On fiber cement and wood siding, hail damage usually shows as chipped paint, crushed or cracked plank edges and corners, and split or dented wood boards, rather than the clean holes it leaves in vinyl. It concentrates on the walls that faced the storm. Because the boards often stay in place, the damage is easy to miss until water gets in. Repairs range from spot-priming chips to replacing broken boards. This page is general information; your policy and adjuster decide what a claim covers.
On this page: Signs · Why it happens · Ground check · Repairs · Basis · When to call
Signs to look for
| Siding | What hail damage looks like |
|---|---|
| Fiber cement plank (such as HardiePlank) | Chipped paint in round spots; crushed bottom edges; cracked or broken corners and plank ends |
| Fiber cement panels and trim | Cracks radiating from an impact; chips at outside corners |
| Cedar, redwood or pine lap | Fresh dents, splits along the grain, paint knocked off in round spots |
| Engineered wood (such as LP SmartSide) | Dents and fractured edges; swelling later if the coating is broken |
Check the same walls for dented gutters, downspouts and window wraps. Matching damage on soft metals helps show that the marks on the siding came from the same storm.
Why heavier siding still gets damaged
- Edges and corners are thin. A plank is strongest in its face and weakest where it ends or where the bottom edge hangs free.
- The paint is the first layer hit. Fiber cement and wood both depend on the coating to keep water out. A chip that looks cosmetic opens the board to moisture.
- Wood splits along the grain. A hard hit near a nail line or board end can open a split that runs with the grain.
- Freeze-thaw follows. Water that gets into a broken edge freezes and expands. A Fine Homebuilding case diagnosed crumbling fiber cement near an entry as wicked moisture freezing, made worse by deicing salt.
How to check from the ground
- Walk each wall in daylight after the storm. Low, raking light makes chips and dents easier to see.
- Look closely at plank ends, butt joints, outside corners and the bottom course.
- Compare the storm-facing walls with the sheltered ones. Fresh damage on one side only points to hail.
- Photograph each spot close up, with a coin or tape for scale, and take a wide shot of each wall.
- Leave upper walls and anything over a roof to the inspector.
Repairs, and the wrong fixes
| Repair | When it fits |
|---|---|
| Spot-prime and paint chips with a compatible coating | Paint chipped, board sound. |
| Replace cracked or broken planks and trim pieces | Edges crushed, corners broken, boards split. |
| Repaint the damaged walls | Many chips across an elevation. |
| Replace siding on the elevation | Widespread breakage, or the product cannot be matched. |
Wrong fixes: filling cracked fiber cement with caulk and painting over it, leaving chipped spots bare until the next repaint, or replacing a wood board without priming its ends and back. For prefinished fiber cement such as ColorPlus, James Hardie requires its own touch-up kits; caulk and field paint weather differently from the factory finish.
Manufacturer and research basis
- James Hardie (HardiePlank HZ10 instructions). Field-cut edges must be caulked, primed or painted, and ColorPlus products require Hardie touch-up kits. Products must not be installed where they can stay in standing water, and all clearance details in the instructions must be followed.
- Independent hail data. Haag Engineering’s 2012 ice-ball study measured hail thresholds for vinyl, aluminum and steel siding but did not test fiber cement or wood. IBHS ran a 2013 full-scale hail test on a house clad in vinyl and fiber cement; its public summary gives no siding results.
- Wood decay. The USDA Forest Products Laboratory notes decay starts when wood moisture rises above the fiber saturation point, about 30 percent, and that keeping wood dry prevents it. Broken paint is how wood siding gets wet.
For vinyl, see hail-damaged vinyl siding. For gaps and caulk at fiber cement joints, see fiber cement clearance and caulk problems.
When to call
Call after any storm that dented gutters or chipped paint you can see from the driveway. We install and paint fiber cement siding, so we can replace broken planks and match the paint in one job. Our painting Hardie board guide covers the manufacturer’s paint rules, and the exterior problems guide lists related issues.
Book a siding inspection
Integrity Roofing and Painting is veteran-owned and family-run since 1990, an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred contractor with 650+ Google reviews. We photograph every damaged wall and the roof above it in one visit. Colorado Springs area: call (719) 488-2800 or book a free inspection. Denver metro: call (303) 209-0152 or book a free Denver inspection. Austin: call (512) 610-5897 or book a free Austin inspection. We reply the same business day.
Sources: James Hardie, HardiePlank HZ10 installation instructions; Haag Engineering, Ice Ball Impact Testing of Siding, 2012 (IIBEC); IBHS, Building Vulnerability to Hailstorms; Mike Guertin, Fiber-cement siding problem, Fine Homebuilding (2016); USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Home Wreckers in Search of Moisture; R. Sam Williams, Weathering of Wood (USDA FPL, 2005).
