Barn Siding

[Rookie2320]

I'm in the process of building a 14'x24' barn in Virginia. (My new JD 2320 needs a home.) I've built the frame and the roof is halfway up. However, I can't decide on what to do about siding. The barn is close to my house, so I need it to look nice (says the Mrs.). I'm considering going with either rough saw board & batten siding - I need to talk to some local lumber mills -- or going for nice milled cedar siding of some sort. I'm thinking the cedar would look nicer, but it ain't cheap. I've been quoted $1.25 per linear foot. I've got 1,000 sqft to cover, so that calculates out to over $2k.

How much does rough sawn cost. Any input would be appreciated.

Thansk.

 

[khd]

I'm in the process of building a 14'x24' barn in Virginia. (My new JD 2320 needs a home.) I've built the frame and the roof is halfway up. However, I can't decide on what to do about siding. The barn is close to my house, so I need it to look nice (says the Mrs.). I'm considering going with either rough saw board & batten siding - I need to talk to some local lumber mills -- or going for nice milled cedar siding of some sort. I'm thinking the cedar would look nicer, but it ain't cheap. I've been quoted $1.25 per linear foot. I've got 1,000 sqft to cover, so that calculates out to over $2k.

How much does rough sawn cost. Any input would be appreciated.

Thansk.

I'm doing a 16x18 w/ 10' sidewalls with rough milled, air dried, shiplapped hemlock. If I remember right it was about $1200. Hemlock needs to be air dried or the knots will fall out. If you choose B&B make sure your battens are wide enough to help prevent warp and twist. What kind of cedar are you looking at, western red or eastern white? Cedar is expensive.

Regards,
Kevin

 

[2manyrocks]

I priced sawmill cedar at $400 for 800 board feet bundled in random widths in middle Tennessee this week. Uniform 1x6x8' grade A boards were $5.00 a piece if that helps.

 

[EddieWalker]

Real hard to beat James Hardi siding. It's a cement, fiberboard that's waterproof, bug proof, fire proof and wont mildew. It comes primed and ready for paint. Once painted, it holds paint for a very long time!!!!

I'm experimenting with diferent stains for it to try to make it look like wood. Right now, Minwax gel stain is my favorite, but it's pricey. I've seen it stained before and from a distance you can't tell it's not wood. Up close, you a have to pay attention, or be looking for it to realize it's not wood.

If you like the board and batton look, you can get full grained 8 in by 12ft lengths for around $8 each. Or you could buy a 4ft by 8ft sheet for $27. Then cut some lengths for battons and nail it up.

It nails up real easy with a roofing, coil nailer. I've done quite a bit of it and really like it.

Eddie

 

[Tim Stuart]

Eddie, Do you have any pic's of the stained Hardi siding? I have to paint my house but after you mentioned stain I think I would like the stain look better.

 

[rvaitor]

Real hard to beat James Hardi siding. It's a cement, fiberboard that's waterproof, bug proof, fire proof and wont mildew. It comes primed and ready for paint. Once painted, it holds paint for a very long time!!!!

I'm experimenting with diferent stains for it to try to make it look like wood. Right now, Minwax gel stain is my favorite, but it's pricey. I've seen it stained before and from a distance you can't tell it's not wood. Up close, you a have to pay attention, or be looking for it to realize it's not wood.

If you like the board and batton look, you can get full grained 8 in by 12ft lengths for around $8 each. Or you could buy a 4ft by 8ft sheet for $27. Then cut some lengths for battons and nail it up.

It nails up real easy with a roofing, coil nailer. I've done quite a bit of it and really like it.

Eddie

I'm curious about this, I am considering enclosing a shed and was thinking about buy metal studs to use as the cross pieces(on the outside poles) and either attach wood or you have me thinking Hardi now - how would this work?

 

[EddieWalker]

Here's a picture of some wood stains that I put on a piece of Hardi lap siding. This sample failed pretty bad, but shows what the it could look like if I had something better.

Right now, we're really liking the look of Minwax Gel. It's designed for metal doors and other non pourous materials. It dosn't mention Hardi materials, so we're experimenting with three differen colors, plus a Gel stain from Olympic.

I also have concrete stain by Quikrete and everything else from oil based paints mixed with thinner, to Walmart paint thined down.

The Hot tub gazebo that I'm building is also going to be where I run my trials. When we decide on what to try, we'll use it on this Gazebo and keep track of the results.

