EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
First thing to remember about warranties is they are basically worthless. In every case that I've actually won in a warrantee, all I got was a replacement of the bad product. This is with laminate flooring. You still have to remove the bad product and install the new one, which is where all the money comes into play with labor.
Hardie is a great product, but it has no strength. You need sheeting for two reasons. First it is what keeps your building standing up. If you didn't have sheeting, your walls would rack, which means they will move or fall over. Standard OSB does a great job of this. Spending more, or going with a thicker, stronger product doesn't hurt anything, it's just more money to get the same results. I personally prefer Zip System osb. It's a tighter material with the vapor barrier already attached. It's more money, but it comes in longer lengths which is really nice when you want something that will need to be longer then 8 feet.
If you use OSB or plywood, you still need house wrap. The primary purpose of this is to keep the wind out, which carries moisture into areas you don't want moisture, but it also allows insulation to work properly. Wind destroys or severely reduces the effectiveness of wall insulation.
If you are installing Hardie sheets that are 4ft by 8ft, remember that it's very weak and will break easily. I personally hate the stuff because I do not like how the seams look, or how it looks to hide them.
Hardie Lap Siding is one of my favorite products. It has no strength either, so you have to be careful handling it so it doesn't snap on you. I don't worry too much about hitting a stud, and have never noticed that before on their website. That must be something new that they just came up with. I use long roofing nails in a coil nailer to install the lap siding. I put a nail in every foot. I start in the middle, then put my level on it and go to one side, then I do the same going the other direction. It's very fast and easy to do by yourself. Once I showed my parents, my dad, who was 76 at the time,did his entire house on his own with my Mom watching over him.
Be sure to buy a Hardie saw blade for your circular saw. It will melt right through Hardie like it's nothing. You have to wear safety goggles because the blade through chips all over, but there is no dusk like the older blades created. The more you pay for the blade, the longer it lasts. I found that ten dollar blades go dull in a day, but a $50 blade will last years.
I'm currently in the process of residing my house with Hardie lap siding. I first install Zip System over my existing siding, then tape all the seams. I can leave it exposed to the elements and install the Hardie Lap siding over time, when it's convenient for me to do so. For me, this is ideal because I'm also working on multiple additions and changes to my house.
Hardie is a great product, but it has no strength. You need sheeting for two reasons. First it is what keeps your building standing up. If you didn't have sheeting, your walls would rack, which means they will move or fall over. Standard OSB does a great job of this. Spending more, or going with a thicker, stronger product doesn't hurt anything, it's just more money to get the same results. I personally prefer Zip System osb. It's a tighter material with the vapor barrier already attached. It's more money, but it comes in longer lengths which is really nice when you want something that will need to be longer then 8 feet.
If you use OSB or plywood, you still need house wrap. The primary purpose of this is to keep the wind out, which carries moisture into areas you don't want moisture, but it also allows insulation to work properly. Wind destroys or severely reduces the effectiveness of wall insulation.
If you are installing Hardie sheets that are 4ft by 8ft, remember that it's very weak and will break easily. I personally hate the stuff because I do not like how the seams look, or how it looks to hide them.
Hardie Lap Siding is one of my favorite products. It has no strength either, so you have to be careful handling it so it doesn't snap on you. I don't worry too much about hitting a stud, and have never noticed that before on their website. That must be something new that they just came up with. I use long roofing nails in a coil nailer to install the lap siding. I put a nail in every foot. I start in the middle, then put my level on it and go to one side, then I do the same going the other direction. It's very fast and easy to do by yourself. Once I showed my parents, my dad, who was 76 at the time,did his entire house on his own with my Mom watching over him.
Be sure to buy a Hardie saw blade for your circular saw. It will melt right through Hardie like it's nothing. You have to wear safety goggles because the blade through chips all over, but there is no dusk like the older blades created. The more you pay for the blade, the longer it lasts. I found that ten dollar blades go dull in a day, but a $50 blade will last years.
I'm currently in the process of residing my house with Hardie lap siding. I first install Zip System over my existing siding, then tape all the seams. I can leave it exposed to the elements and install the Hardie Lap siding over time, when it's convenient for me to do so. For me, this is ideal because I'm also working on multiple additions and changes to my house.
