hardie board siding advice

[slowpok]

Hi All

I have decided to install hardie board 8" x 12' (I need fire proofing for code) and I have looked at their installation guide but I was hoping for
some more more advice for caveats from experienced good people.

My home has wood T1-11 existing siding.
some areas are 2 story. I will remove all the existing trim
, and instal some wrap over the existing siding, then install
the hardie plank over the the wrap.

The labor cost here are to pricy for my pocket book
& I am not finding any contrators who want the job at all

Some Queations I have are

how to make sure the planks are level on crooked walls?

what are the do's & don'ts ?

Hardie Board recommends their Radial Saw Blades?
or can I use standard fine cut blades.

how much edge distance at the end of the exterior walls should the edge of the planks be? since the planks are 12 fy long what if I am a foot short
should I cut some planks to 12'' lengths? what should be the max edge distance?

is there AID's that help maintain the correct distance of overlap?

would screws be better than nails?

please do add any advice.

Thanks in Advance

Lee

[giddonah]

I can't answer most of that (ok, I can't really answer any of it), but if you're 1' short the entire height of the wall, I would cut a bunch of planks to different lengths and stagger the seam so you don't have a vertical line 1' away from a corner.

[VALENT]

What do you mean crooked walls? I think regular blades will work fine just not as well. Nails are fine. You can draw a line at 1 1/4 inch down from the top and line the next boards bottom to that(or fashion a block of the correct reveal with a lip that hooks to the lower boards bottom) I definitely would not use the 1 ft boards on the ends.

[slowpok]

I can't answer most of that (ok, I can't really answer any of it), but if you're 1' short the entire height of the wall, I would cut a bunch of planks to different lengths and stagger the seam so you don't have a vertical line 1' away from a corner.

Thanks for the reply

If I understand corectly then I should stagger all planks so it breaks up
all seams , is that correct

Thanks

Lee

[slowpok]

What do you mean crooked walls? I think regular blades will work fine just not as well. Nails are fine. You can draw a line at 1 1/4 inch down from the top and line the next boards bottom to that(or fashion a block of the correct reveal with a lip that hooks to the lower boards bottom) I definitely would not use the 1 ft boards on the ends.

Thanks for your reply.

I meam out of square both vertical and horizontal.
my house was built in the 70's.

Ok I got it make a block to locate the next plank.
now what do you suggest please for keeping all the horizontal planks
in line. I have about 50 ft of length on the east and south walls,
and 24 ft of length on the south wall about 20 ft hiegth.

what would you suggest please to temporary fasten the planks
if I work alone. so I can nail it on straight.

Thanks

Lee

[giddonah]

If you stop and take a look at any vinyl sided house, you'll see what I mean about the staggered seams, it makes it harder to see them. And I'd agree with Valent that they should be more than a foot from the edge.

[VALENT]

As far as being out of square, theres not much you can do. I would start with a perfectly level line all the way around the house and keep adding the hardi perfectly level. The plumb portion I doubt if it will be noticeable. If it is very bad, I would definitely suggest putting the trim boards over the hardi rather than butting up the planks to the trim. (This will cut down drastically on the work of trying to make other than 90 degree angles on every end and window and door opening.) You can put a nail in right at the 1 and 1/4 inch line to hold the other end of the hardi when you first put it into place when working alone. It seems I have also seen a tool somewhere that hangs from the current piece of hardi and both measures the perfect gap for the next piece and holds the end of the plank but I have no idea where I saw that tool. By the way, I dont know if you really need the house wrap being that you are going over the existing siding.

[slowpok]

giddonah

Yes thank you I will check out some existing siding.



VALENT

I found a tool on the web, for $60 , it's appears it will do the job.
please see at http:www.heartyhangers.com

Thank you for you reply's if any other ideas come to mind please advise.

Lee

[giddonah]

nifty little gadget, I'll have to remember this next spring...

[CThomp]

definitely gonna have to get some of those hangers. Seems like a ridiculously simple way to keep the whole thing level.

