Can you tell the difference?

Can you tell which is which? 👀

I recently inspected a home with a mix of cladding types…

👉 One area is weatherside

👉 One area is fibre cement

From the street they can look very similar — but up close the differences matter (especially for buyers).

Quick clues to look for:

🔎 Weatherside often shows: • Swelling or soft, fibrous edges when damaged

• Deterioration starting at lower board edges

• Slightly more brittle/softer feel

• Common on 1970s–mid 1980s homes

🔎 Fibre cement typically shows: • Cleaner, crisper board edges

• Denser, more uniform finish

• Generally holds up better when maintained

• More common late 80s onward

⚠️ In these photos there is some classic lower-edge deterioration that helps give one of them away…

Drop your guess in the comments — which photos show weatherside? 👇