t1-11 siding

[grainger12002]

any ideas for alternatives to t1-11 for siding my barn ? I have looked at smart board and the like,wondering if anyone has experience w anything comparable that comes pre primed w a warranty ?

Thanks

 

[LD1]

Metal??

Expensive, but will outlast most all alternatives.

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm a big fan of James Hardi siding. With the new saw blades designed for cutting it, that part is now really easy. It nails on easily, it holds paint forever and it's bug proof, just about fire proof and it will never rot. It does have to go over something like OSB and then you need to use house wrap, but both are simple enough to do.

Smart Siding is just a pre painted OSB. It looks nice when it's up, but if you don't seal the cut ends, it will absorb water and swell up on you. How long it lasts is still a question that hasn't been proven. Cost wise, it's not much cheaper then Hardi, but it's lighter and easier to install.

Metal is always good, but you have to like the look of it. Once you get the hang of it, it's very fast and easy to install. Best of all, once you hang it, you never have to mess with it again!!!!

T1-11 is a pain because of all the maintenance it requires. Some like the way it looks, but to me, it's cheap and temporarly looking.

Avoid anything based on paper or a paper fiber. That stuff is by far the worse of the worse!!!!

Eddie

 

[Swamp Yankee]

Here's another vote for Hardi. Even unpainted, it lasts forever. Several companies make shears for cutting it that run off a drill. Easy to use, and no dust. If you're using a saw with the stuff, you need to worry about silicosis from the dust.

T1-11 is difficult to flash around windows. It almost always leaks.

Better than T1-11 is just plain old rough sawn vertical wood siding. That's traditional, and if you have a local sawmill, it might cost less than T1-11. Keeps the money local, too. Where I am in New England, the traditional woods include white pine, hemlock, and poplar. Installed vertically and kept off the ground to minimize soaking from splashback, and with some attention to flashing, these woods can last a century. Installed wrong, you'll get ten years.

 

[cdaigle430]

Here's another vote for Hardi. Even unpainted, it lasts forever. Several companies make shears for cutting it that run off a drill. Easy to use, and no dust. If you're using a saw with the stuff, you need to worry about silicosis from the dust.

T1-11 is difficult to flash around windows. It almost always leaks.

Better than T1-11 is just plain old rough sawn vertical wood siding. That's traditional, and if you have a local sawmill, it might cost less than T1-11. Keeps the money local, too. Where I am in New England, the traditional woods include white pine, hemlock, and poplar. Installed vertically and kept off the ground to minimize soaking from splashback, and with some attention to flashing, these woods can last a century. Installed wrong, you'll get ten years.

? I have T1-11 around my house and garage-no leaks. It's been on the house for 45 years.

 

[BeezFun]

any ideas for alternatives to t1-11 for siding my barn ? I have looked at smart board and the like,wondering if anyone has experience w anything comparable that comes pre primed w a warranty ?

T1-11 needs to be nailed around it's perimeter or it will warp and look lousy, so unless you have framing on your barn that allows that, it won't work. If the framing allows it you could also use rough sawn plywood, or rough cut boards if you can find a decent source. Pine might be affordable. As others have said metal is an option. Never used Hardi board, but I've heard people do everything from rave about it to curse it, so I'm not sure what that means. People also rave and curse about T1-11, so maybe it means anything installed properly will work, anything not installed properly won't.

 

[buck12]

Another vote for Hardi siding. Had my shop sided with it and looks great.

 

[Swamp Yankee]

? I have T1-11 around my house and garage-no leaks. It's been on the house for 45 years.

Could be it was installed correctly and it doesn't leak, or it could be you haven't noticed the leaks. Not all leaks show up inside. All too often they're concealed, and go un-noticed until something important rots. In my experience, few people understand how to flash T1-11 correctly. The bottoms of windows in particular can be hard.

Also in my experience (30+ years in the trades), all siding leaks under the right circumstances. That's why the layer of tarpaper or housewrap below is critical.

 

[MacLawn]

I'm a big fan of James Hardi siding. With the new saw blades designed for cutting it, that part is now really easy. It nails on easily, it holds paint forever and it's bug proof, just about fire proof and it will never rot. It does have to go over something like OSB and then you need to use house wrap, but both are simple enough to do.

Smart Siding is just a pre painted OSB. It looks nice when it's up, but if you don't seal the cut ends, it will absorb water and swell up on you. How long it lasts is still a question that hasn't been proven. Cost wise, it's not much cheaper then Hardi, but it's lighter and easier to install.

Metal is always good, but you have to like the look of it. Once you get the hang of it, it's very fast and easy to install. Best of all, once you hang it, you never have to mess with it again!!!!

T1-11 is a pain because of all the maintenance it requires. Some like the way it looks, but to me, it's cheap and temporarly looking.

Avoid anything based on paper or a paper fiber. That stuff is by far the worse of the worse!!!!

Eddie

I'm with you on the Hardi Plank, Eddie. I just love the look of lap siding on anything - house or barn. Plus, as you mentioned, it is very durable. I am planning to put Hardi on my house (when I get the time). And, on my pole barn - also when old time comes along.

 

[EddieWalker]

? I have T1-11 around my house and garage-no leaks. It's been on the house for 45 years.

Nice to hear when this happens. You must be the type of person who keeps up on maintenance. Wood siding requires regular caulking and painting to last and keep the weather out. As the wood ages, it cracks and moves. If not sealed up right away, leaks and rot begin.

Since most of us don't want to have to do this on a regular basis, wood isn't a prefered choice for siding in many parts of the country. Especially if there is a lot of moisture to deal with.

Eddie