Have experience installing Fiber Cement Siding?

[Harry Hagan]

I intend to free up some space in my garage/shop by building a storage shed this spring and am considering fiber cement shingle siding due to its low-maintenance characteristics. The manufacturers recommend cutting the material with “cement shears” to lessen the amount of dust created when sizing the product. Your opinion regarding the quality of cut using shears and/or saws would be appreciated.

I’m looking at Hardiboard HardieShingle™ siding and CertainTeed WeatherBoards Shapes. A comparison of these or other brands would be appreciated as well. CertainTeed has more styles available and claims to be the superior product on the market.

[Greg Heppeard]

Someone also makes circular saw blades for this application. Just be sure you wear a dust mask when sawing the stuff. Check with your local Hardiboard supplier for more info. I've used the stuff on one project a couple of years ago....nails up just like regular wood siding. I didn't mind working with the stuff.

[James Jaragosky]

Someone also makes circular saw blades for this application. Just be sure you wear a dust mask when sawing the stuff. Check with your local Hardiboard supplier for more info. I've used the stuff on one project a couple of years ago....nails up just like regular wood siding. I didn't mind working with the stuff.

I have never worked with the stuff hands on. but I have built several dozen homes with this product, and all the installers use power saws.

[Ed Garrett]

I've used quite a few of the 4'x8' Hardipanels on my house. Once installed they look great and are indestructible. I have used a circular saw and table saw to cut it, both with old carbide blades. The dust really is bad, but I stay upwind and use a high quality cartridge type dust mask. The quality of the cut is good with carbide teeth even though I'm sure they are rapidly being dulled. Here are my other tricks: Use a carbide router bit as a countersink, use stainless steel screws, cover the screwheads with outdoor vinyl spackling, after the spackling hardens carve a little texture to match the panel’s wood grain, caulk the joints, smooth the caulk with two fingers to create a little ridge of caulk along the joint, when the caulk dries, trim it with an Exacto knife, and then paint with latex. On corners I’ve used plastic decking planks which are equally resistant to rot. If you are sufficiently precise around windows and doors, you won’t need molding, just caulk. Everywhere I’ve installed the HardiPanels you would be hard pressed to find a flaw. To me it looks much better painted than T-111 and best of all, it’s permanent, even here in the tropics.

[Jim Becker]

Our addition has the James Hardie cement board siding and it's wonderful. You need a special blade to cut it (it only has a few teeth...like four), but otherwise, it goes up pretty much like any other siding. Best to use a pneumatic gun with the proper fasteners...rent one if you need to. My siding sub used coil nailers. The only time things get really tricky is if you have a very narrow piece to put up, such as between to windows that are close together. It's easy to split the piece when nailing it.

I believe that Paul Cresti recently installed the product on his home with his own hands.

On the Certainteed vs Hardie...Certainteed has the better warranty on the pre-finished material, but my contractor had some really bad quality issues with it on the job prior to ours...so we switched back to the Hardie siding.

[Michael Lutz]

I have been installing it on my house for the past few years. I have been using the Hardie Lap Siding. I have been cutting it with a SCMS and a Hitachi Hardi blade which is a diamond blade with about 4 teeth. I have also been using a dimond blade made by Oldham in a circular saw for cuts wider than the SCMS can handle. The dust is bad. I only cut the stuff outside and I hold my breath as I am cutting and wait to breathe until the dust cloud has passed. I could have used the shears which would have saved the dust exposure, but I was unsure how accurate of a cut I would have. You can use a carbide blade to cut the stuff, but it wears out quickly if you have a big project.

Mike

[Mark Rios]

I have been installing it on my house for the past few years. I have been using the Hardie Lap Siding. I have been cutting it with a SCMS and a Hitachi Hardi blade which is a diamond blade with about 4 teeth. I have also been using a dimond blade made by Oldham in a circular saw for cuts wider than the SCMS can handle. The dust is bad. I only cut the stuff outside and I hold my breath as I am cutting and wait to breathe until the dust cloud has passed. I could have used the shears which would have saved the dust exposure, but I was unsure how accurate of a cut I would have. You can use a carbide blade to cut the stuff, but it wears out quickly if you have a big project.

Mike

Michael, that dust is REALLY bad for your lungs and it is cumulative. I can't read this thread without STRONGLY recommending that you buy a $5 N95 mask and use it while working with the material. Holding your breath just won't cut it (no pun intended). Ya really gotta use a mask buddy.

[Derek Jones]

Ditto with all the posts above. I installed Hardi Shingle on the last spec home I did and nailing pattern is crucial. Also if you decide to use a nail gun be careful to set the nail depth properly. If you decide to use it you can download installation specs from the James Hardi website. Otherwise it is a wonderful product.
Derek

[Harry Hagan]

Thanks everyone for your tips, suggestions, and input. It looks like most people ignore the manufacturer’s recommendations and use a saw instead of the shear. My main concern was getting dust in my lungs as well as the circular saw. I priced electric shears and they run about $225. Not a good investment for a single-purpose tool and a small job at that.

