http://www.about-siding.com/is-hardiplank-better-than-cedar-siding/224/ Your Questions, Our Answers Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:17:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 http://www.about-siding.com/is-hardiplank-better-than-cedar-siding/224/#comment-314 Mark T Thu, 27 Dec 2007 01:56:40 +0000 http://www.about-siding.com/is-hardiplank-better-than-cedar-siding/224/#comment-314 I think the previous answerer confused the hardiplank with an older, different, material. I finished a barn last year using Hardipanel siding. I decided to use it because my nephew had replaced cedar siding with the Hardiplank. We both have had a very positive result. The Hardipanel/plank is cement with embedded fiberglass fibers. It is impervious to water and looks like it should last forever. It is a dream to paint. It comes pre-primed, and takes very little paint to cover. I found that a masonry blade was easier to use and gave better cuts than the toothed blades made to cut it (cheaper too). You generate alot of cement dust when cutting, so a dust mask is a good thing. I was told that you can break the panel if you nail or screw too close to an edge. I am sure that is true, but it was not an issue for me. There are self-tapping screws made for this material. These worked well, but I found that the screws tap threads in the panel, so that the heads would not screw down flush with the panel. The trick I found for this was to screw in the screw, reverse the drill and spin the screw in reverse until it "stripped" the threads in the panel. Then the screws pulled the panel down firmly against the framing, and pulled the head down flush with the panel. Hope this helps. I think the previous answerer confused the hardiplank with an older, different, material. I finished a barn last year using Hardipanel siding. I decided to use it because my nephew had replaced cedar siding with the Hardiplank. We both have had a very positive result. The Hardipanel/plank is cement with embedded fiberglass fibers. It is impervious to water and looks like it should last forever. It is a dream to paint. It comes pre-primed, and takes very little paint to cover.
I found that a masonry blade was easier to use and gave better cuts than the toothed blades made to cut it (cheaper too). You generate alot of cement dust when cutting, so a dust mask is a good thing.
I was told that you can break the panel if you nail or screw too close to an edge. I am sure that is true, but it was not an issue for me. There are self-tapping screws made for this material. These worked well, but I found that the screws tap threads in the panel, so that the heads would not screw down flush with the panel. The trick I found for this was to screw in the screw, reverse the drill and spin the screw in reverse until it “stripped” the threads in the panel. Then the screws pulled the panel down firmly against the framing, and pulled the head down flush with the panel. Hope this helps.

]]> http://www.about-siding.com/is-hardiplank-better-than-cedar-siding/224/#comment-313 Romeo Mon, 24 Dec 2007 14:49:50 +0000 http://www.about-siding.com/is-hardiplank-better-than-cedar-siding/224/#comment-313 They both deteriorate unless you keep them painted or stained regularly. Hardi is good until it gets wet and the fiber swells and warps. Cedar cannot be painted, so you will need to stain it regularly. They both deteriorate unless you keep them painted or stained regularly. Hardi is good until it gets wet and the fiber swells and warps. Cedar cannot be painted, so you will need to stain it regularly.

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