Cement Fiber Lap Siding Questions

[MountainDon]

Yep, I have a one track mind or so it seems right now.   

Looking over the available Hardi Plank info I see they have three thicknesses of Trim boards listed, 7/16, 4/4 and 5/4. Due to the idiosyncrasies of Hardi's regional marketing there is only 5/4 or 7/16 available to us in NM. I see the 5/4 is to be installed before the lap siding. The 7/16 is meant to be installed over the lap siding.

The Question ... what is preferable? 5/4or 7/16?  What looks best, is easier to do, pros, cons, and so on.


My feeling is that the 5/4 with the lap siding installed and butted up to (within 1/8" and caulked, might be the "better" way to go.       Thanks.

[n74tg]

If the 4/4 was available in New Mexico I expect it would be mounted the same way as the 5/4 (ie installed first).

Are you mounting the Hardie directly to the wall or putting in strips so as to have a drainage plane behind the Hardie?  If you are, then how will that affect the use of the 5/4?  ie Would you need/want a drainage plane behind it too?

This is a very timely asked question, as I plan to use Hardie plank and am not that far from starting myself. 

I will be interested to see what others have to say.

[MountainDon]

No fancy drainage. #15 felt then the Hardi. I feel we don't get enough rain to have the complications around windows and doors of a rain screen wall. I took care installing the felt, the windows, the flashing.


Off to the mtns now!! 

[PEG688]

 We used the cement corner brds ONCE , they are junk , thickness was all over the place.  They where very irregular , had dips / depressions , chipped corners. I hope to NEVER use that material again.

We spent literally hours to tune them up and they still look like crap after they where painted.

  Hardi's in general going down hill as well . I saw you found those holders , the trouble with those is they require the siding to be exactly the same width , which it NO longer is. They vary up to 1/4" so the "time savings" natural of using a 'man made " product that consistent is no longer true. Most guys still top snap lines then "fudge" the ones that are thick / thin. The bottoms are what should line up that jig engages the top so be aware what your doing if you use them.   

Of course wood has the same issues , here 4ea. 2x6's  plate stock 12' material,



I swapped two of them around so I had a thick and a thin on each side so at least the wall sections where the same height.       

[glenn kangiser]

Nice stuff to work with...not     - especially if you are a pro like PEG where jobs must look first class and 1/8 to 1/4 inch is something you worry about. 

[jr1318]

I used tech trim (pvc) when I did mine, I agree the fiber cement did not look to appealing to me either.

[Okie_Bob]

When I put up my Hardi lap siding almost 5 years ago, I didn't notice any difference in the width of the siding but, I did do something
different that maybe compensates for any differences. I made a couple of hangers out of 1/8" metal strapping about 1" wide and maybe 12" long. I bent a J shape towards the bottom and drilled some small holes in line at the top. I then started each wall section by measuring up and marking the width of each lap row, snapped a chalk line and started work.
I took the hanger I made and nailed the top on the chalk line, moved down a few feet and nailed another hanger on the same chalk line.
The distance from the hole I nailed thru at the top of the hanger to the bottom of the J was exactly the same distance so by nailing the hanger on a straigh, level chalk line, the bottom of the J is perfectly in line. I then layed a piece of Hardie lap material into the J's to hold, slide it in place length ways and nailed it in place. I did this because I was working alone and had to figure out a way to hold up the siding with one hand and nail it with the other! Seems to have worked pretty good as the lines are perfectly straight. Course the top of each corse may not be straight but, who cares, they are covered up with the corse that overlaps it so it is never seen.
I also nailed the trim pieces up first, nailed up the siding and calked ever single joint before painting.
HIGHLY recommend a nail gun, I would still be working on it if I didn't have one. And I used my skil saw with a special blade for cutting hardi type boards...looks like it only has about 4 teeth all the way around it...it worked fantastic.
Peg, not sure it would pass your test for workmanship but, it looks pretty good to me.
Okie Bob

[PEG688]

When I put up my Hardi lap siding almost 5 years ago, I didn't notice any difference in the width of the siding but, I did do something
different that maybe compensates for any differences. I made a couple of hangers out of 1/8" metal strapping about 1" wide and maybe 12" long. I bent a J shape towards the bottom and drilled some small holes in line at the top. I then started each wall section by measuring up and marking the width of each lap row, snapped a chalk line and started work.


Peg, not sure it would pass your test for workmanship but, it looks pretty good to me.

It was last year during the boom times that I started to notice the difference in width. It had, or has, something to do with "market share" and having control of it I'm sure. You know, build a good product, gain that market share, then try to either expand the company OR cheapen / speed up the production process to "make/  squeeze out"  bigger profits. Quite common.

If your happy with the work Bob, thats really all that matters.