Installing HardiPlank


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Old 08-25-08, 09:48 PM
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Installing HardiPlank

Hi all,

I'm a weekend warrior, new to siding. Bought my house last year (built in 1985), and have replaced the floors and the pb plumbing, now it's on to the hardboard masonite siding. It's really not all that bad, but the lower third of the boards all around the house is rotting on the ends and at the nails. I suppose I may as well do the whole thing.

So, I have several questions and am already appreciative of your patient answers.

First, I'm hoping that I'll just pull off the old boards and put on hardi in their place -- that I won't find big problems underneath, that the sheathing is good, that most of my trim, fascia, soffit is still good, that the flashing is in place, and I can just hum along putting one board in place of another. Is this a pipe dream? What do I need to look out for? Also, do I need to tape up old nail holes in the sheathing?

Second, I'm hoping not to create clouds of dust and am opting for the Matco shears on my 18v cordless. Does this work? And for cut-outs -- can I make the smaller vertical cuts with the shears, then score and snap the longer horizontal section?

I'm planning on blind nailing. Any problem with using my Bostitch framing nailer with 2 1/2" nails with a .099 diameter? Galvinized nails, of course, nailed along the same vertical lines as the old stuff. (I assume the construction crew knew where the studs were).

I'm planning on using a piece of flashing behind each joint, and butting the boards one against the other. I like that better than caulk, because it seems to me that when the caulk fails, you end up with water getting through. Of course, I will leave small gaps between the boards and all trim and will caulk those. I have also seen and will observe the clearances recommended on the hardi instructions. Question, though -- what kind of flashing, since hardi on aluminum is a no-no?

Well, I suppose that's enough for now. I appreciate your help.

- Tom
 
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Old 08-26-08, 08:12 AM
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Wow. Lots of stuff!
Originally Posted by tmbecker
I'm hoping that I'll just pull off the old boards and put on hardi in their place -- that I won't find big problems underneath, that the sheathing is good, that most of my trim, fascia, soffit is still good, that the flashing is in place, and I can just hum along putting one board in place of another. Is this a pipe dream? What do I need to look out for? Also, do I need to tape up old nail holes in the sheathing?
It's probabaly likely that you'll find some things to be fixed, but perhaps not so much as a home that's 100 years old, given that you've only got "23 years" on your home. Be prepared to do as little as taping of holes in the sheathing and as much as re-sheathing the house with new Tyvek.

Originally Posted by tmbecker
Second, I'm hoping not to create clouds of dust and am opting for the Matco shears on my 18v cordless. Does this work? And for cut-outs -- can I make the smaller vertical cuts with the shears, then score and snap the longer horizontal section?
On Hardi the best experience I've had is using a cheap masonry blade on a chop saw. It's quick and you can do 3-4 pieces at a time if you are working around a window to a corner, etc. Use a jig saw with a masonry blade for cutting out anything odd.

Originally Posted by tmbecker
Any problem with using my Bostitch framing nailer with 2 1/2" nails with a .099 diameter?
Use a coil roofing nailer and galvanized roofing nails NOT a framing nailer (which would likely shoot through the Hardiboards).

Originally Posted by tmbecker
I'm planning on using a piece of flashing behind each joint, and butting the boards one against the other. I like that better than caulk.
I agree that caulk is a bad idea. Use pieces of roofing felt, not aluminum flashing.

I hope this helps. While there are certainly other valid opinions, I've done quite a bit of Hardiboard and found these suggestions to be good practice.
 
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Old 08-26-08, 09:33 AM
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Installing hardi

Thanks for the comments. As I looked through the board over the few days, I also saw that Xsleeper has a lot of experience and good advice. Any comments on the below?

- Tom
 
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Old 08-26-08, 03:54 PM
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I've pretty much come to the same conclusions as hawke. Like him, I'll go through your concerns one at a time. As he mentioned, there are certainly other valid opinions- various ways to accomplish the same thing with good results. So don't take my word as the final word. Carpenters never quit learning and picking up new and better ideas.

You'll want to do an inspection once the siding is removed. Areas to especially watch- lower corners of all windows and doors, along with any places roofs and walls intersect. You can also peek along the foundation to look for places water may have gotten behind the building paper. Should be fairly easy to tell. Depending on what type of building paper was used, you'll go from there. If #15 or #30 felt was used, no tape will stick to it. You'd be better off putting new paper down. If Tyvek or similar was used, you might be able to get away with taping the nail holes with Tyvek tape, or similar tape made specifically for building paper. However, if the Tyvek is dusty, the tape may not want to stick.

I also use a combination of chop saw/hardi-blade, skilsaw and hardi-blade, and a 4 1/2" grinder and segmented masonry blade. The jigsaw is handy too, esp for cutting holes. Always cutting outside, you just position the wind at your back when you cut and don't have to breathe anything. Shears are too slow for my taste... score and snap isn't accurate or clean enough. Good point about cutting several at a time w/ the chop saw. Can't do that with shears either. And I hate picking up the fiber-cement noodles that the shears make. But if you've got some particular reason to use the shears, knock yourself out. You can't really trim off 1/8" with the shears (if you need to) without boogering up the end.

Siding nailer with depth of drive adjustment should be your first choice of gun. Roofing nailers will work too, although I'm not a big fan of using them. Framing nailers really won't work, as mentioned most have no depth of drive and will blow the nail right through the siding. Proper setting of the nail is crucial w/ fiber-cement.

I don't agree that caulk is a bad idea... it just shouldn't be the primary way to flash joints, since caulk will eventually fail. What *is* true is that a bad caulking job will make the siding job look bad as well. So neatly applying and tooling the caulk is the key. I typically leave 1/8" gaps for field joints, use strips of #30 felt as flashing, and caulk the joints. (caulking is almost always left for the painter to do, though.) If I am definately not going to caulk field joints for some reason, then I tighten up that gap so that it is barely 1/16". I worry that the siding will expand and pucker, so I never like it to be tight. Choosing the right caulk is also important, and I always insist that either OSI Quad or Geocel Proflex is used. Other products that can be used as flashing behind joints would include galv. sheetmetal, Moistop PF, or Pro-Trim vinyl coil stock. I suspect most people just use felt- it's cheap, and readily available. I've seen a few products out there that are specifically made for field joints but they are wildly overpriced and therefore impractical. Some installers might be tempted to use pieces of Tyvek, but Tyvek's product specs specifically say it should not be used as flashing. Probably a durability factor or something. There are occasions where I have used aluminum flashings around fiber-cement (dripcaps and other custom flashings) but I have always felt that there is a difference between using bare aluminum and aluminum coil that has a painted coating. I have yet to read anything that says otherwise. Fiber-cement is used around aluminum windows all the time, and I suppose the coating on the aluminum is what makes it okay.
 
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Old 08-26-08, 06:15 PM
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Thanks

Thank you both -- I really appreciate the help. As I learn more, I'll probably have some more questions; and it'll be great to know I can come here for competent, timely answers.
 
 

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