A lot of homeowners on this barrier island start their siding search with the word "wood." It's an honest instinct — wood lap siding has a warmth and a texture that a lot of newer materials try to imitate, and it fits the beach-cottage character you see up and down Gulf Boulevard. But we need to be straight with you before you call anyone: Alpine Exteriors does not install solid wood siding, and on a strip of land like Redington Shores, we don't think most licensed, reputable contractors should be recommending it either. We install James Hardie fiber cement siding exclusively — no vinyl, no LP SmartSide, no engineered wood panels, and no solid wood. This page explains why, and what the fiber cement alternative actually looks and performs like once it's on your house.
This isn't a sales pitch dressed up as an FAQ. It's the same conversation we have on every estimate call in this town, because Redington Shores' geography makes the wood-versus-fiber-cement question more urgent here than almost anywhere else in Pinellas County.
Redington Shores sits on a narrow strip of land between the Gulf of Mexico and the Intracoastal Waterway, tucked between Madeira Beach and Indian Shores. Most lots here are close to salt water on both sides, not just the Gulf-front row. That matters for siding in a way it doesn't in, say, an inland Pinellas neighborhood: salt aerosol carried on the onshore breeze settles on exterior surfaces daily, humidity sits in the 80-90% range for most of the year, and the town takes wind-driven rain almost broadside during a typical Gulf storm because there's so little to break it up before it hits a house.
Add hurricane season — June through November, with the heaviest activity typically August through October — and you get repeated cycles of soaking rain, high humidity recovery, and intense UV in between storms. Wood siding, even well-maintained and properly primed, is dimensionally sensitive to that swing: it swells when it takes on moisture and shrinks as it dries, and that repeated movement is what eventually opens joints, cracks paint film, and lets rot start at fastener holes and butt joints. On an inland lot that cycle might take many years to become a real problem. On a barrier island with salt-laden humidity working alongside it, it moves faster, and it's harder to catch early because the underside of a clapboard and the back of a shake shingle are the parts that fail first, not the visible face.
We're not going to tell you wood siding is a bad product in the abstract — used in the right climate, with disciplined maintenance, it can last decades. What we will tell you is what it demands from a homeowner in a coastal Pinellas County environment, because that's the honest trade-off, not a scare tactic:
None of this means wood siding is defective. It means it's a product built around a maintenance commitment that most homeowners underestimate when they're comparing materials on an estimate sheet rather than living with the upkeep for a decade on a Gulf-facing lot.
This is why our answer to "wood siding contractor" searches is James Hardie fiber cement — specifically HardiePlank lap siding and, where a project calls for it, HardieShingle panels that replicate a cedar shake profile. Fiber cement is made from cement, sand, and cellulose fiber, engineered and factory-finished specifically for high-humidity, high-UV climates. It doesn't absorb water the way wood does, so it doesn't swell, cup, or crack from the same moisture cycling that drives wood siding maintenance. It's also non-combustible and resistant to the pest pressure that's a real concern in a subtropical environment.
The reason this matters for a homeowner who wanted a wood look in the first place: Hardie's plank and shingle profiles are milled with authentic wood grain texture and crisp shadow lines, and the factory-baked ColorPlus finish holds color far longer in direct coastal sun and salt exposure than a field-applied paint or stain system on real wood. From the street or the beach path, a well-installed HardiePlank lap job reads as a classic wood clapboard house. Up close, on a ladder, in year twelve, it's a different maintenance story.
| Profile | Look It Delivers | Best Fit |
|---|---|---|
| HardiePlank Select Cedarmill | Subtle cedar wood grain texture | Traditional beach-cottage exteriors |
| HardiePlank Smooth | Clean, painted-wood look | Modern coastal or transitional builds |
| HardieShingle Straight-Edge Panel | Cedar shake shingle appearance | Accent gables, dormers, feature walls |
| HardieTrim boards | Smooth painted wood trim | Corner boards, window and door casings |
Every siding estimate on the island is shaped by a handful of specific factors, and we walk through all of them on-site rather than quoting a flat per-square-foot number sight unseen:
| Factor | Why It Moves the Price |
|---|---|
| House elevation | Many Redington Shores homes are raised on pilings or CBS stem walls for flood compliance; lift and scaffold access adds labor |
| Substrate condition | Removing failed wood siding often reveals sheathing damage that needs repair before new siding goes on |
| Profile and trim complexity | Shingle-style accents and heavier trim packages take more install time than plain lap runs |
| Wind zone fastening requirements | Coastal high-velocity hurricane zone fastening schedules require tighter nailing patterns per Hardie and Florida Building Code specs |
| Lot access | Narrow island lots and close-set neighbors can limit staging and require hand-carrying material |
We install Hardie siding to the manufacturer's HZ10 hurricane-zone specifications, which govern fastener type, spacing, and embedment specifically for coastal high-wind areas like this one — this is not the same fastening schedule used inland. Before any siding goes up, we check and, where needed, repair the water-resistive barrier and flashing details around windows, doors, and penetrations, because on a lot this close to salt water, a siding job is only as good as the moisture management system underneath it. We also coordinate around Redington Shores' permitting and, where applicable, any HOA or deed-restriction review that some of the town's condo and townhome communities require before exterior work begins.
Fiber cement dramatically reduces maintenance compared to wood, but "low-maintenance" isn't "no-maintenance" — especially this close to the Gulf. A short annual routine keeps it performing for decades:
If you came looking for a wood siding contractor, we'd rather tell you upfront why we steer every coastal Pinellas County client toward James Hardie fiber cement instead of taking a wood job we don't think will hold up here. If you'd like to see the profiles in person, compare them against what you had in mind, and get a straight number for your specific house, we're glad to put together a free, no-pressure estimate — no obligation, just an honest look at what makes sense for your home on the island.
No — we install only James Hardie fiber cement siding across all of our work, including here. We made this a company standard because of how coastal salt exposure and humidity affect solid wood cladding, and we'd rather be upfront about that than take on a job we don't think will hold up long-term.
Confirm the contractor holds an active Florida license (ours is RB29003900), carries current general liability and workers' comp coverage, and can show you a completed local job you can drive by. On a barrier island, also ask specifically about their hurricane-zone fastening practices, since standard inland installation specs don't meet the wind requirements here.
ColorPlus is a factory-applied, baked-on finish system that's more UV- and salt-resistant than field-applied paint, which matters in a climate where sun and salt exposure are constant. It typically holds its color far longer than a repainted wood surface exposed to the same conditions.
Yes — we install to James Hardie's HZ10 hurricane-zone specification, which sets tighter nailing patterns and fastener embedment than standard installation guidelines. Florida Building Code wind provisions for coastal high-velocity hurricane zones also factor into how we detail and fasten every project on the island.
Some of the town's condo associations and deed-restricted communities do review exterior material and color changes before work begins. We'll ask about your specific property during the estimate and factor any HOA documentation into the project timeline.