lumber dimensions

[Frankenkubota]

Can you believe a 2 x 4 is not 2 inches by 4 inches. What will they think of next? I cannot think of another material or industry that operates like that.

I guess everyone knows about lumber dimensions but....it's getting worse.

I've done siding before. I usually use a 1 x 4 vertically on the corners, the 4 inch part facing forward hanging over the side edge. then a 3 inch board on the side to give you an equal reveal.

I'm using all hardi board material, siding, soffit and trim, no more wood!

I thought and planned on the "1 x 4" material being 3 1/2 by 3/4. Nope

I've got an old caliper from my machine shop days. I measured the trim thickness. 5/8ths at best, probably closer to 9/16ths

Here's the problem.......The hardi plank is not tapered, same thickness the entire board. When you overlap the lower board, because of the lack of taper, the edge or corner where the siding butts into the vertical corner trim sticks out well beyond the surface of the trim. That's because the "1 x 4" trim is not 1 x 4 nor is it 3 1/2 x 3/4.....it's 9/16ths thick!

It's hard to believe there is that much savings by cutting down the size. It's a major PITA trying to find true 1 x 4 hardi material!

Any other industries do that? I've never built anything in Europe, or other places, is it the same all over?

 

[Hay Dude]

Try 5/4 on the corners. Looks much nicer.
Its a huge savings to the manufacturers of Hardi to make it slightly thinner, in both raw material and shipping costs, but I agree it’s annoying
I never used Hardi much. Its an industry darling, but I like cedar and cypress better

 

[Citydude]

Not lumber related but I bought 100' of 6 awg wire in an un opened package last week at Menards. It was 4' short.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

A 2x4 hasn't been 2x4 for so many years now, it isn't even funny...

I'm surprised someone just figured that out!

SR

 

[grsthegreat]

All my trim was 2x4 when I sided my house back in 1996 due to the fact 1x stock was too thin. I truly love the hardiplank siding. 3 paintings in 25 years, no paint flaking. Minor prep between paintings. Only the trim ever needs work. That’s cause it’s real wood.

i HATE real wood. I tore off all my decks and replaced with aluminum decking cause of yearly maint nightmares. Front deck is 4 years old, still looks brand new. Rear deck is only 1 year old, stays out of direct sunlight.

but just like ice cream, the carton is always getting smaller. But selling for more $

 

[Larry Caldwell]

A 2x4 hasn't been 2x4 for so many years now, it isn't even funny...

I'm surprised someone just figured that out!

SR

2x4 was the rough sawn dimension before it went through the planer. Modern mill tolerances are much tighter, so the planer typically only takes off about 1/8", but a smooth 2x4 has always been 1-1/2" by 3-1/2". Maybe a little bigger if the wood is green, but dry wood will shrink to those dimensions.

Did you know that Western Red Cedar, and some other woods, are not dimensionally stable over length? It's why cedar siding always has the gap at the end of each board. Butt them tight and they will buckle. It's also why nobody builds stud walls or beams out of cedar.

 

[4570Man]

All my trim was 2x4 when I sided my house back in 1996 due to the fact 1x stock was too thin. I truly love the hardiplank siding. 3 paintings in 25 years, no paint flaking. Minor prep between paintings. Only the trim ever needs work. That’s cause it’s real wood.

i HATE real wood. I tore off all my decks and replaced with aluminum decking cause of yearly maint nightmares. Front deck is 4 years old, still looks brand new. Rear deck is only 1 year old, stays out of direct sunlight.

but just like ice cream, the carton is always getting smaller. But selling for more $

I’m not a fan at all of Hardi siding because of the painting, caulking and trim maintenance. I’ll take vinyl siding for cheap and brick or stone for nice. I don’t like decks either. Concrete patios are the way to go IMO. With current lumber prices I can build concrete for about the same price as long as it’s not very high off the ground.

 

[Oaktree]

Concrete patios are the way to go IMO. With current lumber prices I can build concrete for about the same price as long as it’s not very high off the ground.

Depends where you live. Here where the frost line can go down 4', you'd need a lot more site prep than in southern locations with minimal freezing.

 

[Hay Dude]

Can you guys access cypress or spanish cedar? I have been building window frames from spanish cedar for 35 years and doing boards and batt siding from cypress on higher end barns (instead of eastern Pine) and it is VERY naturally decay resistant. It requires no paint, stain, preservatives at all! (unless you want a color). When I look at a place built with hardi, it looks pretty good, but I can easily see its very thin looking and almost too "uniform".
Dont get me wrong, I suggest it to customers as a siding choice, but its expensive and it looks a bit fake to me.
I like stone, PROPERLY installed sand-finish stucco (not stippled or darby applied)

 

[ruffdog]

This is what happens in a Male dominated business world. All along, men were saying 9" but it was really 6".