# Hardie board?



## MJsLady (Aug 16, 2006)

Has any one used this?
It was recommended to me by 2 sources yesterday to replace the lap siding I now have.
It is a cement fiber board that comes in many forma, one that even mimics the lap board I now have.


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## Robotron (Mar 25, 2012)

I haven't used it but do know that it's well respected as a product but is expensive.


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## Barn Yarns (Oct 7, 2012)

i have it on my house. came with it. it seems to hold the sun's heat a bit longer in the winter. 

our house is almost 7 years old now and still looks new


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## Travis in Louisiana (May 14, 2002)

I am putting it up on my house. It is a bit dusty to cut using a circular saw or you can just score it with a knife and break it off. I think they make a tool or blade to cut it. It takes paint real well. Wear a dust mask when cutting. It is a cement paper board. It will break in half very easy when handling long pieces. I do not like the trim boards made out of this stuff. Hard to nail through and crack easy. I use treated lumber for the trim. You could use regular non-treated boards for the trim boards also.


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## Huntinfamily (Aug 14, 2010)

I used it when I re did the siding on our office at my shop. It is very dusty to cut, takes paint well and looks nice. One trick I found helpful is to drill pilot holes in it before screwing it in place. That will keep the boards from cracking


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

We have it on our place. If you are installing it yourself, you MUST follow the directions EXACTLY. Proper spacing is critical. One other thing - If you have asian ladybugs, be sure to use a barrier fabric and paint the hardieboard a dark color. The bugs are attracted to lighter colors and will get in the cracks that develop between the laps.


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## TenBusyBees (Jun 15, 2011)

We had it on our other house and when we replace the vinyl siding here we will be using hardiplank.

The thing that impressed us most is our other house was completely infested with termites....they were eating through the sheetrock into the living areas of the house. The infestation was that bad. The termites never touched the hardiplank.

(btw, the house was a modular home built directly on the ground, no footer walls. The plank even sat against the ground and had minimal deteriation on the bottom edge.)


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## Ostie82 (Jul 19, 2013)

Had it on the house I built about 3 years ago (work recently moved me). I loved it. Paints really well, looks better than vinyl, no worries about termites and gives you the same insurance rating as brick. Great product in my opinion.


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## bronc (Jul 17, 2013)

We just finished our house and that's what I used above the stone wainscot. Very durable and flame resistant.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

My friend had it on her house that was about 7 years old and it's paint job looked brand new. So I put it on my house when I built it 12 years ago. My paint still looks good and my friend's house still has not needed paint.


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## Glade Runner (Aug 1, 2013)

It's a great product and looks good forever. You can get it with the color already baked on.


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## MJsLady (Aug 16, 2006)

Thanks y'all. 
We are looking at different options, so far this is my favorite.


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## rustyshacklefor (Sep 19, 2005)

When I install it on a home I always put a small piece of roofing felt underneath the joints. But like everyone else has stated it is a great product.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

Careful what you put it over, it does not breath well and underlayment may rot. Some house wraps trap moisture there, causing rot. I like the look for modern styles, don't like installing the product, too perfect, no character....James


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## KMA1 (Dec 9, 2006)

Cement composite board siding is a very good product. (Hardiboard is the name of the product of one of the primary manufacturers, and is a little higher in price.) It will crack or bust if given a good solid blow, but then so does wood.


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## Jolly (Jan 8, 2004)

Harry Chickpea said:


> We have it on our place. If you are installing it yourself, you MUST follow the directions EXACTLY. Proper spacing is critical. One other thing - If you have asian ladybugs, be sure to use a barrier fabric and paint the hardieboard a dark color. The bugs are attracted to lighter colors and will get in the cracks that develop between the laps.


Several years ago, an entire Baton Rouge subdivision brought suit against a contractor...they were having awful problems with their siding...Turns out it was not installed according to the manufacturer's instructions.


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## danielsumner (Jul 18, 2009)

I just love our HardieBoard siding. Siding and trim is all HardieBoard. No problems, it takes paint really well.


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## MJsLady (Aug 16, 2006)

What a lovely home Daniel!
Someday my home will be trim and pretty too!
Slowly as money becomes available.


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## Farmer Willy (Aug 7, 2005)

I used it on the knee wall of my greenhouse. Made a great backer for lathe and stucco. I may use on my house when I re-side it.


