Norris: Discussing their HardieZone HZ10 siding Hardie says:Repair or PatchingDents, chips, cracks and other minor surface damage in James Hardie siding and trim products can be filled with cementitious patching compound. We called James Hardie to ask for guidance in determining just how much moisture was "too much" in Hardieplank siding, after observing that siding at a job arrived visibly wet from the factory even though still inside its original sealed plastic wrapping. I have had to deal with this problem on FC shingle siding, lap siding and also on slate roofs. He is experienced. Use the siding removal tool to gently expose the nail hem that needs new nails. and repeatedly advised "Just read our instructions" or "So file a claim". This putty should be included in every fiber cement repair kit. How many cockroaches are in the average house? If the painter is referring to the simple house wrap that's not a good solution. If damage isn't extensive, patching with a putty knife may be an option. Apply more paintable exterior caulk to ends, corners, and joints. Nails (or screws for metal stud applications) must be corrosion resistant, galvanized or stainless steel. Push the blade down so that it will cut into the board and then pull the trigger. How to repair. Hammer the nails approximately 3/4-inch to 1-inch up from the bottom edge of the board that is directly above the loose siding. The siding paint damage was largely due to excessive wetting from rain-splash. Also you'll want to know just what type of nail was used and how they were driven (power nailer, hammer, set in or driven flush &c.). In most cases, homeowners can quickly learn how to fix loose siding, especially with help from this article. Loose boards are repaired by face-nailing them in place. Apologies for the delay. Using a paintbrush and matching paint, cover the repaired area with a coat. However if there was actually individual flashing at each butt joint that would be good practice. I am thinking of proposing an article on this to JLC, but know it would need expertise of a building envelope specialist to carry any weight. The caulk sounds like it might help in the short run--but what happens down the road when it dries up? If you wrap on this product with a screwdriver it sounds hard like cement and it is remarkably resistant to cupping, splitting, decay, and wood destroying organisms. 1-877-246-4354, 141 Delta Dr. Suite D Pittsburgh, PA 15238, 5061 Howerton Way. No. I am in the Pacific Northwest. Shift the loose board into the correct position on the exterior of the house, and hold it in place with your hands. If there are significant gaps that are destroying the aesthetics of the siding (board too small to begin with, too large of expansion gaps) the best practice is to remove and replace, both for cosmetics and moisture prevention. The do it yourself resource for homeowners from home improvement professionals. HardiePlank is fastened to the home by either blind nailing or face nailing. Contact gkorous@gmail.com, Thanks Greg for the encouragement; we work hard on this stuff so I'm really happy when a reader finds it useful. This results in a loose installation that will flap in the wind. See how to disconnect vinyl siding, make a replacement piece, and re-engage the entire panel in a few steps. I can confidently Consistent with our earlier warning that one bad installation feature suggests more SNAFUs are in store, even in a casual inspection we noticed other disappointing details on this home that was less than ten years old: This discussion moved to SIDING, FIBER CEMENT NAILING DEFECTS. Read our advertiser disclosure for more info. Here is what James Hardie says about repairs to their siding product: James Hardie [JH] does not approve use of JH approved color matched caulk, other caulking materials or cementitious . Paint failure. Loose siding can leave your home unprotected from weather and insects. The owners thought they were contracting for HardiPlank siding. before making repairs as youll just be running around in circles. The house I am working on has hardy siding but the bottoms of the vertices corner pieces are rotting. 17, the company provides a description of PinBack nailing for use at loose planks that were "high nailed" at original installation) or where there are problems with gaps, loose planks, or rattling noises. Youll probably only need to reconnect the J-shaped buttock with the top locking ridge. There is no way to fix siding that has already melted or bulged. He contributed the American Cemwood photo used at the top and within this article. Use it to grab the locking edge of the loose panel and pull downward. Has anybody had problems with Hardie siding rattling in wind? My home inspector called out that the newly painted hard board siding didn't have new caulking in the butt joints. Are the panels better than the individual shingles in this sort of application? There are two main reasons that cause fiber cement siding to come loose, both of which stem from faulty installation of either missing a stud or nailing too high on the pieces. Mike Guertin shares a simple method . Then have them face nail the siding to the studs. Watch on. Also, please fill out your profile so we know where you are. products. [10] JamesHardie HardiePlank Lap Siding information can be found at the company's web page on this material: [11] "30-Year Limited Warranty Fiber cement siding won't "rot" but it will be water damaged, and worse, besides risking rot in the wall structure behind the siding, you are continuing to issue a platinum-engraved invitation