Fiber Cement Siding (hardie) Questions
 

I am considering using a colored (probably grey) fiber cement siding for a
fairly large new home.


1. Are some brands better than others or should I just go by material
price?

2. Any surface textures I should avoid?

3. I know installation is important. I will be subbing this out. Any
tips?

Many thanks for any help.

Fiber Cement Siding (hardie) Questions
 

On Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:43:26 -0500, wrote:

I am considering using a colored (probably grey) fiber cement siding for a
fairly large new home.


1. Are some brands better than others or should I just go by material
price?

2. Any surface textures I should avoid?

3. I know installation is important. I will be subbing this out. Any
tips?

Many thanks for any help.

Having gone through this with a house in Oregon, I would highly
recommend that you stay with genuine Hardie siding.
http://www.jameshardie.com/ They invented it, and are the largest
producer in the world. You are looking at a major expense. You don't
want to risk using an inferior product.

Fiber Cement Siding (hardie) Questions
 

Hardieplank is grey, porous, brittle.
Installation consists of preparing the surface and properly attaching
the planks. Now it's on your house. All seams and nail holes must be
caulked and the surface painted. Will you use one subcontractor for all
the work? That would be preferable. You don't want blame-shifting when
something does not turn out right or warranty work is required.
This material will require eventual maintenance - patching any cracked
surface, recaulk and repaint. You should understand what reasonable
expectations are for this to be normal and not a failure of the
installer to correctly install and finish the product.
Will you subcontract any repairs due to unavoidable damage?

Fiber Cement Siding (hardie) Questions
 

Having gone through this with a house in Oregon, I would highly
recommend that you stay with genuine Hardie siding.
http://www.jameshardie.com/ They invented it, and are the largest
producer in the world. You are looking at a major expense. You don't
want to risk using an inferior product.

I did not realize they HardiPlank brand was that old. I know the fiber
cement products have been in use for over 100 years and was first
introduced in France. When/where did James Hardi start his company?

Fiber Cement Siding (hardie) Questions
 

On 9 Feb 2006 13:05:16 -0800, "IBM5081" wrote:

Hardieplank is grey, porous, brittle.
Installation consists of preparing the surface and properly attaching
the planks. Now it's on your house. All seams and nail holes must be
caulked and the surface painted. Will you use one subcontractor for all
the work? That would be preferable.

I am considering a colored product. Most manufactures make them. As I
understand it, those do not need to be painted.

I agree about one contractor.

You don't want blame-shifting when
something does not turn out right or warranty work is required.
This material will require eventual maintenance - patching any cracked
surface, recaulk and repaint. You should understand what reasonable
expectations are for this to be normal and not a failure of the
installer to correctly install and finish the product.
Will you subcontract any repairs due to unavoidable damage?

I hope it will be a number of years before repair is required. Most
manufacturers warranty their products for a number of years.

Fiber Cement Siding (hardie) Questions
 

On Thu, 09 Feb 2006 16:07:25 -0500, wrote:

Having gone through this with a house in Oregon, I would highly
recommend that you stay with genuine Hardie siding.
http://www.jameshardie.com/ They invented it, and are the largest
producer in the world. You are looking at a major expense. You don't
want to risk using an inferior product.

I did not realize they HardiPlank brand was that old. I know the fiber
cement products have been in use for over 100 years and was first
introduced in France. When/where did James Hardi start his company?

There is a lot of historical information on the website I mentioned
above. Here is an excerpt.

The predecessor of these modern companies was established more than
100 years ago, in 1888, when the enterprising young James Hardie left
his family's tannery business in Scotland and immigrated to Melbourne,
Australia, in search of new opportunities. Capitalizing on his
experience, James started business , importing oils and animal hide
tanning products.

Fiber Cement Siding (hardie) Questions
 

In article , NoSpam99989
@aol.com says...

I am considering a colored product. Most manufactures make them. As I
understand it, those do not need to be painted.

Factory-painted fiber cement is well sealed except where it is cut,
so you're mostly right, just needs some attention to the raw ends.

