Fiber Cement Siding

[DieselDennis]

Anyone ever dealt with this stuff in plank form?  I'm getting close to wrapping a garage in the 8" planks.  Questions:

1) What did you nail the stuff up with?  More importantly, did you use a siding nail gun, or were you able to use a roofing nail gun?  

2) Did you snap lines to mate the top of the planks up with?  Or did you buy those spacing blocks (gecko gauges) that locate off the row beneath it?  

3) What did you trim out the windows & doors with?  Lumberyard said folks just use what's essentially a fiber cement 1 x 4 with the smooth side out.  That almost seems to plain but I'll have to see what's on the house.

4) When you "kill" an end, do you just butt the siding up to the trim board, and then caulk the joint later?  It almost seems I should do all my trimming first, and then do all the siding.  

5) Did you add any additional flashing over the windows or doors?  

6) Did you bother to caulk the butt joints between the planks before you painted?  

7) Did you just put the trim up with finish nails? 


And any other advice anyone has will be appreciated.  I'm already well aware of the sawdust danger.

[brianwelch]

I would take a look at the James Hardie website...they have the answers to pretty much all your questions...
I plan on using shears rather than a saw to reduce/eliminate dust...
https://www.jameshardiepros.com/

[tomsteve]

1-8D galvanized ring shank nails in a gun- paslode framing gun
2-snapped lines for 1st course- measuring down from soffit to get line for 1st course straight, then gage blocks and measuring up to soffit occasionally.
3-been different things on different houses- depending on builder. some were 1 by RS cedar packed out. some used the cement board trim. personally i like the RS cedar trim look.
4- butt into corner and caulk later. trim everything out 1st.
5-yes- flash above window trim
6- bead of caulk on ends where there were butt joints while installing- squeeze the joint together, wipe off excess
7- 8d galvanized ring shank nails in a gun.

keep the butt joints staggered on each course. cant recall right offhand what distance we used to make it- seems like at least 16" between joints on each course.

some people do some people dont, but i prefer to caulk all joints around windows and corner trim. not just for moisture, but also bugs.

1st course of siding- run a 1" wide strip of siding about 1/8-1/4" higher than the bottom of the course. thatll give it that 1st course the same look as the rest of the courses- it wont be flat against the wall.

[mike4244]

Anyone ever dealt with this stuff in plank form?  I'm getting close to wrapping a garage in the 8" planks.  Questions:

1) What did you nail the stuff up with?  More importantly, did you use a siding nail gun, or were you able to use a roofing nail gun?  

2) Did you snap lines to mate the top of the planks up with?  Or did you buy those spacing blocks (gecko gauges) that locate off the row beneath it?  

3) What did you trim out the windows & doors with?  Lumberyard said folks just use what's essentially a fiber cement 1 x 4 with the smooth side out.  That almost seems to plain but I'll have to see what's on the house.

4) When you "kill" an end, do you just butt the siding up to the trim board, and then caulk the joint later?  It almost seems I should do all my trimming first, and then do all the siding.  

5) Did you add any additional flashing over the windows or doors?  

6) Did you bother to caulk the butt joints between the planks before you painted?  

7) Did you just put the trim up with finish nails? 


And any other advice anyone has will be appreciated.  I'm already well aware of the sawdust danger.

I used a roofing nailer with 1-3/4" nails. You can hand nail too, not hard at all.
I use the spacers made for this siding but not necessary. Before I used the store bought spacer I used a shop built jig similar to a combination square. The depth was set , no slide like the combo square.
Trim was done first, what ever you like. I have used PVC trim or wood, never used cement board for trim except for facia.
I precut 30 lb. felt 8" x 10" for flashing under every joint in the field. 1/8" space left for caulking at the seams and the trim boards.
Aluminum flashing for all openings , 30 lb felt for corners.
I use a 15 gauge Bostich nail gun for trim and Bostich roofing nailer for siding.
The planks have to be carried vertically, if not a 12-0" plank may snap in half. I have installed this siding myself but I do not recommend it. Two men handling the planks is much easier. 
Place fan behind you to blow dust away from you and set up so wind is behind you.
I cut the siding by snapping it after scoring with a carbide tool. If you use a mitersaw the bearings will be shot after one or two installations. Shears are supposed to be the best, never tried them myself.
mike

[atgcpaul]

Buy these shears.  They were recommended to me by someone here.  I did a small run of siding using my circular saw and a siding blade.  Never again!  The shears gave relatively dust free cuts and they were good for curves, too.  Cutting straight wasn't really a problem.

https://www.amazon.com/PacTool-Internati...ing+shears

I was replacing old Masonite siding so I made marks on the end trim where the bottom of each old course was and lined the bottoms of the new fiber cement siding on those marks.   I was only replacing the bottom 4-6' of siding on my house so I wanted to keep the same reveal.  I used chalk lines to keep things straight when there was a run of more than plank side by side.