Last summer I installed vinyl covered aluminum trim on my house and made a cutoff jig to cut soffit. I think that jig and a good fan to blow the dust away might get the job done.

[Jim O'Dell]

I used a circular saw when I used the Hardiplanks on my shop rehab. Within a day, the teeth on the old carbide blade were gone!! Not worn, but gone!!! I then got the specific blade for it and it lasted much longer.
I used screws to put mine on. I did counter bore for them, then used regular exterior paintable caulk to cover them up. Ususally took 2 applications of caulk. Use a 3" putty knife, and let it follow the ridges in the texture. It will form the caulk that way, and the holes literally disappear when painted! That is, as long as the caulk didn't shrink too badly. That's where the second application of caulk helps. I used the 12" width siding, which required me to face nail the lower edges. 8" siding, you can just blind nail and be fine. Very few holes to have to cover up that way. I did run a bead of caulk on top of the board already mounted so that the next board sealed off when applied. I also caulked between the seams on the boards and textured the caulk as mentioned above, and most of those seams disappeared as well. Make sure you have help, or rig up a good jig to help hold the material. It is very heavy and wants to bend if not held up on it's edge.
There is a shear that attaches to a corded drill to cut the stuff with too. Might be less expensive. The dust is horrible. And it floats everywhere. I even made sure that the dogs weren't outside for a while even after I finished work. If you are close to a neighbor, I'd for sure use the shears, then sell them to recoup part of the money. Jim.

[Brian Elfert]

I wouldn't use anything but an old junker circular saw for this. I did a fair bit of research into installing this stuff and most folks said the dust will kill a normal saw not designed for cement siding.

The cost of an electric shear for me would still be way less than paying for a pro to install the siding.

I haven't done anything yet as I need to get my current house on the market before even considering buildng a new house.

[Steveo O'Banion]

I think I'd rather shoot myself than deal with cement board again! I live in a neighborhood of homes built between 1890 and the '50s. Several of the houses (mine included) are called "the asbestos homes" because asbestos was put into the cement shingels that cover the house.

In my opinion asbestos is no worse than the silica kicked up when working w cement or brick, but thats another argument.

I used a sawzall with a metal cutting blade to cut the stuff WITH a disposable cartridge respirator designed for fine particulate. I've added windows and doors to this old house and have had to cut a bunch of it. It cracks real easy, so don't drop it and becareful with your hammer. I got so disgusted of fooling with it I had the whole house covered with vinyl.

The plus side is, it holds paint like nothing I've ever seen before and it wont burn.

Steve

[ken gibbs]

I just completed a 14' X 28' workshop using 4' X 8' Hardypanels. Used a circular saw with a carbide blade for all the panel work. I just replaced the blade on my Makita skill saw when I finished cutting and hanging panels. My recommendations using this material are:

Hardypanel nail easily and you don't have to use screws. I used 4" galvanized siding nails. You get some chip-out at the edges but you use chalk to cover the nail heads anyway. You end up with a nice surface.

These 4' X 8' panels are VERY heavy. I didn't have a helper and humping these panels up on sawhorses by myself to cut caused a lot of evenings with a sore back.

Hardypanel comes preprimed in an ioff white color. It took two good coats of Lowes exterior paint to cover.

I used treated 1" X 4" stock for the corner trim and to add crossbucks to the exterior swing out doors.

Overall, this product will yield an exceptional servicelife. You should have a helper to get it installed.

And thanks to my local Lowes store in Harrisonburg, VA. I made up my material list and got three estimates. Lowes was over $1,000 less expensive then the competition. And they continued to give me the same commercial discount when I got to the electrical wiring stage and were great to work with. Go to the commercial sales section and talk discount. These are my comments based on my experiences with Lowes and their competition.

And note that I saved around $700 fon windows and a good prehung entrance door through my local Habitat for Humanity thrift store. I bought brand new thermal windows (never installed) for 20% of new costs.

[John Cartledge]

You can also score and snap the product. Using a knife with a small tungsten cutter you score a line with a straight edge, place the scored board over a piece of lumber and push down, the board breaks cleanly and easily along the line and no dust. Particularly usefull if installing the product inside where dust is a problem. Score and snap is as fast as a power saw once you get your hand in. This link covers it, http://www.jameshardie.com.au/Smarte...g/ProductLess/

[Dan Mages]

Have you checked with local tool rental shops? Some might cary the shears, especially The Orange Borg.

Option #2 is Craigslist.

Dan