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## Joe.G (Jun 26, 2012)

I put it on one of my homes, I used 6 " planks that looked like wood planks, I used a Grey color, I put it on in 06 and it still looks like new.


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## jeeper55 (Feb 24, 2008)

I was a painter for 40 years, it is the best product to come out in a long time. we replaced so much rotten wood and Masonite you wouldn't believe it. I also prefer it over wood for corner boards. if you have dormers on your roof i would use it on all of it.It holds paint real well and won't rot. They make trim boards in thicker material also.


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## TrexTrev (Sep 12, 2013)

I agree it is good stuff. While building a large very ornate garage we took a piece of 3/4x4 hardie trim and stuck it in a bucket of water raw. We finished the garage and were working on the house and about 2 months passed, we pulled the piece out and it was completely unchanged we measured and had no swelling and when cut was still dry inside. The only down side of the product is that it is brittle and is easy to break during installation, it is also hell on blades. They make a special circular saw blade to cut it which runs about 30 bucks, never buy it. I have tried 3 brands and all had the same performance which wasnt much longer then buying a standard framing blade for 10 bucks. It does hold paint very well and doesn't warp, overall just a great product.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

It sounds like the kind of siding they should be using in the west where all the fires are burning.


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## UperJoe (Sep 12, 2013)

It's nice stuff for sure. Have also used 2x LP Smartside and like it as much. Less costly too.
Cannot go wrong with either imo


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## puttster (Oct 4, 2013)

Travis in Louisiana said:


> I do not like the trim boards made out of this stuff. Hard to nail through and crack easy. I use treated lumber for the trim. You could use regular non-treated boards for the trim boards also.


Using wood can be tricky for some reason it rots extra fast. House next door lost all its fascia boards ten years after getting resided with (mostly) hardiplank. Maybe like you said, treated would be okay.


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## Guest (Nov 25, 2013)

I've been seeing on tv that some of that cement siding is causing all kinds of problems & if you have it you might be eligible for compensation .


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## Joe.G (Jun 26, 2012)

We used some sort of Syntheic Trim looks like wood works great. WOnder what type of issues they are having .


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

WV Hillbilly said:


> I've been seeing on tv that some of that cement siding is causing all kinds of problems & if you have it you might be eligible for compensation .


Please provide a reference or at least some more info as I can't find anything.


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## wharton (Oct 9, 2011)

where I want to said:


> Please provide a reference or at least some more info as I can't find anything.


Certainteed "Weatherboard" fiber cement products seem to be the issue. Same basic product, but apparently a lot of failures in use. 

Also, it's critical to not confuse a brand of fiber cement products Hardie, and HardieBoard products with "hardboard" siding. Hardboard siding products have been a festival of failures, causing companies like Masonite, and LP to shell out many millions to cover damages.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

wharton said:


> Certainteed "Weatherboard" fiber cement products seem to be the issue. Same basic product, but apparently a lot of failures in use.
> 
> Also, it's critical to not confuse a brand of fiber cement products Hardie, and HardieBoard products with "hardboard" siding. Hardboard siding products have been a festival of failures, causing companies like Masonite, and LP to shell out many millions to cover damages.


Thank you so much. My experience with hardie plank has been very good but I'm always ready to worry about something.


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## Jim Bunton (Mar 16, 2004)

I have used this and loved it. I would recommend you buy a set of these. After you set the first coarse they make it easy to stay straight.

http://www.menards.com/main/buildin...ols/malco-overlap-gauge/p-1474984-c-13071.htm

Jim


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## wharton (Oct 9, 2011)

Jim Bunton said:


> I have used this and loved it. I would recommend you buy a set of these. After you set the first coarse they make it easy to stay straight.
> 
> http://www.menards.com/main/buildin...ols/malco-overlap-gauge/p-1474984-c-13071.htm
> 
> Jim


 Not a bad idea, but it can really create a disaster, if you make an error on one of your first courses, then recreate the error as you head up the wall.

I have been a supervisor on everything from countless Habitat projects to dozens of homes that I have built. There is one technique that seems to be pretty fool proof for everybody, from pros to those that never nailed anything to a wall before. 

I snap a chalk line all the way around the building, just above the doorways. Then at each corner, and to the left and right of every window and door, I drive an 8d nail about an inch deep, right through the snap line. This gives you a place to hook your tape and measure down to the top of each clapboard. By doing so, and recording the numbers, you can make every single board is dead straight, and looking good. This can be extremely helpful when it comes to small areas between windows and similar spots.


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