San Bruno LP Smartside Siding

Many San Bruno homeowners want a house that still looks like wood. The ranch in Crestmoor, the split-level in Rollingwood, and the bungalow near Belle Air were often built with wood, and some owners don't want a different-looking exterior. What they want to avoid is the constant scraping, patching, and repainting that solid wood demands on the damp, windy side of the Peninsula. LP SmartSide addresses that gap. It is an engineered wood siding with a cedar-grain texture. It is lighter and easier to handle than fiber cement and is built to resist moisture, fungal decay, and termites better than untreated wood.

Bay Area Siding Company is a Larkspur-based siding and window contractor, and we install LP SmartSide on Peninsula homes. We handle the full job: tear-off, substrate inspection, weather barrier and flashing, installation to LP's instructions, and finish.

Thinking about SmartSide for your San Bruno home? Request a bid or call (415) 619-5167 to set up a walkthrough.

What LP SmartSide actually is

SmartSide is made from wood strands treated through LP's SmartGuard process, which combines resins and waxes with zinc borate. The strands are bonded under heat and pressure into boards and panels. The goal is a product that works like wood but holds up better against the problems that ruin real wood: swelling from moisture, fungal decay, and termites.

The product family includes:

• Lap siding in several widths, for the horizontal look common on San Bruno's postwar tracts
• Panel siding (including grooved vertical panels) that can recreate a sheet-siding look with an engineered product
• Trim and fascia, so corners, window surrounds, and eaves can match the wall material
• Shakes, for gable accents or a shingled look

It arrives factory-primed and is painted after installation. Some prefinished color options are also available, and we can go over current availability for your project.

For the broader overview of our siding services, see the LP SmartSide hub.

Why SmartSide fits a lot of San Bruno houses

The T1-11 problem

Much of San Bruno's single-family housing went up between the early 1950s and 1970. A fair number of those homes still carry original T1-11 or hardboard sheet siding. On older homes, that siding often shows the same failures: edges that swell and wick water, bottom courses that go soft, and paint that won't stay on.

Owners who like the vertical-groove look can replace failing T1-11 with SmartSide panel siding. This keeps the home's mid-century character with a treated, engineered product. Owners who want to change the look can switch to SmartSide lap siding. Either way, the old material comes off first, so we can see what's behind it.

A wood look without fighting wood's weaknesses

Solid cedar and redwood are beautiful, but they require the most ongoing care of any common siding. You have to stay on top of paint or stain, and rot and pests are a constant risk. SmartSide won't match the depth of genuine old-growth redwood. It does, however, give a convincing grain texture that suits ranch and bungalow profiles, with considerably less upkeep. If you want the real thing, our wood siding page lays out the trade-offs honestly.

Lighter and tougher to dings

Compared with fiber cement, SmartSide is noticeably lighter and easier to cut and handle. It also resists impacts well. That matters on the lower walls of a busy lot where balls, bikes, and garbage bins take their toll.

The honest trade-offs

SmartSide isn't the right answer for every San Bruno home. You should know the limitations before you choose it:

• It needs paint maintenance. SmartSide is primed and meant to be painted. Over time you will repaint it, and keeping the paint film intact is part of protecting it. In San Bruno's marine air, with morning fog, damp and wind, that maintenance matters. It is less demanding than solid wood, but it is not maintenance-free the way through-color vinyl siding can be.
• Installation details matter. LP's instructions set out specific requirements. These include clearance from grade, roofs, and decks; gapping at butt joints; sealing field-cut edges; and approved fasteners. On a wall that sees wind-driven rain coming through the San Bruno Gap, skipping those details is how problems begin. We install to LP's published instructions and don't take shortcuts on edge sealing or clearances.
• It is a wood-based, combustible product. This matters on some parcels, and the next section explains why.

A note for hillside and open-space-edge parcels

Most of San Bruno is built-out flatland and foothill that does not sit in a mapped high-fire zone. However, the city has adopted the state's updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone map. Parcels along the western hills and open-space margins can be designated, such as homes in Portola Highlands backing onto protected land or lots near the Sweeney Ridge foothills.

Where a parcel is in a designated zone, California Building Code Chapter 7A governs the exterior wall assembly. It generally steers toward noncombustible or ignition-resistant materials. Whether a specific siding and wall assembly is acceptable depends on the parcel, the product, and the scope of work. We confirm this with the San Bruno Building Division rather than assuming.

On a designated parcel, we will often recommend a noncombustible option like fiber cement or James Hardie instead of SmartSide. You can read the city-specific Hardie discussion on our San Bruno James Hardie page. On the large majority of San Bruno lots that aren't designated, SmartSide remains a reasonable choice.

How a SmartSide job goes

We walk the exterior with you and look at the current cladding, trim, and problem areas. Then we write up a scope.

Permit. San Bruno's Community & Economic Development Department, Building Division, requires a building permit for siding work, and we pull it as part of the job.

Tear-off and inspection. The old siding comes off down to the sheathing. This lets us inspect the substrate, look for dry rot behind trim and under windows, and check the condition of any existing water-resistive barrier. Many homes from this era were built before that layer was standard. If sheathing has failed in a spot, we replace it. That is the only time framing becomes part of the conversation.

Weather barrier, flashing, installation, and finish.

• A new water-resistive barrier goes on.
• Windows, doors, and transitions are flashed.
• SmartSide is installed with LP's required clearances, gaps, and fastening, with trim integrated as specified.
• Paint and a final walkthrough complete the job.

If you're replacing windows at the same time, it's efficient to coordinate the two jobs, since the flashing at each opening ties into the new wall. See our San Bruno window replacement page.

What drives the cost

We don't publish prices because the numbers depend on the house. The main factors are:

• The amount of wall area and how complex the walls are, including gables, bump-outs, and two-story sections
• Lap versus panel versus shake profiles
• How much trim is being replaced
• What the tear-off reveals about the sheathing
• Window and door count, since each opening needs flashing
• Whether you choose factory-primed boards that are field-painted or a prefinished option

We can price SmartSide side by side with fiber cement and vinyl so you can compare. For the general re-siding decision, start with San Bruno siding replacement.

FAQs

Can LP SmartSide replace the T1-11 on my San Bruno house? Yes. This is one of the most common reasons homeowners here consider it. SmartSide panel siding can keep a vertical-groove look, or you can switch to lap siding. We remove the old T1-11 first so the sheathing and weather barrier can be inspected rather than covered up.

Does SmartSide hold up in San Bruno's fog and wind? It is engineered and treated to resist moisture and decay better than untreated wood. Long-term performance depends on correct installation and an intact paint film. That means proper clearances, sealed cut edges, a sound weather barrier, and careful flashing, which matter in any wind-driven-rain exposure like the San Bruno Gap.

My home backs onto open space near Sweeney Ridge. Should I still consider SmartSide? First, we check whether your parcel is in a designated Fire Hazard Severity Zone on the city's map. If it is, Chapter 7A shapes what the wall assembly can be, and we will usually point you toward a noncombustible fiber cement option. We confirm the specifics with the Building Division.

How is SmartSide different from fiber cement? SmartSide is engineered wood. It is lighter, easier to work, impact-resistant, and has a warm wood texture. Fiber cement is heavier and noncombustible. Both are painted products that last a long time when installed correctly. The better choice depends on your parcel, the look you want, and your budget.

Ready to see SmartSide on your home? Request a bid, browse our projects, or call (415) 619-5167. We serve San Bruno and the rest of the Peninsula.