My ultimate goal is to be able to build some one bedroom cabins with the Hardi lap siding and stain it to make it look like wood. If I can find the right product, I'll have the ultimate cabins. no maintenance, no bugs, no fire and no rot.

Eddie

 

[TC29-dude]

Hardi board is great stuff...I will be using it on my place when the time comes.

 

[Slacker]

Check craigslist materials section each morning. I've found some awsome deals.

 

[weldingisfun]

Eddie, that Red Oak looks pretty good.

 

[EddieWalker]

Thanks, I liked it allot too. The problem is that all the wood stain faded away in the sun. I was thinking it would wash off with all the rains, but it made it through one of the wettest years in history. What killed it was about two months of summer sun.

Eddie

 

[Coville]

How much does rough sawn cost. Any input would be appreciated.

Thansk.

I started my Board and Batten Pole barn in the Fall of 2004. Local to me was a good (for both price and quality) saw mill. You'll probably need to check your area to see what's available. I have about 5 more boards to put up and a bunch of battens. I recently bought a used planer to try smoothing the rough cut fence boards. Wanted to see if they would be easier to paint. When I planed the fence boards I also did the last batch of siding. It's time comsuming but easy enough I would have considered planing all the siding if I'd had it when I started this project. Doesn't realy help your cost question directly but gives you another option to consider.

One of the reasons I built my wife her 4 stall 24x36 barn was that by not paying someone else to do it I was able to buy a bunch of new toys. Started with the compressor, framing and roofing guns. My tractor! Most recently $100 for the used Delta planer.

 

[saltman]

Eddie, thanks for the stain idea. I am using Hardi Plank for my new house and never thought of staining it. I wonder how long it will last in the sun? It's got to last longer than if it was on wood.

 

[TC29-dude]

I have been told that if you do the right prep and use the right paint Hardi board won't have to be re-painted for up to 30 years.

Now I don't think it's been around long enough to truly prove that but it's even if you only get half of that life out of it you can't complain.

Post pics as you go!

 

[Tim Stuart]

Thanks Eddie for sharing the photo's!!!

 

[EddieWalker]

From what I've been able to find out, Hardi needs a special type of stain. Regular wood stains don't work because they must penitrate into the wood. That's impossible with Hardi priducts, so it's just a matter of time for the stain to wash away.

Hardi says that a 100% Acryilic stain is what you are supposed to use on there products. Home Depost sells this in a variety of colors, but in my test sample, it comes out like paint and doesn't add anything to the grain in the Hardi boards.

I tried a variety of paints, from oil base to exterior latex paints mixed with water and thinner. The paints all came out looking like really bad paint jobs.

Minwax has some Gel stains that are designed for metal doors and other solid materials to make them look like real wood. They are designed for indoor and outdoor use. I bought three colors of the Minwax, and one from Olympic. I don't know of any other gel stains, so this was about all I could find. Cost is $12 a quart for the Olympic and $13 a quart for the Minwax. It only seems to come in quart sizes, so it's gonna be pricey.

The colors in the picture are Honey Maple, Antique Maple, Colonial Oak and Aged Oak. There realy is no comparison for us, we're going to use the Aged Oak and see what happens.

Eddie

 

[jrepp]

Has anyone had a chance to try this product for Hardi Board?

Woodperfect Series Fiber Cement Coating

 

[SnowRidge]

Eddie, you might try one of the Cetol variants. They are very popular for harsh marine applications (think tropics, direct AND reflected sun, and lots of it).

Sikkens Cetol

 

[AllWaysBreakinSomething]

In North Carolina. I'm paying $350 per 1000 board foot for pine. $375 for lengths of 16ft. For a 1x8x12 that would be 1x8x12/12*.35 = $2.80 a board. It's cheaper than using metal but you have to paint and the installation takes longer. On my barn project I decided to go all wood contruction except for the sheeting. Sheeting in my area is .62 cents a square foot for painted galvanized and .75 cents a square foot for painted galvalume.

Screws will knock your socks off along with trim metal. Borrow a 10ft break and buy the coil stock. Saves a ton of money. Buy the screws in bulk. Try Lilly fastners (Shelby NC) or Duo Fast (Charlotte NC)

 

[Nasty135]

Rookie2320, Have you decided on your siding yet? If not there is yet another product you may be interested in, Vertical vinyl siding is pretty easy to install and best of all NO Painting!! I hate painting.... There is a style call Board & batten and it isn't flimsy as some vinyl sidings are.

I used it for my barn and am happy with it ,,see pic.