Why not purchase it prepainted in what they call ColorPlus® Technology finish. I intend to use prepainted Arctic White HardiePlank lap siding. Below is a random pic of a home with Arctic White and it looks pretty white to me. In the past we've always had White Stucco paint however in the PNW it's not a suitable option hence HardiePlank lap siding. If there's any doubt about whiteness, I better go look for something better.

@PineBaron - we ordered samples of the Arctic White color from James Hardie. The Arctic White color has a grey hue to it (especially in low light conditions).

Exterior trim by many of the major manufacturers (e.g. Azek, Kleer, et al.) comes in a bright white color that is a lighter shade of white than the Arctic White color. Because of this color difference, the Arctic White siding appears light grey. It's very noticeable and the contrast just doesn't look correct.

Here is a photo of the contrast (in medium light conditions):

Does the ColorPlus® Technology finish offer a shade of white that is lighter than the "Arctic White"?

If you don't like the colors offered, use the primed and have it painted.

we recently sold our home. Pre-painted fiber cement with a 30 yr warranty on the finish. We had to paint the house before we sold it due to fading. They supplied a few buckets of paint.

so I think you are better off painting it yourself and getting the color you want.

those exterior trim products need to be painted anyway. Something about how they attract dirt if they are not painted....seriously :-)

Hi Equanimity -- what did you end up doing? I am in the same situation looking for a very crisp white, and have my hardie samples as well. Usually a much larger surface will reflect the light -- did you end up using the Hardie Arctic white? Would love to see a picture if you did. Beautiful home design btw!

@charlotte0124 - we chose the James Hardie Lap Siding in the "Light Mist" color, the Smooth appearance and a 6-inch reveal. If you're looking for a crisp white, then I would suggest choosing something other than the Arctic white (which has a bit of a grey tint). We really wanted a white color, but chose the grey color because we thought it was the "safe" choice.

@Equanimity, thank you for the follow up!

I am in the same position. I want a really crisp white, but the Arctic White has a grey tinge. How is it to get the siding primed for paint and then painting it yourself? Any photos of real houses with Arctic White would be great to see too. Does painting it on site look worse? More upkeep? Thanks!

In our case, the real issue was not necessarily the Arctic White color on a stand-alone basis. The issue was pairing the Arctic White color with PVC exterior trim (e.g. pilasters, window casing, etc.) that is typically bright white. You really notice the contrast in colors.

That would be the same issue with us. We also are going to have bright white exterior trim. What did you decide to do? Any photos to share? Thanks!

We installed the Light Mist.

If you wanted to use Arctic White, you can install a product named "Boral" for the exterior trim. It's vastly superior to PVC because it doesn't expand and contract. But, you have to paint it. Doing so could help you soften the contrast in colors.

Thanks very much!

@Equanimity we are considering Light Mist and wanted to ask if this is a true gray or has a green/blue tone to it. Reading this thread, I am now adding Arctic White to for consideration because it's not bright white -- looking for a true pale gray. If you have more photos that shows the contrasts, would love to see them, please. Thanks so much in advance!

@ manosztar -- I don't have any additional photos that show the contrast. The light mist color is a true gray, but definitely changes color in different lighting conditions. You can order samples of the various colors from James Hardie.

I am still challenged by this arctic white looking gray. I want a crisp white that goes with Azek white trim. Now I am hearing that Hardie does have other white shades in their Decorator Collection for an upcharge. Any thoughts? Any help in getting other product names (other than Hardie) in white?

Hi Julie! I was compelled to input on your comment as this was a similar, 2 month obsessive issue of mine as well! This string is as old as my similar challenge before we installed hardie on our new 3600+ sq ft 3 story home and I can share what I learned and my opinion on why it makes more sense to forego any pre-painted hardie if you have a large project like mine:

1) I am UBER sensitive to blue/yellow/gray undertones to start and different seasons bring out the different undertones (to make them 'worse' in my design opinion), so much so, I didn't even trust an off the shelf "white" paint -- I had 20 different variation samples I observed on the West and North walls, eventually mixing my own custom "white" -- painful, right? But I think worth it in the long run.

2) While we had 'master' siders who were deliberate and delicate, there is NO way a pre-painted material would have survived without the need for touch up painting anyway -- the material is messy to work with (cut/miter, etc.), and despite it's durability, doesn't take much at all to potentially scratch or ding it on the surface (keeping in mind we did the widest board and needed the longest lengths). They are heavier than you would think, and very 'bouncy' so man-handling them up a ladder and/or ladder jack is fraught with peril. Additionally, when delivered, they shift and move even during local transport so some surface scuffing will always be expected.

3) The flashing for inside and outside corners will never come in any desirable color you want, so that still needs to be painted. That means either roughing up the metal to hand paint, or masking then spraying. Ugh, right?

4) You can't 'patch paint' hardie -- the sheen consistency will need to be similar to the manufactured sheen (likely sprayed), so you would potentially be stuck with an 'after install' paint job anyway. The entire length of any given board would need to be painted/sprayed so that light reflections don't appear.

5) Exterior window trim/etc. -- we used boral trim for a bold and chunky look around our black aluminum windows. If you will have a similar quality to your hardie siding, color match (and/or painting) could also cause you an issue. We did white siding, with white boral (my custom color) to highlight the black window frames. Also to note depending on your trim lengths (mine go up to 12'), there are the seams to consider -- most manufacturers void a warranty if you caulk them, and a pre-painted option would make them more prominent (vs. sprayed paint to cover at least some of the seam). That of course is assuming your folks get it perfectly square/butted. And, if it meets a wall/ceiling and or corner (TBD your circumstance), it will need to be caulked, and caulking colors are limited.

