Hardie plank is great stuff!!! You can cut it with a special carbide blade or an electric shears made especially for the material, the shears are a zillion times quieter and make no dust. I have done several Hardie Plank jobs recently. Buying the product completely pre-finished is the way to go and I believe it also provides you with the longest finish warranty. If you go pre-finished, be sure to use the color-matched caulking made to go with it, the match is usually perfect. We always have a gallon of matching finish mixed up and pre-paint the edges of the corner boards and the inside corner fillers so that there is no need to apply paint to these surfaces after the siding is applied. Just like anyother painted product, the stuff you have mixed will show up if you get it on the pre painted siding, so painting those surfaces first makes everything look perfect. Go easy on the caulking too. It removes with paint thinner but if you slather up the ends of your planks and then attempt to clean it off after you **** the boards together, it leaves a residue that looks like smeared paint when viewed from certain angles. Also be aware that although the application instructions mention a gap between the plank ends, it also says that the gap is not necessary, I believe it says something like 0-1/8 inch or something like that. We always **** it tight with just a slight amount if caulking at the joint. Don't skip the nailing of the **** joints on the face of the product unless you use some of those new clips made for the purpose. Blind nailing with roofing nails along the top of the course works out great especially if you use a roofing gun. At the **** joints we usually add a strip of 15 lb felt about 2" x 6" installed vertically as a flashing strip to keep wind driven rain from getting through the siding job, just slip it under one edge of the siding, letting it lap over the top edge of the previous course and the **** the other board into it. Stainless steel ring shank siding nails do a great job at the **** joints but you need to pre drill the stuff with a carbide bit first. You should be very pleased with the result and the long term durability of this stuff
