Install Fiber-cement Siding: Don’t Paint Your House for 25 Years!

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Fiber-cement siding is widely available and can be purchased at home improvement centers and lumberyards. Perhaps the best-known manufacturer is James Hardie, which offers three products: HardiePlank, HardieShingle and HardiePanel. Other manufacturers include CertainTeed, Cemplank and Maxitile. CertainTeed produces products in 16 color choices.

Installation

Before installing new fiber-cement siding, you’ll probably need to remove all the old siding — a time-consuming, demanding job. You’ll also need to rent a dumpster to haul the waste away. You may be able to recycle old siding or burn it in a woodstove if it’s not painted or treated with chemical preservatives or lead paint.

Applying new siding is relatively simple as long as you have basic construction skills, time and patience. You’ll also need a few tools: a circular saw or chop saw, cordless drill or hammer, sawhorses, ladder, dust mask, eye protection, level, straight edge, chalk line and a bevel gauge for marking siding for gable ends.

If you don’t have the necessary skills, hire a professional. A good contractor will do the job right and in a fraction of the time it would take a do-it-yourselfer. For those who want to take on this project, start by reading the manufacturer’s instructions and follow them closely. Manufacturers such as James Hardie offer detailed information on their websites. If the siding is installed incorrectly, you may end up creating costly problems and voiding the warranty.

Like conventional wood siding, fiber-cement siding can be applied to both wood and steel studs, but it’s normally attached to exterior wall sheathing (oriented strand board or plywood) on top of an appropriate weather-resistant barrier, such as Tyvek (see “Weather-resistant Barrier Materials,” below). Some fiber-cement products can be applied over rigid foam insulation. You’ll need to install vertical wood furring strips to which the siding will be attached before installing the siding over concrete or concrete block walls. Check the manufacturer’s recommendations for spacing of the furring strips.

Fiber-cement is attached using corrosion-resistant galvanized or stainless steel nails or screws that penetrate studs or exterior sheathing. Many fiber-cement siding planks can be blind-nailed onto exterior sheathing so that no nails show (an advantage over traditional wood clapboards). To do this, each plank is nailed about 1 inch down from the top edge. The next plank is placed so that it overlaps the nails, hiding them from view. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully, as there are some restrictions on blind-nailing wider planks to prevent wind uplift. (Wind can lift wider planks if they’re only attached at the top.)

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