James Hardie building products are an excellent brand to use for your home siding. HardiePlank®, or HardiPlank® as they are occasionally known, is a durable fiber cement board siding that is designed to withstand the most extreme weather and temperature conditions.
What many customers like best about HardiPlank sheathing is how versatile it is. In addition to being strong enough to withstand most elements, HardiPlank material can mimic the look and texture of wood, leaving a beautiful finish. HardiPlank siding installations can also be done with Hardie board material that comes in a wide variety of natural colors, as well as pre-selected ColorPlus technology to create a variety of beautiful, natural home siding options that simply require installation to a magnificent finish.
How to paint HardiPlank
Now, while ColorPlus technology already offers home and commercial property owners a beautiful home siding product, James Hardie’s fiber cement board siding can also be homeowner painted if they decide to change or touch up the finish. Colour. While this makes your options easier, it’s important to understand that there are still special guidelines that need to be considered to get the best results from HardiePlank paint projects.
Paint HardiePlank® sheathing within warranty specifications. Your warranty clearly states that the primed Hardi siding must be painted within 180 days, or approximately 6 months, of installation. If your coating is unprimed, then you are allowed 90 days, or about 3 months, to paint the surfaces. Failure to follow these guidelines will void your warranty.
Use the right paint and materials for the job. The company strongly recommends using its PrimePlus product to prepare your home siding. PrimePlus is specially formulated for use in fiber cement siding, such as James Hardie siding. After your surface is properly primed, you’d better buy 100% acrylic exterior paint for your home as acrylic paint is best suited for fiber cement, stone, and stucco exterior paint.
Avoid the temptation to deviate from using the right paint materials to get the job done. For example, don’t use oil-based paint to paint your building. Oil-based paints on fiber cement without primer will cause undesirable effects. These effects include:
- increased surface roughness
- loss of adhesion
- cracking
- excessive chalk.
James Hardie does not suggest the use of oil-based paints over unprimed fiber cement siding. Linseed oil stains are specifically designed for wood and are not considered suitable for fiber cement siding products, whether primed or unprimed.
More tips for painting HardiePlank material
Make sure all caulking is completed and all rough cut ends are primed where possible. A good Hardi installer will prime each cut where possible before installing. Also, be sure to complete a complete wash of the HardiPlank exterior before painting. This increases the durability of the paint job and helps maintain the finish by preventing premature peeling and chipping.
You can choose from several finishes to use for your home’s exterior paint. Many users say that the satin finish, while very shiny at first, is better because it will keep a fresh new look as the shine wears off. Over time, it will continue to look new with minimal maintenance, even more than just a flat finish, which will look better initially but appear duller over time.