I just bought a house with Hardiplank siding and it needs paint. I have lots of questions even before I go to the paint store.
Here are a few:
1) Can/should I pressure wash it before re-painting
2) Should I sand it? I read another article about extreme sanding and damaging the siding.
3) Do I caulk it in any way?
4) Do I prime it? If so with what type of primer?
5) Can anyone recommend a few high quality brands and/or types of paint to buy?
6) Can I apply it with rollers and brushes or do I need to buy a something like a Wagner sprayer?
I would appreciate any input someone could give. Thanks, Devin
Don't know. Haven't seen it. Inexperienced people do far more harm than good with pressure washers.
Don't know. Still haven't seen it. If you've sanded so much that you've exposed the fibercement, you've sanded as far as you should go
- probably more than you needed to go.
Yes. Visit the Hardie web site. Faulty caulking jobs trap water and do far more harm than good.
If the remaining paint is in reasonable condition there is no need to reprime everything. There is a bit of leeway with primer, but generally an alkalai-resistant primer is recommended. The Hardie web site will have PDF files that spell all of this out for you.
Hardie says to use 100% acrylic top coats.
You'll get many recommendations, and many warnings to stay away from particular brands, and there will be little general consensus. Consumer Reports does long term testing of paint and publishes the results. So either hie thee to a library or pony up for the CR online subscription fee so you can read the full articles. Sometimes if you Google you'll find a link that will take you to the article without going through the subscription thing, but not always.
Roll it on, brush it out.
You should realize that the manufacturer's recommendations far outweigh anyone else's - including (shudder) mine (if they're at variance (they're not)). Reading the manufacturer's information first and asking for clarification on a newsgroup if you've received conflicting information makes the most sense and saves you the most time.
The initial prep and painting instructions are at the JamesHardie website.
Pressurewash at your own risk. May lift the planks and drench the backside. You don't want this. A soft nylon brush applying soap and water, followed by a liberal rinse would be my method. Allow to dry 2 or more days of dry weather if cleaning unpainted siding.
Sanding is not recommended. The material is relatively soft.
The ASTM version of caulking is stated at their website. The only openings in the siding not requiring caulking are the horizontal lap versions at the lap joint.
Retail versions, like those from big stores, come pre-primed. If worn down past the paint, some primer wouldn't hurt it.
The ASTM version of the paint and primer is recommended is provided at their website. A few specific paint mfrs and their paints are stated as examples in there.
The paint may be sprayed with a commercial pnematic paint sprayer. This is the reason, probably, it needs paint again already. Its usually painted too sparsely by paint subs. Leaves some areas too thinly painted even worse in trapped air pocket areas. I don't recommend the Wagner for similar reasons. I recommend brush and roller. Cut in with a brush in a wide fashion, overlap and cover with a roller. Don't be afraid to get the brush or roller wet.
Only where the ends butt against other planks, or against corner trim or brickmould.
I wouldn't bother unless the existing paint is very bad... unlikely.
Get good paint... labor is the main cost.
Brushes work well. Paint goes on very easily... very little soaking in, so it paints quickly. Rolling onto narrow planks seems a lot of trouble to me, as you would then need to brush also. Just using a brush will go pretty fast... it did for me when I painted mine.
I have a question. I keep seeing terms and brand names like "Hardiplank" and letter names that I never heard of.
I have been out it for about 15 years now (retired) and am wondering if all these things are new products that came out since then or are they maybe regional names that I would call something completely different? For example I have noticed treated wood like I call CCA have been called different things in this fourm. Or OSB roofing, I would probably call the same thing by a different local name?
James Hardie is an Australian company and their products have been out for quite some time. They've finally hit a critical mass where it's now widely recognized as a superior product.
CCA was outlawed - no kidding. Now it's ACQ, which is simply a different pressure treatment chemical.
OSB - oriented strand board. Looks like particle board sorta kinda, but it's far superior. It's not a roof covering, it's a plywood substitute.
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