Has anyone hung hardie siding?

[johnnyhomeowner]

before i can start my shop i have to reside the house
it has masonite on it now and all the lower boards are shot
so i am looking to see if any of you have done this yourself and just what i have to look forward too

thanks Johnny

 

[Charles (in GA)]

A coworker replaced his Lousy Pacific siding with Hardie plank siding. He made some metal clips that hook on the top of one piece and the next one rests on it, that way the spacing was always perfect(he was working by himself). Most people nail gun it on, my coworker used stainless steel screws. Pre drilled it and ran the countersunk screws.

Charles

 

[kf4zht]

It's a pain in the ***. The stuff flexes like crazy, good luck carrying more than 3-4 pieces by yourself is next to impossible. It is a pain to cut, it will ruin a normal saw blade in minutes. You will need a carbide blade, for some reason fewer teeth is better (we used a blade with 2 teeth) and the dust off the cuts is nasty and has silica in it. It nails ok, but if you get too close to the edge it will break off.

That being said, it doesnt dent easily, will not burn and probably will hold up for a long time.

 

[Kevin54]

Check out Roger1's build. He used it to cover his Gas station themed garage. And it was DIY.

 

[Sundowner]

Fine Homebuilding magazine had a really good article on hanging hardiplank.
I'm pretty sure you can download it from thier website.

 

[ron in sc]

before i can start my shop i have to reside the house
it has masonite on it now and all the lower boards are shot

I had the exact same situation.

When we built the detached garage and an addition to the main house I had all of that crappy siding removed and then had the main house, addition and detached garage sided with Hardee siding so everything would match.

All the old siding had to be removed. Under the old siding on the main house was a foam type board that was very flimsy. As a result we had to have the entire main house covered with OSB then wrapped with that Tyvek stuff.

Hardee siding is heavy, flexible and makes what must be toxic dust when you cut it. The guys also used stainless steel nails in a nail gun.

We had the siding pre painted at a local place that does that. So once it's up it looks pretty good. Then we had the guys put on one coat of paint and it looks really good.

Another thinkg to think about is getting the smooth siding instead of the stuff with grain pattern. The grain patten will hold more dirt and mold and it will not be as easy to clean as smooth siding.

I would not do a big Hardee siding job myself.

 

[VDubJoe]

I did my 40 x 60 x 14 shop. Just me and my dad. They do flex and will break easily. So 2 is a must. I bought some hanger tools for it . Made it a snap. Used an air gun with nails made for it from McFillys. Carbide blade in my miter saw.

Joe H

 

[3bay]

It's a pain in the ***. The stuff flexes like crazy, good luck carrying more than 3-4 pieces by yourself is next to impossible. It is a pain to cut, it will ruin a normal saw blade in minutes. You will need a carbide blade, for some reason fewer teeth is better (we used a blade with 2 teeth) and the dust off the cuts is nasty and has silica in it. It nails ok, but if you get too close to the edge it will break off.

That being said, it doesnt dent easily, will not burn and probably will hold up for a long time.

Very well spoken, do not take lightly the danger in inhaling silica dust, it can wreck your lungs and is know to cause cancer.

 

[PAToyota]

I used Hardie on my shop. Although they say you can use a carbide blade, I went through a couple carbide blades before getting a diamond blade and finished the rest of the project with that. There are also some special shears that you can use to cut the panels without all the dust such as these: Siding shears

For a big project or if you were going to use them again, I'd look into those. Although, you could likely recoup a certain amount of the cost by selling them again when you were finished.

I went the stainless steel screw route over the nails. Working alone, I used a pair of the clips people have talked about: Siding Gauge

And definitely wear a good dust mask/respirator if you're cutting the stuff!

 

[Crusty Nut]

Siding shears for sure. Cutting the stuff is miserable. Just rent some shears and get on with it. It is concrete based and should last a really long time. It is also available in lots of patterns. The builder I work with hangs it with 1 1/2" or 2" roofing nails. It works great, the flat heads don't interfere with the next row.

 

[twostory]

I covered my entire garage with Hardie plank. It is a good product that is a bit of work to install. But once you install it, it should last forever, provided you paint it every 8 to 10 years.

My garage was first covered entirely in OSB, then tyvek. If you use foam board or something soft, the hardie install will be more difficults because if you miss a stud, the nail will probably blow thru the hardie plank.

I installed 450 (12 ft pieces) of hardie plank. I did buy the following tools:

Malco hanger tool ($20)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00009YUMG/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Pacific International shear SS404 ($250)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000DCBJH/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I would not do this job without the hanger tool. Once you get your first row level, the row above will always be level. I went 20 ft up my walls, checked the level every few rows and never had to correct for any level problem. The hanger tools work very well.

The shear tool is a must also. It allows you to cut the hardiplank without creating dust. You will need to rip a board (with a cicrular saw) when you reach the top, but most of your cuts are to only to set the length of the board. As others said, the dust is toxic (i.e. DEADLY), so do not breath it in. What happens is silica dust gets in you lungs and never leave, so a little dust is a very bad thing. If you have to saw hardiplank, wear a good dust mask and use a fan to blow the dust away from you as you cut.

I use a roofing nail gun to attach it. Used long nails to reach the studs. You can screw it or nail it, just read the "well written" install instruction on the James Hardie web page.

Is the job doable, yes, but it is alot of work. I had my wife as a helper. You will need a helper to help handle the long 12 ft pieces, they are flimsy, but I only broke two piece due to miss handling. At $5 a piece, do not worry if you break a few.

Goodluck...

 

[johnnyhomeowner]

thanks for all the help
i have purchased a "like new" (and it is) AN611 makita nail gun from ebay
also got pactool...........tool for hardi siding
fits under the first row and a lever locks it in for the next row
i do believe this can be done
from the quotes i have got i know i can do it better and cheaper than what i have been priced.

then its on to the shop
i HOPE

thanks Johnny

 

[rancherbill]

Check out Roger1's build. He used it to cover his Gas station themed garage. And it was DIY.

I am interested in seeing this. Can you check the user name? There is no Roger1 or provide a link to the thread.


Thanks

Bill

 

[Bacchus]

The added bonus is that oftentimes your insurance company will give you a rating similar to a brick house if you use hardiplank. They do around here.

 

[52RustRocket]

I predrilled and used coated deck screws. It is a pain to do, but well worth it.

 

[morpheus]

If you go to the James Hardie website there are directions for installing the siding. If you blind nail it you don't have to worry about the nail holes. **** the siding to the trim and caulk the joints. This stuff will last forever. I had a pneumatic shear and a diamond blade on a skillsaw and it worked good. Good luck.

 

[tigmusky]

shears a must! 200.00 nail gun a must 300.00 make a couple of jigs out of 1x4 or 2x4 cut in a L shape keep this in your tool belt and your good to go!
I ve did 4 house's the stuff is awsome looks good and gives the house a nice ridgid feel when you close the door,not like the plastic. Hail.... no problem
After a big hail storm a few mouths ago everyone replaceing there sideing and roofs. I fix my roof and now Iam in the shop doing cool stuff.
good luck daye