Best Way To Nail Fiber Cement Siding

Be sure the flashing overlaps the siding course below.

Best way to nail fiber cement siding.

If a homeowner intends to install his own siding the importance of using the correct nails can not be expressed enough. Hardiplank fiber cement siding can enhance the beauty of any home but if the installer uses the wrong nails it will ruin the exterior look of your home with potential rust stains especially in humid climates. Our page top photo shows loose and improperly installed fiber cement siding on. Hardie siding is harder fiber cement siding.

If using a pneumatic nailer choose ring shank. An ideal pneumatic nail gun should be of 70 to 120 psi air pressure capability for hardie siding projects. The only way i know of to remove blind nailed fiber cement siding is to start at the top of the wall cut through the caulking with a utility knife use a flat prybar to carefully remove the nails then take off each piece of siding. Drive the nail heads flush to the siding not below the surface.

Don t nail fiber cement corners together photo 4. Drive the nailheads snug against the fiber cement board. If driven too deep the heads will crush the fiber cement board and reduce the nail s holding power. Leave a small gap at butt joints and fill with caulk.

From ends of boards. A nail driven into the edge of a fiber cement board will split it. If hand nailing fiber cement siding use hot dipped galvanized nails and drive the nails into the wall studs. Nails for blind nailing should be between 1 in.

1 blind nailing measurements keep nails 3 8 in. Though it is a tough wearing product the surface of the siding can sometimes be damaged during installation by unusual wear or by impact. Considering that the best type of nail gun for hardie siding installation process is a pneumatic nail machine with adjustable pressure controlling mechanism. If installing siding for the first time be sure to research installation tips based on the type of siding you re using.

Typically you ll see siding nails range anywhere from 1 1 4 up to 2 1 2 in length whereas framing nails can go 3 1 2 or more. In general use nails that penetrate the studs at least 1 in. For best aesthetics nail heads should be touched up to color match. Hardieplank is a cement lap siding product used on commercial and residential exteriors and is designed for very low maintenance and a long useful life.

This article describes repair procedures for cosmetic or functional siding issues that may arise such as loose siding wind damaged siding siding paint or coating failures and siding gaps especially gaps at fiber cement siding butt joints where lap siding is installed. Siding nailers are popular for use with fiber cement and wood siding applications.