either texture will always sell well.

Final Thoughts: There Is No “Wrong” Choice

The beauty of James Hardie siding is that you can’t really make a structural mistake. Whether you choose Smooth or Select Cedarmill®, you are getting a product that is fire resistant, pest resistant, and weather resistant.

The choice is purely emotional and aesthetic. It is about the story you want your home to tell.

• Woodgrain tells a story of craftsmanship, history, and organic warmth.
• Smooth tells a story of precision, modernity, and clean elegance.

Whichever you choose, ensure you work with a contractor who understands the nuances of the product. A great installation makes woodgrain look like master carpentry and smooth siding look like modern art. Take your time, get the samples, and trust your gut on which texture feels like “home.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: What is the difference between smooth and woodgrain siding?

Smooth siding has a flat, uniform surface that works best on modern, contemporary, and mid-century homes. Woodgrain siding (also called cedarmill) has a textured surface that mimics real cedar wood and suits Craftsman, farmhouse, Colonial, and traditional-style homes. Both options from James Hardie have identical durability, fire ratings, and pricing — the choice is purely aesthetic.

Q2: Is smooth or woodgrain James Hardie siding more popular?

Woodgrain (Select Cedarmill) is more popular nationally, accounting for roughly 60–65% of James Hardie installations. However, smooth finish has been gaining popularity in Sacramento and the Bay Area due to the trend toward modern farmhouse and contemporary home designs. Heritage Exteriors installs both finishes and can help you choose based on your home’s architectural style.

Q3: Does woodgrain siding cost more than smooth?

No, James Hardie smooth and woodgrain (Select Cedarmill) siding cost the same per square foot. Both are available in all ColorPlus Technology colors and primed-only options. The only cost difference would be if you mix both textures on the same home (which some homeowners do for visual interest), which may add minor labor costs for transitions.

Q4: Can you mix smooth and woodgrain siding on the same house?

Yes, mixing smooth and woodgrain siding on the same house is a popular design choice. Common combinations include woodgrain lap siding on the main body with smooth board and batten accents on gables, or smooth panels on a modern addition paired with existing woodgrain siding. James Hardie offers both textures in matching ColorPlus colors for a cohesive look.

Q5: Which siding finish has better resale value?

Both smooth and woodgrain James Hardie siding add comparable resale value — fiber cement siding in general adds 3–5% to home value according to industry data. The key factor for resale is matching the finish to your home’s style and neighborhood. A Craftsman home with woodgrain siding will appraise better than the same home with an out-of-place smooth finish, and vice versa for contemporary homes.