Disclosed herein is a fiber cement cladding system such as fiber cement shingles or shakes which can have the appearance of authentic wood. Each individual fiber cement shingle or shake comprises a textured surface having a depth of relief and a coating system disposed on the textured surface. The coating system may include a sealing agent, a basecoat, and a topcoat. In some embodiments, the basecoat is disposed on at least a portion of the sealing agent and the topcoat is disposed on at least a portion of the basecoat. In some embodiments, the basecoat comprises a DFT of 1 to 3 mils and the topcoat comprises a DFT of 0.05 to 2 mils. In some embodiments, the depth of relief of the textured surface of the fiber cement shingle is about 0.045″ to 0.085″.