Can Hardie Plank Lap Siding be Installed Vertically?

[dickfoster]

I'm a big fan of Hardie and find that all of the nay sayers of it have a personal issue with it that doesn't reflect the reality of just how good of a product it is.

I've used the 12 inch wide Hardie siding with the 1x4 trim pieces to get the board and batten look with great success. I'm planning on doing it for the upper part of my house. Bottom story will be normal lap siding, and the eaves and second story will be vertical board and batten style.

This is my deer blind. I did the vertical Hardie on the bottom part of it maybe ten years ago? I forget exactly when I built it.

A deer blind with a cupola and weathervane? I suppose it's got indoor plumbing and is wired for electricity too. Who did you hire for the interior decorating? :laughing:

 

[dadster4]

A few years ago I was going to reside my home with Hardie board, but their trim did not have a woodgrain finish. I found another brand of cement-based product that had trim with a much better appearance, but can't remember what brand name. I think going vertical with cement-based trim is the way to go...no real wood (and I love real wood, just not the maintenance)

 

[Cord]

The big problem with Hardie is that the edge profile is rounded and they have their name pressed into the top edge. When spacing your panels you'll need to make sure the batten covers the name. I would suggest nailing both edges and then nailing the batten using a Maze nail through the gap. Check the instructions because I'm not certain if you'll need to hit framing when using a roofing gun to fasten both edges. Otherwise, you can always screw the siding on. I've seen break-out issues when using counter sinking screws so I used a flat head screw on my project. I used GRK #8x2" cabinet screws set in a 1/4" predrilled hole for the pictured project. The screws are exposed, but they're not very noticeable. With a wood batten, they could be totally concealed behind the batten. The pictured job used a Certainteed siding which is thinner, smoother than Hardie and also has a square edge. Because of curing problems, the product is no longer available. I was aware of the Certainteed problems when I installed the siding which is why the over sized hole was used.

 

[flusher]

I'm a big fan of Hardie and find that all of the nay sayers of it have a personal issue with it that doesn't reflect the reality of just how good of a product it is.

I've used the 12 inch wide Hardie siding with the 1x4 trim pieces to get the board and batten look with great success. I'm planning on doing it for the upper part of my house. Bottom story will be normal lap siding, and the eaves and second story will be vertical board and batten style.

This is my deer blind. I did the vertical Hardie on the bottom part of it maybe ten years ago? I forget exactly when I built it.

View attachment 481698

Nice blind:thumbsup: Indoor plumbing or chemical toidy?

 

[Beltzington]

Thanks for the info, however I am still unsure what the best practice for attaching the planks would be. I have read the Manufactures installation bulletins and since I will be nailing directly to 1/2" OSB these guidelines specifically:

OSB minimum 7/16 in.
11ga. roofing nail (0.121 in. shank x 0.371 in. HD x 1.75 in. long)
Ribbed Wafer-head or equivalent (No. 8 x 1 5/8 in. long x 0.375 in. HD).

Why would the manufacture recommend a nail or screw length that will protrude over 1/2" from the back of the OSB? Also, since they strongly recommend against allowing the nail head to penetrate the hardie board surface why would they recommend a screw that by design will penetrate the surface.

A ribbed wafer head #8 is basically a drywall screw correct?

 

[EddieWalker]

The reason for the nail length is the same for shingles. You want the shaft of the nail going all the way through the sheeting so it's locked into place. The tip of the nail has no holding power, so it has to be far enough past the OSB or plywood so that none of it is touching wood.

 

[Cord]

The big thing with the nail head is to not blow out the back side of the siding. It's pretty easy to do with the nail is over driven and you won't know it unless the siding is removed. The screws would need to be cement board specific so they will have ribs on the backside to help countersink the screw head. Honestly, I've had problems countersinking the screws in the past and knowing all CB manufacturers have been having problems with edge breakout, I'd recommend moving the screws (or nails) in from the edge and ends. The problems appear to be related to the material shrinking and then the fastener binding causing the siding to crack. Moving the fastener in from the edge (or predrilling as I did) will help provide some extra material strength.

