Hardie Plank Siding

Myrtle Beach Hardiplank® Siding Contractor

Hardiplank® siding has rapidly developed into one of the more popular alternatives to wood and vinyl siding. Hardiplank® is a cement fiber board that bears a striking resemblance to wood, complete with texture and grain. Unlike wood, however, Hardiplank® siding is impermeable to the most common forms of damage that threaten wood siding—including water damage, rot and termites. Hardiplank® siding boards are specially designed to retain paint much longer than wood, without chipping or peeling. Hardiplank® siding is an excellent option for those wanting the look and feel of real wood siding, without the hassles and risks that accompany it.

Top Line Constructions Specifications for Installing Hardiplank® siding

Preparation

Before we hang the new fiber cement siding we do all of our prep work, like installing foam insulation.
Over the foam we apply a layer of roofing felt.
Then we install a new water table trim.

Starter Strip

We install a narrow scrap of fiber cement siding for the “kicker-outer”. This is necessary, because each piece of lap siding overlaps the piece below… but the first piece of siding needs to be a “faker”.

The first row of siding rests on the water table, and is nailed in place.
The second row has to be held above the water table, with the correct amount of exposure of the first piece.
There should be a small scrap of tar paper beneath the end of the second piece. Each vertical gap between boards should have this, to prevent water from getting behind the siding if the caulking ever leaks.

Siding Exposure

The distance between the bottoms of adjacent rows of siding is called the exposure. Some people also call this the reveal. Hardiplank® siding comes in 5¼”, 6¼”, 8¼” and 9¼” widths. The instructions insist on a minimum overlap of 1¼”, so the narrowest Hardiplank® siding can have a maximum exposure of 4 inches.

Nailing Fiber Cement Siding

Hardiplank® can be blind nailed (where the nails are hidden by the siding) or face nailed. We blind nail the siding and face nail any loose-feeling areas with stainless steel ring-shank siding nails.
General siding installation of “right-justified” row procedure:

Slip the left-hand end of the board into the loop, allowing the board to hang perhaps ¼” too low.
Hold the right-hand end in position with the stick.
Make sure there is a small gap at the end of the board where it meets the corner trim.
Drive one nail to hold the right end of the board.
Go to the middle of the board, support it with the spacer stick to get the proper exposure.
Nail the board from the middle back towards the right-hand end, driving the nails into studs where possible.
Go back to the middle, and work our way towards the left-hand end, nailing as we move along and always using the spacer stick to ensure proper exposure. The left half of the board will sag a bit until it is completely nailed.
Then we use a sharp knife to cut the strap loop near the nail.
We slip a small scrap of tar paper behind the end of this new board If the joint between the boards ever leaks, this scrap of felt will keep rain water from getting behind the siding.
The next row of siding would be “left justified”, with the full 12 foot board being installed against the left-hand edge of the wall. Then the gaps between boards are staggered as much as possible.
Once the siding had reached near the top of the felt, we nail another strip of felt to the wall. The bottom edge of this felt must overlap the top of the siding by just a fraction of an inch.
If any water gets behind the siding, the felt should direct it over the siding at this point.
We repeat this procedure as necessary until completion.

Face Nailing The Loose Spots

We add some extra nails after the siding is installed. This can wait until the siding is complete, or it can be done as the siding is put up depending on the job.

In Conclusion

We do not want any flaws in our projects and these steps assure that our customers will always be 100% satisfied. After all of the precautionary measures that Top Line Construction takes, there are a few more critical steps that we take in order to assure perfection in each job. Because of these certainties Top Line Construction, LLC is truly an outstanding company and the best choice for quality service and customer satisfaction.