to termites and carpenter ants to invade the building structure. Yeah, expense is a consideration, and we have looked into it. Blind-nail the fiber cement siding in place, starting with the bottom piece. Please re-post the image if you can. Don't pry too much or you'l break the board above. Of course the surface has to be both clean and dry. If youre working with aluminum siding, take care not to bend it and watch out for sharp edges. Finally, paint the area and although the patch may not be cosmetically perfect it blocks out water and insect access. No.189, Longzhen Road, Nongkenchang, Longshan Town, Cixi, Ningbo, Zhejiang China, 30: Why You Need a Home Inspection and What to Expect, System Three 1-Quart SculpWood Moldable Epoxy Putty, How To Remove Stickers From Glass A Comprehensive Guide, How to Paint and Stain Fiber Cement Siding. The installers also brought the siding down onto the roof surface where sidewalls intersected a roof (see image 10 above). When I talked to the builder's foreman, he stated "your right, we could go back and face nail- but you not . We called James Hardie's technical support line where a courteous representative told us he would refer us to Hardie's expert Benjaman Batres. If there is no stud available (such as near gable trim) and the plank is curling or rattling, its recommended to pin back the board by face nailing it 3/4 to 1 from the bottom strictly for aesthetics and not to increase wind load. In the high wind a board and batten approach might actually work better as a means of attaching the siding. http://www.roundrockhomeinspector.com Round Rock Home Inspector discovers loose siding during a home inspection. InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. patching compounds to touch up nail heads, nail holes, dents, chips, cracks or other minor surface blemishes on JH Some industry publishers dub fiber cement as a 100 year product so there really should be no need to ever have to repair it right? Have been searching for DIY advice on how to remove the damaged exterior trim piece (this is not a jamb, but rather the "picture frame" around the door) and replace it. Face-nail the top piece of fiber cement siding through the old siding. The repair for the damage shown above on a building in Rhinebeck, NY, requires that the damaged boards be removed and replaced. The siding on the second floor appears over the years to have been effected by rain dripping off the roof or back-splashing onto the siding that has caused gray streaks in wide areas of the siding. Its windy here, VERY. I thought we were talking about 8" lap siding. 4 How can I remove cement siding from my house? We tried repainting once and it peeled again in a year. [Good tutorial, "Moisture 101" outlining the physics of moisture movement in buildings and a good but incomplete list of general suggestions for moisture control - inadequate attention given to exterior conditions such as roof and surface drainage defects which are among the most-common sources of building moisture and water entry.--DJF], [7] J. Tibbets, "Green Houses", NCBI, retrieved 1/17/2013, original source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1469482/. Fiber cement board lap siding repair guide. Gently pull with the tool as you move along the loose piece. Make sure that the siding is completely dry from the washing, and that the caulk and patches are dry too. Repair in accordance with industry standards best practices. Check the reveal or exposed areas on other sections of the home to know how much space to leave when installing replacement boards using a chalk line if needed to make sure this stays consistent from end to end. Fit the siding removal tool underneath the lower edge of the loose siding piece. Micro-Adjust Deck-Baluster Spacing for an Eye-Deceiving Layout, Moisture Issues from an Outdoor Concrete Slab, Podcast 555: New-Build Questions, Low-Down Lasers, and Drying Behind Tile, Podcast 555: Members-only Aftershow Talking with Keegan McAuliffe of Capra Home Concepts, Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20, Fine Homebuilding Issue #313 Online Highlights, The Fine Homebuilding Interview: James Metoyer. Generally the manufacturers do not recommend caulking at factory-painted fiber cement siding butt joints, presumably because it creates a cosmetic defect; some instructions permit caulking at primed (and smooth) siding, presumably because the caulk "cosmetic defect" will be hidden by the finish paint job. It does not warrant, in any respect, the appearance or performance of any third party coatings or finishes, including Hardie siding rattling in wind. [12b] "Technical Bulletin #9, Joint Flashing at Field Butt Joints", JamesHardie, retrieved 4/15/2013, original source: www.jameshardie.com, copy on file as James_Hardie_9-joint-flashing.pdf - quoting: [13] Instructions for application of HardiePlank lap siding can be found at https://www.jameshardie.com/products_siding_hardieplankLapSiding.py?openTab=jsnavLink4, [14] "Homeowners Care and Maintenance Tips", 1-800-9-HARDIE, [15] "HardiePlank HZ5 Lap Siding Installation Requirements - Primed & Colorplus Products",JamesHardie, November 2012, 1-800-9-HARDIE, You'll have to take your chances and hope it doesn't turn out like the photos . Stephanie informed us that there are no moisture numbers, that it is not possible to measure moisture in fiber cement siding (utter nonsense!) Remember to keep the clearance between the parts at least 0.35 inches. We've had gutters installed to reduce or eliminate the water issue. 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