Corte Madera LP Smartside Siding

There's a specific homeowner LP SmartSide is made for: someone who loves the warmth and grain of real wood siding but has no appetite for the rot, the pests, and the constant repainting that solid cedar or redwood demands in a damp climate. SmartSide is engineered wood — real wood strands bonded and treated — so it keeps the texture and the paintability of a wood plank while behaving far more predictably. Bay Area Siding Company installs it throughout Corte Madera, and because we're a Larkspur-based crew working just minutes north, seeing your house and talking through whether SmartSide is the right call is an easy visit to arrange.

Let's look at your home. Call (415) 619-5167 or request a bid.

What makes it engineered wood

LP SmartSide starts as wood strands, which are treated through the manufacturer's SmartGuard process — a combination of a zinc borate treatment and resins and waxes — before being pressed into boards and panels. The result is a board that looks and works like wood but resists the fungal decay and termite damage that plague solid-wood siding. Practically, that means:

• A genuine wood grain and profile that suits Corte Madera's cottages and mid-century homes better than most substitutes.
• Light weight and workability — it cuts and handles more like lumber than like cement board, which keeps the install cleaner on tight hillside lots.
• Impact resistance that holds up well to knocks, hail, and the ordinary bumps of a busy household.

It does need to be painted, and repainted on a cycle — that's the trade-off for the wood character. It ships primed, and we finish it properly so the coating protects the board in the marine air.

Where it fits in Corte Madera — and where it doesn't

SmartSide is a strong fit for a lot of this town: the level neighborhoods toward Corte Madera Creek and Tamalpais Drive, and the many custom and mid-century homes where owners want warmth and texture without wood's maintenance burden. Its treatment stands up well to the fog, salt air, and wet winters that wear on ordinary wood here.

The honest caveat is fire. Engineered wood is still a wood product and is combustible. For homes on Christmas Tree Hill or the wooded upper slopes of Chapman Park — terrain reflected in CAL FIRE's 2025 Fire Hazard Severity Zone and WUI maps and covered by Central Marin Fire Department — that matters. Where a parcel falls in a designated hazard zone or the WUI, California Building Code Chapter 7A governs the wall covering and generally points toward noncombustible or ignition-resistant assemblies, which favors fiber cement over engineered wood. Whether 7A applies to your parcel and scope is something we confirm with the Town of Corte Madera and the fire authority before we spec — we won't put a combustible cladding on a home where the code and the risk point the other way.

SmartSide versus the alternatives

Against fiber cement, SmartSide is lighter, easier to work, and more impact-resistant, with a warmer wood feel — but it's combustible and needs periodic repainting, where fiber cement is noncombustible and holds a factory finish longer. Against solid wood, SmartSide gives you most of the look with far less rot and pest vulnerability. Against vinyl, it reads as a substantially more premium, authentic wood surface. It tends to sit in the middle on cost. We'll lay the comparison out plainly for your house.

The installation

We assess your walls and goals, measure, and pull the Town of Corte Madera building permit — the town enforces the 2025 California codes as of January 1, 2026. The old cladding comes off down to the sheathing so we can check the substrate, water-resistive barrier, and flashing and fix any concealed rot. We renew the WRB and flashing, install the SmartSide to LP's specifications with the correct fastening and clearances, and finish the paint, trim, caulk, and a walkthrough.

Warranty and cost

LP backs SmartSide with a well-regarded limited warranty; the exact terms and duration are set by the manufacturer, so we review the current warranty for your product rather than citing a figure. On cost, we quote after measuring. The drivers are the home's size and shape, hidden rot or sheathing repair found at tear-off, the profile and finish you choose, the number of stories and access, and trim or window integration.

Comparing your options? See fiber cement, natural wood, and vinyl, or start at the siding replacement hub. We also handle window replacement in Corte Madera, serve the wider Marin area, and post finished jobs to the projects gallery.

Frequently asked questions

Is LP SmartSide real wood? It's engineered wood — real wood strands treated through LP's SmartGuard process and pressed into boards. It keeps the look and workability of wood while resisting rot and termites much better than solid lumber.

Does SmartSide need painting like regular wood? Yes, it needs to be painted and repainted on a cycle, which is the trade-off for the authentic wood texture. It ships primed and we apply a proper finish for the marine climate.

Can I use LP SmartSide on a Christmas Tree Hill home? Because it's combustible, we generally steer fire-exposed hillside and WUI parcels toward noncombustible fiber cement instead. We confirm your parcel's fire-zone designation with the Town and Central Marin Fire before recommending a material.

How does it compare to fiber cement on my Corte Madera house? SmartSide is lighter, warmer, and more impact-resistant and easier to work; fiber cement is noncombustible and lower-maintenance. On the flats, either can work; on the hill, fiber cement usually wins on the fire question.

Get an LP SmartSide bid

Call (415) 619-5167 or request a bid. We'll assess your walls, weigh SmartSide against the alternatives for your setting, and give you a full scope.