[Cole]

I have something along those lines but mine doesnt hold it up there.

Check this out too:
http://www.snappershear.com/sidingtools/index.htm

[Bmartin]

Check out the permanent clips from simplicity tools http://www.simplicitytool.com/siding_accessories.htm. They seem to work pretty good.

[11chaos]

You can use nails to hold it at the correct level. Just measure down then pop a Chalk line.

When you are cutting you might want to wear some sort of respirator or dust mask.

Don't sink the nails all the way either it can snap your piece.

I would stagger your joints over three that way it is more astetically(sp?) pleasing.

Make sure you know where your studs are, mark them just after you wrap the house.

When cutting don't allow a big drop of the piece or you will break it and then you will have to throw it away. That makes for a bad day.

[bjasmer]

You should definitely buy a pair of electric fiber cement shears. No dust, extremly portable, no expensive blades to replace. A must have.

You should spend some $$ and get a good high quality fiber cement blade for your miter saw or table saw. You will need to cut the trim boards with a miter saw.

Buy a couple of of lap siding hangers. The kind that holds one end of the siding in place if you are doing it without help. Very handy.

Use hot dipped galvanized nails. Don't use a framing nail gun. I've found that they damage the surface of the siding because they go in too far. You'll want your nail heads flush so no water leaks inside the nail puncture.

Buy touch up paint.

Touch up any damage with calk.

Pre drilling is only necessary on the "cheap" brands of fiber cement siding. I've found James Hardie siding is flexible enough where pre drilling is not necessary because it is not brittle.

Pre drill trim boards. Use hot dipped galavanized finishing nails.

In between butted joints, keep the factory cut ends together. If you cannot, paint the end of the board that you cut yourself to seal it.

In between butted joints, cut a piece of plastic sheeting and place between to keep moisture out.

Hope this helps!

Brian Jasmer.

[bjasmer]

definitely gonna have to get some of those hangers. Seems like a ridiculously simple way to keep the whole thing level.

No need to spend $70 on those particular hangers. Go to any home center that sells siding and you'll get a comparable set for $20. Well worth it.

Brian Jasmer

[bjasmer]

You may want to paint the backs of the first course of boards--the course closest to the ground--just to keep any moisture from the ground from soaking in. Especially if you live in a climate where snow may cover part of your siding.

Brian Jasmer

[Tom_E]

From the "for what it's worth department" ,

I am only a half step from a newbie, however I learn everything the hard way and it seems to stick !

Hardie plank is really an easy product to work with in my opinion. Start it out straight and level, and with the proper tool, it stays that way . I use a pair of solo siders , cost was $20.
Cmt blades for all cutting tools are a must, yes they are high dollar but they last pretty well and are well worth the cost. Mask and gloves are just really good sense , that dust does float.
The plank can break very easily, but don't get upset over it. Cut off the ragged edge and lay it aside , you'll need a piece like that someplace.
I belive one is susposed to caulk each butted end. Be that to another plank or to the trim at the end of a run. Spacing rules should be considered.
With all respect to those who think otherwise, I do use a nail gun. I have set it so that it does not sink the head of the nail into the material. If for some reason that does happen I apply caulk to the nail head. There are nails for the guns that are made for cmt plank installation , I suggest using them.
I will face nail on occassion. I do so with a hammer by hand and I hold this action to a minimum.
House wrap. Higher then high dollar. Tyvek ( DuPont) reccommends the stucco wrap under cmt board. That wrap comes in 5 ft wide rolls and is unbeliveably expensive. It is made to direct any water to flow downwads ( in a vertical plane) that gets to it. I always put my billfold in my mouth, my hands over my head and the tears flow freely as I buy the %^## stuff.
I suggest the PDF found on the James Hardie web site. It is really a good source. Also a call to James Hardie Co. will be meet with folks who are very helpful and tolerant of those like myself who are dabbling in another mans trade. Tom