Why is it so popular you ask? Good question. Hardiplank can ressemble stucco, wood, cedar shingles and other kinds of plank siding such as vinyl. Not only does fiber cement siding look good, but it is very effective in protecting your home against all the elements mother nature can throw at it. It is very durable, water proof and fire resistant offering in most cases an unmatched 50 year warranty.

Since there are many different companies producing fiber cement siding, it is important to follow each brands instructions on how to install safely, and so that your warranty is not void. Always use caution when cutting and installing fiber board. Wear appropriate protection such as protective glasses, gloves and ear plugs.

Fiber cement board handles a lot like wood, but is not wood. It is important to keep this in mind before installing it. It does not support its own weight well and needs to be supported generously to be effective. It can be installed with the same wood working tools you would use for typical wood siding, however there are specific tools made specifically for cement board. These tools make quick work of cutting, spacing, and hanging your cement board siding. Special shears cut down on dust, but if you do not have them a circular saw will do the job. If this is the case, make sure to wear a dust mask as you will need it.

So remember, wood, vinyl, and aluminum are readily available to use as well, but are high maintenance compared to fiber cement siding. Vinyl looks cheap and can become brittle over many years of exposure to the sunds UV rays. Choose a product like hardie siding that will last a life time and look good doing it.

Our Readers Comments:

Ms. Peleski
Can fiber cement siding be installed on a diagonal?

James Hardie
Thanks for all that great information. Be sure to check out http://www.jameshardie.com/homeowner/whyJamesHardie.shtml to learn more ways James Hardie fiber cement siding products can enhance your home.
gary sandlin
Question how do I clean your cement board siding what types of solvents or detergent can I use

Fred Londene
Need to talk to you about installation of hardie plank that has been sitting in the rain for three days. Will it be okay to install this hardie plank when the weather clears?
Thanks
Fred Londene

It is important to remember that when hardy plank is cut, it produces a ridiculous amount of dust. For this reason, companies have started making saws, and blades specifically for hardy plank to help reduce the amount of dust produced while cutting hardy plank siding.

As an installer I would have to recommend hardy shears as my number one pick for cutting hardi plank. You can pick up brands like Hilti hardi shears at local hardware stores such as Lowes and Home Depot. Hardy shears are easy to handle, they are compact, and are virtually dustless. A small draw back or con to using hardie shears, is that if you cut too close to the edge of the hardi plank, it will break or crumble. If you know this prior to cutting your hardie plank, it should not pose a problem.

Hardy plank can even be cut without power tools. A simple method that is also virtually dustless, is to use a utility knife and a straight edge. This method is known as the score and snap method. Simply score a line with a sharp utility knife, lay the hardie over a straight edge, and press down on the section of the hardy plank you with to break. Its just about that simple.

When it comes time to make an intricate cut in your hardiplank, such as a cut to go around window or door trim, the cuts can become tricky to make. For these small intricate cuts, I would recommend two different tools, one would be a jig saw, and the other would be an angle grinder. Keep in mind that you will need to replace the blades on a jig saw often. A metal cutting blade will last longer than a wood cutting blade, but do not cut as fast.

The second tool I was referring to use for these kind of cuts is the 4″ angle grinder. The angle grinder equipped with a diamond cutting blade is a great way to cut hardie plank siding. It is fast and compact, and can be maneuvered easily to make smaller cuts. It does have a large draw back though. An angle grinder will produce alot of dust as well, so I recommend using it outside, or in a well ventilated area.

If you do not want to spend the money on a pair of hardie shears, and already have basic hand and power tools, the last method of cutting hardie plank that I would recommend is with a traditional circular saw. If you use a basic saw blade, you can expect to see a dust cloud large enough to cover your home. However you can now pick up low dust saw blades, that dramatically reduce the amount of dust produced while cutting hardie planks. These hardie plank saw blades can also be placed on a table saw and used to make longer rip cuts, or angled cuts.

Why is Caulk such an important part of hary plank? If you did not caulk the seams of hardy plank, you will be in a world of trouble the first time it rains. Caulking plays a vital role in keeping wind driven rain and snow from penetrating into your home through seams, and butt joints. So remember that everywhere two pieces of hardy plank meet, you will need caulking. You will also need to place caulking any place that hardy plank meets up with door trim or window trim.

While installing the hardi plank, you must caulk the joints before intalling. So what you need to do is take the caulk, and apply a bead along the edge that will be butting up to another piece.  Push the two pieces tightly together and allow the excess to spooge out of the seam. Take a damp rag and wipe away any extra caulk.