6) Other products: I had several competitive products to the hardie product after deciding to go that route and though hardie was the most expensive (fairly marginally), it was the highest quality and most common product professionals use to install (hence also avoiding future 'that's their problem/not mine" install issues -- of which we had none really).

7) Nail/screw holes; don't forget, it needs to be mounted via nails or screws. Those holes must be filled. Another small issue that overall, will cause visual issues.

In the scheme of things, I am super pleased we went the route we did, spraying the hardie instead of 'hand painting' or purchasing a 'pre-painted' board at an extra cost (professionals on either side will tout the pros and cons of both). And, even with our super siding team, know there would have been other cost issues

I uploaded a few before, during and after photos that you may find helpful. The "muted mushroom' siding is the non-painted hardie and boral colors. The white is my final custom color and on the panels (vs. the hardie artisan lap siding --- just spend the extra money and do this!!) the panels are an off the shelf sherwin williams color.

It's a big (and expensive) decision but I hope you keep us posted on what you decide to do!

Non painted hardie artisan and panels

Non painted hardie and boral

Non painted hardie and artisan, caulking detail to hide seams

Non painted hardie panel and artisan with clear vg cedar bumpouts

The painful custom color with off the shelf white tests

half painted custom white with some original non painted hardie panels --- see how my white makes them look even more 'yellow'. East facing.

my custom white, with off the shelf mild mushroom panels

My custom white with off the shelf 'mild mushroom' panels west facing

colors complete (roof not at this time), west facing under a large 100' tree at dusk in the winter

((note that houzz is having some issues with my photo posts so I'll give this a shot and see what happens))

@Julie Stalknecht have you made any decisions? Just curious :)

My $0.02. We obsessed over every single detail in the new home we built (e.g. flying things in from England, having things custom-made, etc.). One of the things we struggled with was the siding. Three months after moving in, nothing really mattered. Life is busy and suddenly these details have no relevance. My advice is to just pick something you like and move forward.

@Equanimity so agree! What did you end up doing with your siding? My particular decision related to the expense of 'detailing' something (pre-painted hardie at a premium) that is marketed as 'hassle free' when in fact, it's not (and mostly not in the homeowners control with respect to delivery, installation and care handling).

@ charlotte0124 -- we chose the James Hardie Lap Siding in the "Light Mist" color, with a Smooth appearance and a 6-inch reveal.

@H. Jacobs Please share what roofing shingles you used, and color. House looks great. I love the Arctic White.

@H. Jacobs can you share what pint color you used on your brick? We are considering using artic white and Are trying to figure out a brick color. Thank you. Beautiful house!

H. Jacobs, I am considering arctic white hardie trim for bay windows I am replacing. I noticed you have newly installed Andersen Windows. Is the color of your window frame and sashes “andersen white?” Or “Colony white” ?

@Brian Greske, @bhtrent, @parisgrey - OMG I just saw your messages... I'm sorry I didn't respond...I had no idea I had questions! At this point, I assume you've all made your decisions. But if you're still researching I can check my records and tell the colors.

Jacobs, looks good but let me ask you- around the entrance doors are the rectangular holes for the lights just holes cut into the lap siding?

@charlotte0124 is there any way to see the pictures of your siding?

@H. Jacobs - We’re thinking about adding arctic white siding to our house and pairing it with painted brick. What paint color did you use for your brick?

@jessie1288 we had the local paint shop match the color of arctic white the brick.

I think Sherwin Williams is the paint matcher for James Hardie, Id have them paint match for your brick bc artic white is a light mist color… I just put it on my house not knowing it wasnt true white and Im so upset… even the little sample looks bright white, but when it goes up its grey misty color. Wish I would have known!

Thank you @jstrand26. I'm sorry - you're right that the sample looks to be a brighter white.

@charlotte0124 I would love to see photos of your house! Your comments were so helpful in justifying the path of painting hardieboard for our new build. Thank you for your insight! Did you end up using hardieboard trim, or did you use a different company. Thanks!

hi. did anyone ever look into the "dream" collection whites? I am struggling with arctic white due to that gray tint. thanks.

@Julie Redfern I am in the exact same position and was thinking of the dream white collection! Have you found anything out. Again, there are so many whites and I'm hoping a distributor in NY has samples!

I actually am so glad Arctic’s white is not a true white. So that it the trim pops if you use azek right?

Would love to hear from anyone who used a white from the Hardie “dream collection”…I’m renovating a colonial and want a true white. The arctic white is very popular where I live and it definitely appears gray, especially next to white Azek trim and it’s not the e look I’m going for.

Any recommendations on a true white (non-grayish) solution for Hardie board given the Arctic white grayish concern, or used Allura siding? They seem to have more white options. Thank you!

I called James Hardie andthey said that Summer White was their most neutral white with least amount of undertones. I also like White House

Anyone have pictures of dream collection colors? Deciding between pearl white and page white can’t decide!

@H. Jacobs - how is the arctic white holding up? Does it need to be cleaned regularly?

The windows look great. Are those Andersen 400 series?

Thanks!

@Tom Sullivan - it's held up great. Been 4 years and still looks new. I think we'll do a power wash next year.

I don't know which Anderson series, sorry!

We are using Alure brand fiber cement lap siding. It's a bit thicker. In case someone wants to use a different brand. Alure is the only brand brand fiber cement siding we can get

I too have used Hardie Plank of my home. I painted it after market with a Benjamin Moore color... Stratton Blue. The house looked great! I never had any issue and It lasted quite well for 17 years until which time, the new owners repainted it gray.