The other advantage to using an excessively long nail is that the splinters on the back side make it more resistant to being withdrawn.

 

[sld]

I used the 4x8 HB sheets on my shed. Has held up well for 12 years now.

I remember every nail hitting a stud or header. Don't remember any just going thru the OSB sheeting....unless I missed!

 

[newbury]

The big thing with the nail head is to not blow out the back side of the siding. It's pretty easy to do with the nail is over driven and you won't know it unless the siding is removed. The screws would need to be cement board specific so they will have ribs on the backside to help countersink the screw head. Honestly, I've had problems countersinking the screws in the past and knowing all CB manufacturers have been having problems with edge breakout, I'd recommend moving the screws (or nails) in from the edge and ends. The problems appear to be related to the material shrinking and then the fastener binding causing the siding to crack. Moving the fastener in from the edge (or predrilling as I did) will help provide some extra material strength.

The other advantage to using an excessively long nail is that the splinters on the back side make it more resistant to being withdrawn.

Well I obviously did it wrong. I used deck screws and just screwed them to the 2x4's, with a layer of tarpaper in between. IF I had possessed a nail gun at the time I might have used that instead, but I'm better at power screwing than hand nailing.

 

[PILOON]

I was also ignorant an used 3" nails in my nail gun but adjusted air to have heads flush.
Soon caught on that nails had to be 3/4" away from edges to prevent damage.
Every nail however is into furring strips and as I said earlier with over a dozen years of exposure to the elements it has proven to be a winner.
Probably due to the fact that our board was factory primed and that we did the finishing with 2 coats of opaque stain is why not a nail head shows. (with the vertical style installation there are 2 nails every 16")

 

[Raspy]

I sided my house with Hardy plank and really like it. The overhangs and my porch ceilings are done with it too.
On the ceilings and overhangs we put the pieces side by side with no overlap. It is nailed with stainless ring shank nails to 5/8" OSB sheeting. Each piece has a bead of construction adhesive to help hold it to the overhead sheeting and the pieces are side by side with no gap. End cuts are caulked. I see no reason why you couldn't place the boards vertically, but you might want a bead of caulk between each piece as you go. Not on top, but against the edge before the next piece goes on.

Mine are the 9.25" width Hardy boards and there is no name pressed into it, so they lay next to each other nicely with the wood grain showing. I paid $7.00 per 12' plank for most of it.

This stuff is so fire resistant that I use pieces of it as flame guards while sweating pipes. You can hold a torch on it and it just sits there.

If you choose another brand try breaking a piece first. Some competitive brands are very weak and easy to snap while working.

Mine has been up for about 5 years now and I haven't painted it yet.

 

[Redlands Okie]

HARDI brand is the way to go. Follow instructions for expansion. FULL round head nails (not the moon shaped ones) using a adjustable depth nail gun works great. use a scrap piece for practice to set the nail depth, then pry it off and toss it. Do not nail real close to the edges. Be sure to use a good brand of paint. It holds paint really well and does not need repainting as often as wood. Start on part of the house not seen to well so that when you get to the hi visibility parts of the home. You will have your install system figured out. 3 inch drywall or deck screws can often be put as temporary holders to set the siding on as a 3rd hand. Clip on and easy to remove brackets are also made for siding to hold it up for one person installs. I see people use wood trim with Hardi board, often because the supply yard does not stock Hardi trim. So plan ahead and order what you need. Netting type house wrap might be a thought to put behind the siding especially if your running It vertically. This will let any water blown in behind it run down and not set behind the siding. It's much cheaper to do it right the first time. As far as quality of the product another named brand "certainly" had some issues in the past .......

 

[Cord]

HARDI brand is the way to go.

Actually Nichiha has a way more innovative product line, but they don't have much of a presence over here in the states. Some of the stuff that they can do with cement siding isn't even fathomable.