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Can anyone clarify this for me? Is hardi-plank the same composition material as hardi-board? When people say - hardi-plank are they referring to the same thing as hardi-board, or is one in a sheet and the only a "plank," LOL (well the name does seem to indicate a plank - hardi-plank!!!)
I had hardi-board on a house in the past and everyone in the neighborhood came to hate that stuff, b/c it deteriorated after about year 10 . . . the whole neighborhood had the same problems . . . and we were all stuck w/ tearing the stuff off and re-doing. This was on upscale homes, brick and/or stone facades, cedar shake roofs, etc.
I just read some info about new homes stating they were constructed w/ hardi-plank and that it lasts "forever" and doesn't need painting but every 15 years. I thought - wow - if this is the same thing as hardi-board - ours did not even LAST 15 years and the paint faded so badly on it - everyone had to paint every four years - if not sooner.
So I would like to know if the two materials are the same - and if they aren't, what is the difference - and is it true - no paint for 15 years?????
James Hardi or Hardy owns the company hence the name. It is a cement composite board and hard as a rock. Have to use special blades to cut it. Great for hurricane areas and holds paint really well.
Not the same as the siding they used to sell. Remember, like kleenex, if they call something a familiar name, it does not mean that is what it is.
If you had problems with your siding after 10 years, it was probably hardboard siding, not the fibercement siding that's used today.
Okay - that explains it. The mess we had we thought was supposed to be great. One builder did huge sections of our former subdivision. Imagine our surprise when we all started having problems w/ deteriorating siding . . . it started around windows and at the edges of the boards . . . luckily we caught ours early on . . . we had neighbors who sustained such bad water damage they had to tear out large palladian windows and have the wood repaired/replaced/reinforced. And these were not inexpensive homes.
I said ten years but DH advises it was at 12 years that we realized we had a problem. Glad to know the materials that are being used now are a better, more durable quality than what we all had to contend with. It was disgraceful.
As you can imagine -the builder had long before this moved on and was not even building houses in our state any longer.
The paint will probably only last 15 years if you used GOOD paint to begin with. Chances are the painting done on new construction is only a midgrade paint. Exterior painting is one place where you do NOT want to skimp.
Hardi- Plank, and Hardi-Board are patent named products of James Hardy Corp.
As you guessed before- Hardi-Plank is the lap board siding used on hundreds-of-thousands of homes. Hardi-Board is sheets of the same product. It comes in 4X8', 4X9', and also comes in standard width soffit material that is perferated for venting purposes. All Hardi branded products are a fiber-cementuous product.
Hard- board siding (lap-siding) was actually Masonite. There were other lap-board siding on the market years ago- they all came under class-action suits:
Louisiana- Pacific (for example), another was called "Abi-tibby"- they were all an OSB- type material that couldn't standup to the riggers of weather and poor installation techniques.
As far as paint is concerned- it doesn't matter what the substrate is, how well it was prepared, or how good the quality of the paint- a paint job is good for 5-7yrs max. The the caulking is not going to last that long if it's regular latex.
Hardi- Plank, and Hardi-Board are patent named products of James Hardy Corp.
As you guessed before- Hardi-Plank is the lap board siding used on hundreds-of-thousands of homes. Hardi-Board is sheets of the same product. It comes in 4X8', 4X9', and also comes in standard width soffit material that is perferated for venting purposes. All Hardi branded products are a fiber-cementuous product.
Hard- board siding (lap-siding) was actually Masonite. There were other lap-board siding on the market years ago- they all came under class-action suits:
Louisiana- Pacific (for example), another was called "Abi-tibby"- they were all an OSB- type material that couldn't standup to the riggers of weather and poor installation techniques.
As far as paint is concerned- it doesn't matter what the substrate is, how well it was prepared, or how good the quality of the paint- a paint job is good for 5-7yrs max. The the caulking is not going to last that long if it's regular latex.
The junk on our previous home was doubtless the hardboard. Yes, it was like masonite, wh/ we discovered when we started trying to reply it. It was sheer junk and should never have been on the market.
We were so disheartened after that experience that we insisted on an all brick home this go round.
Can anyone clarify this for me? Is hardi-plank the same composition material as hardi-board? When people say - hardi-plank are they referring to the same thing as hardi-board, or is one in a sheet and the only a "plank," LOL (well the name does seem to indicate a plank - hardi-plank!!!)
I had hardi-board on a house in the past and everyone in the neighborhood came to hate that stuff, b/c it deteriorated after about year 10 . . . the whole neighborhood had the same problems . . . and we were all stuck w/ tearing the stuff off and re-doing. This was on upscale homes, brick and/or stone facades, cedar shake roofs, etc.
I just read some info about new homes stating they were constructed w/ hardi-plank and that it lasts "forever" and doesn't need painting but every 15 years. I thought - wow - if this is the same thing as hardi-board - ours did not even LAST 15 years and the paint faded so badly on it - everyone had to paint every four years - if not sooner.
So I would like to know if the two materials are the same - and if they aren't, what is the difference - and is it true - no paint for 15 years?????
ok, folks, here is the straight dope... Hard board/masonite, abitibi brand siding was used from the 60's to 1990 in many places. There were several grades and if not kept caulked, nail holes flush or puttied it would decay with moisture pentration as it's nothing but pressed sawdust with a paper skin. There were huge class action lawsuits. By the 90's most builders went to vinyl siding. In the late 90's Hardy Plank started showing up in the US (though used in Australia for a hundred years). It's being used as a hardboard replacement for those not wanting a plastic house.It comes raw or prepainted. It preforms well but can deteriorate if exposed to constant backsplashing of water. Also, avoid using any wood trim, which will rot in a few years. The old growth Doug fir pine, ectl has been removed from the market since late 80's. Use PVC, Hardyboard trim, or others like Mirotech..
I actually have a question about Cemplank by Hardie installation. I was looking at the instillation instructions found on the Cemplank site, but if I am reading them correctly, the builder may have not been truthful to me. I asked them about this when we first moved it, but it still bothers me.
The builder used caulk where the planks meet because they said it looks better and keeps out moisture. I asked them about the Joint Flashing that should be installed where the boards meet, and I was told that they do not add joint flashing as Hardie does not require it, so they use caulk. The house does have a water resistive barrier around it.
Joint flashing is required for factory built color finish and only recomened for primed product. I know that painters had to come out to paint the siding after it was installed, so I guess it is only recommended? It does also say caulk is not recommended at the "Field Butt Joints" (does this mean where the planks meet?) If so, it is caulked.
I have been in the house for 16 months, is there anything I should do?
I realize that if this installation is fine, it is best to recaulk every 5 years with the recommended caulk. Also, painting should be done just about as often to keep up the look.
Thanks for any input on clearing this up and setting my mind at ease.
Last edited by newguy416; 11-11-2011 at 10:38 AM..
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