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How To Install Hardie Plank Siding

Can I install Hardie siding myself?

Fiberboard cement siding can be hand-nailed, but because it’s so much harder and more brittle than wood, you have to predrill holes near any edge. You can save yourself a bunch of time by using a pneumatic coil siding nail gun.

Do you nail or screw Hardie board?

What is the correct fastener pattern for installing HardieBacker® cement board? Fasten HardieBacker sheets with proper nails or screws (as listed in ”Materials Required” in the backer installation instructions) every 8” around the perimeter and all supporting studs.

Do you need plywood under Hardie board siding?

Fiber cement siding should be installed over plywood, OSB, or sheathing. Building codes will usually require installing siding over water-resistant barriers and nailed into the studs every 16 or 24 inches.

How do you fasten Hardie board?

Fasten the siding – You can fasten it with a pneumatic nailer or nailing by hand. You can use corrosion-resistant screws, or you can use stainless steel or hot-dipped galvanized nails. You can nail the siding by either blind nailing it at the top or face nailing it at the bottom.

Can you nail through Hardie board?

You can shoot Hardie siding on with air powered nailers or use hand driven roofing nails to attach siding to the home or structure. The nails can be ringed- shanked or smooth just make sure you are hitting the studs in the wall. Nails drive in too high won’t hold as won’t nails that are over driven.

Do you need Thinset under Hardie board?

However, many manufacturers including, both Durock and Hardiebacker not only recommend that you use thinset under their backerboard, but they specify it and will void the warranty on their product if it’s not used. Thinset is going to create a solid surface under tile and prevent flexing that could lead to cracking.

Do you caulk Hardie board siding?

James Hardie DOES NOT recommend using caulk or “H”-jointers for the butt joints of HardiePlank® siding with ColorPlus® technology. James Hardie also DOES NOT recommend applying caulk to the horizontal overlap between siding planks (see Figure 2).

Can I use screws for Hardie plank siding?

HardiePlank® lap siding may be used with fasteners approved by ICC-ES ESR-2290 spaced in accordance with the Wind Load Tables. Fasteners must be corrosion resistant, galvanized or stainless steel. Fasteners shall be installed between 1 in. and 3/4 in.

Can you install HardiePlank directly to studs?

HardiePlank® lap siding can be installed over braced wood or steel studs spaced a maximum of 24″ o.c. or directly to minimum 7/16″ thick OSB sheathing.

What kind of nails do I use for Hardie siding?

NAIL TYPE: Fasteners must be corrosion resistant, galvanized or stainless steel. Electro-galvanized nails are acceptable for use with James Hardie Siding Products, but may exhibit premature corrosion. James Hardie recommends the use of quality, hot-dipped galvanized nails.

Does Hardie board need strapping?

Even though James Hardie does not require a rainscreen in most cases, it can still be a relatively inexpensive way to improve the long-term health and performance of your structure. Particularly with HardiePanel, we always recommend at least a drainable housewrap as a weather barrier.

What do you put behind Hardie board?

Joint flashing: James Hardie recommends that a slip sheet (joint flashing) is installed behind each butt joint in the siding. This is a 6” wide piece of weather resistive material to make sure that no water gets through.

Do I need house wrap behind Hardie siding?

With fiber cement siding, the heavy material may compress the wrap so it’s extremely important that a non-woven wrap is used. This is because the heavy siding may lead to a build-up of moisture behind it, which in turn, can lead to mold growth and wood rot if that moisture is not properly addressed.

Do you need a special blade to cut Hardie board?

Cement Board-Cutting Tools For some types of Hardie board, you’ll need a power tool with a cement board blade with a carbide tip to cut the board. Carbide-tipped blades are made specifically for this kind of work. Mark your line; align the board against the guard as needed and slowly but firmly make the cut.

Do you need insulation under Hardie siding?

Hardie Plank is a cement board; it’s composition is sand and water. It is heavy on the wall and provides no insulation value. Formed to resemble wood, it fails to provide a deep, rich grain and does not come close to the look of wood. It is highly susceptible to mold and mildew.

Can you use a framing nailer for Hardie siding?

With some overlap in nail size, you may wonder whether framing nailers can be used for siding? The answer is, yes. Framing nail guns can be used for siding installation, if the nail being used is long enough to attach the siding firmly to your exterior wood sheathing.

What happens if you don’t put thinset under Hardibacker?

It will make an enormous mess under the house (or whatever is under your bathroom). It is also more likely to make the floor uneven since it is hard to level thinset that is separated by gaps. The installation manual for HardieBacker suggests to embed it in thin-set and it should be installed over plywood.

Can I just screw down cement board?

Screw and Joints Do not use drywall screws as they are not recommended to be used to hold the backer board in place. All of your backer board pieces should be cut before they are placed on​ the floor. It is important to highlight that screws shall not be installed all the way down to the floor joists.

Do you have to tape seams on Hardibacker?

For tile backer boards such as Durock, Wonderboard, Hardiebacker, Permabase, and others the seams between the board need to be treated with 2-inch alkali-resistant mesh tape.