When you are installing hardi plank with wood trim, it is important that you allow the wood trim plenty of  room to expand and contract. It is recommended that you allow 1/8″ at any seam where the two materials meet.

So now that you know how to caulk, lets talk about what kind of caulk. It is very important that you buy a permanently flexible caulking. If the caulking is not flexible, it will crack and peel in a short amount of time. After you have installed your hardi plank and are ready to paint, make sure that you allow the caulking to dry the recommended amount of time, before painting. If  you paint over wet caulking, your paint will crack and peel, along with the caulking.

Comments from our readers:

Carl
First to get the damaged piece of siding removed.
Take a flat pry bar and slip it under the damaged piece of siding and pry outward gently to give you a view of where the nails are.

Then place the flat bar under a nail and hit the othe end of the flat bar upwards, that will push the nail out. Do this to all the nails untill the piece of siding comes out.

Then you can slide the new piece of siding into place and face nail the siding with a finish nail.

Thanks

So lets start by examining some of the pluses of installing a  hardy plank siding on your home, whether it be a new home, an addition, or a remodel. Hardy plank siding off the shelf, whether purchased at Lowe’s, Home Depot. or any other hardware store will come with a 50 year warranty. The stipulation to this is that it must be installed 100% correctly. Install it just slightly incorrectly and your warranty goes out the window. Hiring a professional or someone who claims to be a professional to install your hardy plank siding, does not insure that it will be done correctly. Make sure to do research on your contractor to ensure that he does the job correctly.

Another advantage of Hardy Plank sinding is that it comes pre-primed and ready to paint. The surface of hardy plank accepts paint really well making it extremely easy to paint after it is installed. All that is required after installing your hardy plank siding is to caulk it, and paint it. It doesnt get much easier than that, oh wait! It does.

Hardie Plank now even comes pre-painted! Just thinking about that makes me feel lazy. James Hardie has provided many different colors for you to choose from when looking for siding. All you do is install it, caulk it with a clear caulking and you are done! Now its safe to say that it doesn’t get any easier than that!

Hardy Plank is impermeable to water. This makes choosing hardie siding for a home along the coast a great choice! With Hardie you do not have to worry about your siding rotting, molding, becoming brittle, corroding, or mildewing. As apposed to a real wood that will rot, an aluminum siding that will corrode, or a vinyl siding that will become brittle over time. These are the main advantages of hardy plank siding and there are many more. We know it is not perfect so yes we are going to pick it apart in our next article examining the disadvantages of hardy plank siding.

Comment from Reader Tyler Kawana:

“Hardiplank is NOT impermeable to water. If it were you wouldn’t have to paint it or keep it completely dry prior to installation.

The pluses of Hardiplank are it’s uniformity, dimensional stability, and as you noted, its lifespan.

A couple other things:

Properly installed wood siding will not rot and is the most widely used residential siding material in the world for a reason, it’s extremely durable. It’s the standard used to measure all man-made siding.

Aluminum corrosion creates a layer of aluminum oxide on the surface that protects, rather than deteriorates, the aluminum. The biggest drawback to aluminum siding is its inability to return to its original form after impact (it dents).

Vinyl siding’s biggest drawback is the fact that it’s hideous.”

Hardie plank is the siding of now, and of the future for many years to come. Its great innovations in design and durability make it leaps and bounds above the competition. Not only are there other choices of siding, but there are other kinds of fiber cement siding to choose from. Why choose a wood siding that will need regular maintanence to keep it from rotting? Why choose a vinyl siding that will become brittle after years of exposure to UV rays from the sun? Why choose an aluminum siding that will corrode over time? If you are asking yourself these questions and are really examing your choices in home exterior siding, you will easily be able to determine that hardi siding is the right choice for your home.

James Hardie comes with a 50 year warranty, i doubt you will find such a warranty on any other siding material on the market today. Of course for this warranty to be good, there is a requirement that the hardie plank must be installed correctly. So hiring a professional may not be a bad idea.

Hardie Plank comes in several different sizes and designs, with different textures to choose from. If you are remodeling your home, maybe by adding a new room,  and need to match an existing siding, chances are that James Hardie siding plank has the right plank to match designs even 50 years old.

Although installing hardie plank is not the hardest job in the world to do, it is not the easiest either. It can be done by an experieced installer, by himself. However if you are going to install hardie plank siding on your own for the first time, I strongly recommend that you have at least one other person to help.