--
is Joshua Putnam
http://www.phred.org/~josh/
Books for Bicycle Mechanics and Tinkerers:
http://www.phred.org/~josh/bike/bikebooks.html

Fiber Cement Siding (hardie) Questions
 

I highly recommend hardie board. I was also going to go with the
prefinished color. If you add up the extra cost, you can paint
it for less. Remember you will need to buy color matched caulk
for all the joints. Or just color match some paint and paint the
caulk... I was a DIY and I opted to not use the hardie corner
boards, found them to be very brittle and costly. Used a non
wood composite product. Very happy with the results. Also used
vinyl soffit instead of hardie, just because of the looks…
my 2¢

TP

Fiber Cement Siding (hardie) Questions
 

TP wrote:


I highly recommend hardie board. I was also going to go with the
prefinished color. If you add up the extra cost, you can paint it for
less. Remember you will need to buy color matched caulk for all the
joints. Or just color match some paint and paint the caulk... I was a
DIY and I opted to not use the hardie corner boards, found them to be
very brittle and costly. Used a non wood composite product. Very happy
with the results. Also used vinyl soffit instead of hardie, just
because of the looks…
my 2¢

TP

All siding products, EVEN HARDIE Plank or Panel NEED Backside AND
Frontside Priming for optimal lifetimes. It doesn't add that much to
cost to put a coat of Kilz or similar on BOTH sides prior to
installation to make a truely LONG lasting investment

Fiber Cement Siding (hardie) Questions
 

Robert Gammon wrote:

All siding products, EVEN HARDIE Plank or Panel NEED Backside AND
Frontside Priming for optimal lifetimes...

Hmmm. Who says Hardie boards need painting?

Nick

Fiber Cement Siding (hardie) Questions
 

Fiber Cement Siding (hardie) Questions
 

On Sun, 02 Apr 2006 14:36:05 GMT, jdk wrote:
wrote:
Robert Gammon wrote:

All siding products, EVEN HARDIE Plank or Panel NEED Backside AND
Frontside Priming for optimal lifetimes...

Hmmm. Who says Hardie boards need painting?

i believe they do. when i got my mothers hardie it was primed. was told
to prime cuts and caulk joints before paint.

That's cosmetic.

I've got scraps of hardie plank that have been sitting as stepping
stones in the dirt for a few years and they are fine (other than a bit
of cupping from being stepped on). Nobody primed or painted any of
those cuts.

sdb
--
Wanted: Omnibook 800 & accessories, cheap, working or not
sdbuse1 on mailhost bigfoot.com

Fiber Cement Siding (hardie) Questions
 

In article , ZsdbUse1
says...
On Sun, 02 Apr 2006 14:36:05 GMT, jdk wrote:
wrote:
Robert Gammon wrote:

All siding products, EVEN HARDIE Plank or Panel NEED Backside AND
Frontside Priming for optimal lifetimes...

Hmmm. Who says Hardie boards need painting?

i believe they do. when i got my mothers hardie it was primed. was told
to prime cuts and caulk joints before paint.

That's cosmetic.

Not according to the manufacturer.

I've got scraps of hardie plank that have been sitting as stepping
stones in the dirt for a few years and they are fine (other than a bit
of cupping from being stepped on). Nobody primed or painted any of
those cuts.

But then, those scraps in the dirt aren't trying to keep anything dry,
are they?

Fiber-cement siding is porous. If it isn't sealed, rain can soak right
through it into the structure. The siding itself might not mind getting
wet, but do you want pretty siding over rotten framing?

--
is Joshua Putnam
http://www.phred.org/~josh/
Updated Bicycle Touring Books List:
http://www.phred.org/~josh/bike/tourbooks.html

Fiber Cement Siding (hardie) Questions
 

wrote:

Robert Gammon wrote:


All siding products, EVEN HARDIE Plank or Panel NEED Backside AND
Frontside Priming for optimal lifetimes...


Hmmm. Who says Hardie boards need painting?

Nick

Hardie says so .....
http://www.jameshardie.com/homeowner...stallation.php