Questions about siding...

[WileyBee]

Hey guys,

Got a siding question.  I was thinking about using Masonite siding to side my house.  I don't think it's actually the Masonite brand.  I think it's actually made by LP, but I'm sure many of you know the stuff I'm talking about.

My questions are...

My house doesn't have much of an eave (none really) on the sides.  See pics here http://www.countryplans.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1153254297/16#16

Do you think the Masonite siding is strong enough to withstand the weather?  I'm going to use rock skirting about 3 feet up, so it won't be near the ground, but the two sides and the rear of the house will be exposed to the elements.

The reason I'm debating using it is because it looks good and is very cost effective.  I can do the whole house for about $2000 (siding and trim)

I thought about using Smart Siding or HardiPlank but was talked out of it because of all the seams that would show and require flashing to boot.

Any ideas would be much appreciated.

[glenn kangiser]

John just posted about other problems with it here - class action suit etc.

I wouldn't want to spend money on it for any use if there are some problems in other places.  Seems like a marginally good (or bad) product.

http://www.countryplans.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1157417796/7#7

[desdawg]

Masonite siding has been around for a long time. It's main appeal is the cost. I would venture to guess that it is probably the least expensive of the siding materials. The biggest problem I have ever encountered with it is pretty unusual I suppose. I used masonite siding over plywood and trimmed my windows and doors with 1 X 4. Wherever the woodpeckers could get their little feet to hang onto the 1X4 and could hear a hollow sound they hammered away. My house is now plywood, masonite and stucco. With proper caulking and painting it works pretty well. I haven't encountered the mold issue but I live in AZ, land of the hot, dry, hot, sun. Did I mention that it was hot? No banana belt weather here. We did use masonite pretty extensively when I lived in Colorado. I moved to AZ in 1984 so that has been a while back, in the pre mold attorney days. We have come a long way since then.