Nailing Hardiplank (Hardieplank)

WShawn

Hi:

I'm slowly building a detached garage/studio for our home in Portland, Oregon. I've framed it, sheathed it and installed Tyvek housewrap. I hope to start installing the siding next week and am looking to use 6.25" HardiePlank Lap Siding (smooth), blind nailed. I'll need around 155 12' planks of the siding to cover the structure.

The installation instructions for HardiePlank Lap Siding (West) says to use 2" long siding nails or 11 ga. roofing nails, hot-dipped galvanized or stainless steel, and they recommend pneumatic fastening. It looks like siding and roofing nails require a coil nailer, which I don't have. I have a Porter-Cable FR350 framing nailer which has served me well in this project. Is there a type of nail that I can use in this framing nailer that would work for this siding application? Grip Rite makes "Exterior Galvanized" 6D 2"x .113 common nails with a ring shank. Would these work?

If I can't find anything that would work in my nailer, how hard would it be to hand nail 155 pieces of this stuff using loose nails?

Also, what would you suggest for a starter strip? Would you rip strips off of a piece of HardiePlank (wearing a respirator) or could I just rip strips off of a piece of framing lumber or P/T lumber?

Here's a website I threw together showing the progress of this project.

http://www.marshall-arts.net/Garage-...ge-Studio.html

I've never built anything this big before. It's been a fun challenge, but slow-going at times.

Thanks.

Shawn Marshall
Portland, Oregon

AtlanticWBConst.

No, do not use that gun. The reason being is that you need the nail head to sit tightly against (bot on top of) the surface of the siding board. This can be done with both, siding-coil-nailers and also roof-coil-nailers, as they are designed to NOT sink the nail head into material. In the case of any framing nailer (like the FR350 - we have 4 of them too), this gun will drive the nail head below the surface of the materials (lap siding). This will obviously not hold, or attach the board in the manner that a full head nail, snug on the surface will do, and how the boards need to be properly attached.

You can screw the siding in too.

You could use rips of your hardieplank, or some rips of cedar siding.

Good Luck on your project Shawn.

Also, HD sells a very inexpensive 7 1/4" Cement board cutting blade for skill saws.

FWIW: When we install Hardieplank, we:

Set up:
A table saw with cement cutting blade.
Compound saw with cement cutting blade.
Keep a skill saw with cement blade handy.
Have a jig saw with a Carbide-dust tipped blade (HD sells them).

We also hook up portable dust vac systems hooked up to the saws.
Use higher safety-level canister-filter type dust masks.

We prefer to use Stainless Steel Ring shanks and coil siding nailers.
We like to use these: (http://www.bearclip.com/) and we also insert flashing squares behind every seam.

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- Build Well -

WShawn

Hi:

Thanks for your quick reply.

My Porter-Cable FR350 has a depth adjustment. Do you think it would be possible to set it so that it underdrives the nail, then pound in snug the last 1/8" with a smooth-faced hammer? The HardiePlank installation PDF gives that as an option, but it doesn't specify a coil or stick nailer.

If the depth adjustment doesn't have enough play I wonder if I could lower the air pressure to underdrive the nail? That's happened to me accidently a few times when the hose got kinked while framing .

Shawn Marshall
Portland, Oregon

AtlanticWBConst.

Hi Shawn,

Give it a try on some test stock. Any kind of lumber will do for test stock.

__________________
- Build Well -

WShawn

Hi:

Thanks for your earlier reply. I hope to do some tests with our nailer this weekend to see what can work correctly. However I have some questions about what type of gap to leave between the butt joints of the siding. The August 2007 HardiePlank Lap Siding instructions for our west region show two different joint treatments.

Option 1 shows joint flashing behind the joints and says to install planks in moderate contact. It doesn't say what to use for joint flashing (it says to refer to the local building code.) The lumberyard guy said I can use squares of metal flashing, though I've read that aluminum can react with the cement board. Some have said you can use Tyvek squares (we already have that around the structure.)

Option 2, which doesn't show the flashing, says to leave appropriate gap between planks, then caulk. It says the same thing about where the planks butt the trim. So what is the appropriate gap? 1/8th of an inch?

Also, I'm doing a 24 foot wall, so there will be numerous joints. How much would you stagger the joints so they don't end up on top of each other? Our studs are 16" OC. Would you do say, a 12' length, then an 8' length above that, then a 4' above that, then go back to a 12' length?

Thanks.

Shawn Marshall
Portland, Oregon

roger1

Check out the magazine Fine Homebuilding this month they have a article with all the tools that are availible and suggestions. Hardies website has a pdf file you can download that give some good tips also. We used those clips to gauge (<> $20) and blind nailed hand nailed with S/S a 1200 sq ft story and half house.

WShawn

Thanks for your reply.

I have the HardiePlank PDF, as I mentioned in my post. The PDF says to use an "appropriate" gap between butt joints. I wished they'd specified what the gap should be.

I went ahead and started the project using a 1/8th inch gap which I will caulk. It seems to be going well.

Shawn Marshall
Portland, Oregon

blackestate

Would this gun work with siding nails for hardiplank siding? looking for low cost options, but do not want to buy it if it will not work.
11 gauge is 6d?

http://www.harborfreight.com/11-gaug...ler-68024.html

Tom Struble

do not gap the field joint they should be installed with ''moderate'' contact with a joint flashing installed

hand nailing with roofing nails will work fine


doh... old post

kwikfishron

That gun will not shoot the siding nails only roofing nails.

You can use ring shank roofing nails to install hardi, I prefer it.

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blackestate

ring shank roofing nails would have a larger head, correct, and would hold better?

Thanks for the help.

kwikfishron

Yep…that’s why I said “I prefer”.

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II Weeks

a lot of good stuff all ready said. Also try to hit the studs with your nails and most important, set up fans at your cutting area. They'll help keep that freakin dust away.

Gymschu

The dust is the worst part of dealing with HardiePlank.

bipin12A

i like naling Hardiplank. I hope to do some tests with our nailer this weekend to see what can work correctly. However I have some questions about what type of gap to leave between the butt joints of the siding. The August 2007 HardiePlank Lap Siding instructions for our west region show two different joint treatments.