Vinyl siding old technology

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Current wisdom, according to our local experts in construction, is NOT to put up vinyl siding. Use Hardee fiber cement products. They have siding, wall board, soffit board, and many other products that will NEVER rot.

-- Rose (open_rose@hotmail.com), October 10, 2001

Answers

I misspelled it. Hardiplank.

here is the link

http://www.jameshardie.com/hardiplank.htm

-- Rose (open_rose@hotmail.com), October 10, 2001.


Vinyl siding has a high mark-up. That is why Sears and some remodelers and manufacturers are pushing it. Eventually, the price will drop and it will become a cheaper (quality and price) substitute for hardiplank.

-- paul (primrose@centex.net), October 10, 2001.

I just went to their website and saw two things which concerened me right away. They say it installs like regular lap siding, which means one board at a time so you'll have higher labor costs (vinyl can come in much wider pieces which means fewer pieces to install). They also mention it comes "factory primed" so I'm thinking you'll need to paint this stuff. Again, more labor not only on the front end but over the life of the structure as well. Make sure you check these things out thoroughly before you decide. "Current wisdom" could be that the "local experts in construction" can have their crews do this work rather than subcontracting or having you find someone else altogether to do the siding job. I hope this helps.

-- Gary in Indiana (gk6854@aol.com), October 10, 2001.

Vinyl breaks. Whether it's hail, or a child with a hammer, or a hard- hit ball from a game, or just a kid in a tantrum, vinyl breaks (similarly, one of the competition, aluminium siding, dents). Also, so far we've seen vinyl become brittle over age, both because plasicisers evaporate, and because of exposure to ultraviolet. You might be lucky - they may have solved the brittleness problem - heaven knows, they needed to. However, we haven't seen evidence of it yet.

Also, vinyl is low-mass. That means, among other things, that noise gets in. Also vinyl will resonate, whereas Hardiplank dampens vibrations. That also means vinyl cladding will be a lot noisier than a more massive cladding - the reason they can make vinyl siding in bigger slabs than more substantial sidings is - well - because it's flimsier - lighter. This does not necessarily mean vinyl is bad, but it does mean there are two sides to the argument. There are cetainly circumstances where I'd use vinyl or aluminium siding - either is quick and cheap. However, my personal opinion is that I wouldn't use vinyl where I was trying to build something that would last; and while I might use steel siding I'd prefer not to use aluminium for something I wanted to still look good decades from now.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), October 10, 2001.


Is Hardee the same as hardboard siding? The stuff that, when it gets damp, wicks the moisture up and bubbles and crumbles? I see a lot of homes that have "hardboard" siding that is crumbling away at the edges.

-- Bonnie (chilton@stateline-isp.com), October 10, 2001.


No, Hardiplank is NOT the same as hardboard that gets wet and deteriorates. This stuff will NOT deteriorate or rot.

It comes in MANY incarnations. Plank, yes, but also 4 x 8 sheets, several different textured surfaces.

You do not HAVE to paint it. It is a nice sort of dove grey on its own. You can paint it if you want to. It takes paint well and paint lasts on it better than on wood.

-- Rose (open_rose@hotmail.com), October 10, 2001.


Hardiplank is made by James Hardie and Sons Pty Ltd. Reason I know something of it is because they were originally an Australian company, and one of my computer customers had James Hardie as a customer way back then (although they restructured to be international over a decade ago - an ongoing process). So - the name is a family name - nothing to do with hardboard. In fact, Hardiplank is (putting it simply) cellulose fibres in a cement matrix (used to be asbestos fibres, until they learnt better). Dense, strong, and (believe me - in Australia we notice these things) termite-proof. Colour off-white (or as said, dove-grey after their pre-priming). No special skills required - nail it up by any carpenter, just like timber weatherboards. Lasts forever (well - guaranteed 50 years - experience doesn't take us any further yet) without painting, but can be painted if you like.

-- Don Armstrong (from Australia) (darmst@yahoo.com.au), October 10, 2001.

Does this sound like a sales pitch to anyone else? If it is, and is allowed, my DH does siding installation...........

-- Kathy (catfish201@hotmail.com), October 10, 2001.

I recently inquired about HardiBoard and was told by the manufacturer that if you did NOT paint it, you would not have a warranty. They said the paint can last 8 to 15 years and should not peel or crack.

-- Marsha (CaprisMaa@aol.com), October 10, 2001.

We have our summer porch sided in this. Hardi plank is just that planks, we used hardi-board which is 4 by 8 sheets that go up just like T-1-11 siding or the like. It is cement inpregnated. Don't be fooled by any guarantees for building material. From having to save each and every blue tag on your pressure treated lumber, to a void in warranty if you install your shingles in certain temps, or if you have certain humidity. We have installed Hardi-board on lots of customers new construction without a complaint, and with paint not peeling or alligatoring in Houston, now thats worth a commerical! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TEXAS (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), October 11, 2001.


THIS IS NOT A PLACE TO ADVERTISE YOUR WARES.

I agree with the poster above - it sounds a bit much like a sales pitch.

-- Justin Shelton (justinshelton@netscape.net), October 11, 2001.


20 years ago august 18th I helped move a building(old house) to my dads for a chicken coop it had this siding as do alot of old garages in our area it is really hard and does stay a nice color but if you break a peice you really cant replace it nicely and a ball would break them quite well just ask my dad.oopsthey are available at our local lumber yard.

-- (yorel_56714@yahoo.com), October 11, 2001.

Be careful of older equivalents of Hardiboard. They were in fact asbestos-cement sheets, and working with them is a definite health hazard. OK if they're in place and you just leave them, but not good to try and salvage and cut and re-use (in fact, not good to break up and throw away either - special precautions needed when handling at all).

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), October 11, 2001.

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