I also hand nailed the siding because I wasn't working fast enough to rent a gun for a day and there were just 40 planks to do so it wasn't a big deal.

My Dad helped so we didn't need the siding gauges, but if I was doing this alone, I would have gotten the Geckos.

[Tim in Indiana]

1. I always use stainless ring shank nails in a coil nailer, Bostich guns for me. The nails should not be driven flush with the surface, the heads stand proud.

2. Buy the Gecko gauges. They're less than $60 on Amazon and they will save you that much in time while keeping the courses even. You can sell them on eBay when your done. You might be able to buy a used set there for less.

3. Hardietrim works well but there are some nice PVC options that incorporate a rabbit like a J-trim. Hides the siding to trim joint and the need to caulk. The downside is their are few color choices like you get with the Hardie Trim.

4. If you use hardie trim or a wood composite you do trim first, then butt the siding to the trim with a small gap and caulk.

5. I always put a head flashing over the windows and doors, then place a 5/16" thick spacer on top of the flashing then the siding. This maintains the correct spacing from the wall. I prefer to use Cora-vent poly vent strips. They are easier to use than ripping strips from the hardie plank. I use these for the starter course. I also prefer to use these same strips vertically on the studs to create a vented area behind the siding. It does not add not much additional cost and they provide a drainage plain for any moisture that gets behind the siding or comes from the inside out in the winter. I believe it is absolutely necessary behind wood siding. It greatly improves finish life on the wood siding.

6. Unless something has changed recently Hardie no longer recommends caulking the siding butt joints. Only the plank to trim joints. You should place a flashing behind the butt joints though. I commonly use synthetic roof felt. I take a roll of felt and cut off a 5" wide end of the roll. Then I cut the correct length to cover the width of the exposed plank plus a couple inches above and onto the wall. I staple them into place before I butt the two panels. This drains any moisture that migrates into the seam onto the panel below, not behind the siding.

7. I use 2-1/2" stainless trim nails for the trim. I have seen people use the same ring shank nails and paint over with the touch up kits. I have also stapled flashing stock to the back of the trim and then stapled these to the wall. This avoids any nails showing.

If you are using prefinished planks make sure to get the correct number of touch up kits. They make it easy to cover nails and you must paint any cut edges.
I use the same pac brand shears mentioned above, they work well and last forever. If you need a smooth cut for a butt joint I recommend cutting the material with a saw. A carbide blade will cut quite a bit before it wears out but a PCD hardier blade lasts much longer. Where a dust mask and do it outside.

Don't let the planks get wet before installation. Even though they are cement and they may be prefinished the back side will soak up moisture. A 12 foot plank will expand 1/16" to 1/8" in length. If you put them up wet they will shrink leaving a large, noticeable gap at the butt joints. Keep the material dry.

Last, go online and download the Hardie install manual. Or you can call Hardie and ask them to send you one. It is an incredible resource and will keep you from making mistakes. I make sure anyone who installs with me reads it front to back.

Good luck, prefinished cement material is a great product if it is put up correctly.

[rudedan60]

I did my house 15 years ago. I will say do not chalk the joints, when painted it tends to stretch and crack.  Do the flashing on the ends, I would prime your cut ends. The Snapper cutter is worth it (mine has done 3 houses now with the same blades.) or use a cheap circular saw and diamond blade, but it is creates a lot of dust. Malco tools have some other options. For small job the circular saw is the way to go.  The gauges are nice, I used "Labor Savers" and a 4' level, and story stick to keep everything space properly.  They will snap if you let them flop, so a helper is very useful.  Stagger your joints so water does not have a place to get in.   Used a full head PC framing nailer with Hitachi Nails, drill if you have to get near an edge and hand nail. Good Luck. Dan

[jamesglenn]

As someone mentioned above, review the James Hardie website for installation details. Butt joints in the lap siding require flashing behind and there are numerous other nuances. The shears are definitely worth it.
Also, as someone mentioned, look into pvc trim with rabbets for the corners and other trims. Much better detailing and easier to install.
The cement trim is brittle and hard to handle in long lengths without extra help. Then you have to color match the caulk for the nail holes, although some trims have nailing tabs.