HardiePlank® Siding

Self Builder visited two properties on the Isle of Wight to see how HardiePlank can be used to protect and transform the appearance of what were two very ordinary sixties built houses. It is a pity we didn’t get there earlier so you could see just how non-descript these houses were. It's a guess but we reckon the addition of the cladding board must have added 30k to them if not more. It certainly gave them a wow factor that was missing before the boys go to work.

What is HardiePlank?

HardiePlank is a cement fibre board that is used to clad buildings. In America it is known as siding in the UK we know it as ship lap cladding. It has the advantage of being more stable than wood through an extreme range of weather conditions and it won’t rot, twist or warp. It is used to replace timber cladding in new build and refurbishment projects.

HardiePlank is self coloured so it doesn’t need painting, though I dare say that after 20 years or so taking the full brunt of salt laden gale force winds and hot sun it will begin to look a bit shabby. At this point the easiest thing to do it to spray it with an alkaline resisting masonry paint but that is many years down the line. For now the transformation is quick and total with hardly anything more than a very occasional wash down to spruce it up.

How is it fixed?

The board can be fixed in a number of ways. In both of these jobs it was nailed to timber battens that were screwed to the wall. At the same time the insulation on the single skinned garage was upgraded by adding PU board to the exterior and then covering this with a breathable membrane. You can take a view on whether the membrane was strictly necessary. If you have brick wall and pressure treated battens the small amount of moisture that manages to get through is not going to do any harm.

The board is easily cut by scoring and snapping external corners and edges. There is no need to pilot drill before nailing provided you don’t fire the nails in too close to the edges.

The bottom board is where you start and this needs to be a kicker strip to pick up the edge because each board is designed to overlap the one below. Cut two identical spacers to check that each board is correctly positioned and work with a partner at the other end. If you fix the first one dead level then they should all follow but a periodic check is a good idea especially if you don’t trust the person helping you. You can use plated nails for the fixing but any plating has a limited life and the last thing you want in salt air is rust stains in years to come so we always recommend stainless steel nails. The board itself is guaranteed for 25 years but should give you 50 years service without any trouble.

New Build

HardiePlank is now being used extensively in new build to produce some quite stunning looking buildings that hark back to traditional timber frame timber clad buildings often found by the sea. The nautical theme is picked up in details such as the curved roof and portholes, enough to make you feel quite seasick. As an alternative to PVCu cladding it is more expensive but in appearance and durability it is in another class. The fact that it is cement and not plastic also means that you don’t have a dawn chorus of creaks and zones as the sun hits the front of the house.

Old Build

If you have a home with old timber cladding that needs painting every few years then replacing it with cement board sidings or cladding is going to save you money in the long run and smartens up the property no end. If you were previously considering PVC cladding then we got to you just in time.

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