| Author |
Message |
Liz O'Sullivan
Senior Member
Username: liz_osullivan
Post Number: 31
Registered: 10-2011
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 28, 2012 - 06:48 pm: |    |
I have fiber cement siding on a project, and I have always been under the impression that prefinished is better than field-painted. It's board-and-batten, so a lot of the fasteners will be hidden. Another consultant of my architect-client thinks that field-painted is better, because of the many opportunities for field-touch-up to go wrong. Any opinions, based on experience? |
Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP
Senior Member
Username: nwoods
Post Number: 436
Registered: 08-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 28, 2012 - 06:55 pm: | |
Think of prefinished as a nice primer coat for field painting :-) |
Marc C Chavez
Senior Member
Username: mchavez
Post Number: 447
Registered: 07-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 28, 2012 - 06:59 pm: | |
hardi board wants to be primed - on all sides and I believe comes that way. Last time I looked you had to prime any cut edges to warrant the job. I would recommend full paint system including edges if I was doing my own house - just like the old days with wood
For covered material the primer and coat of paint help preserve the material forever. and it's easier to put up but takes more time to prep. |
Liz O'Sullivan
Senior Member
Username: liz_osullivan
Post Number: 32
Registered: 10-2011
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 28, 2012 - 07:24 pm: | |
Thanks so much, guys. |
George A. Everding, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA
Senior Member
Username: geverding
Post Number: 622
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Friday, March 30, 2012 - 12:41 pm: | |
I do agree with what has been said, however it should be pointed out that prefinished Hardie siding does have its place without field painting. We used it on our garage/art studio in 2005, and it has held up fairly well - good color retention and not much chalking (it is not a deep color). We knew going into the project that it would eventually need painting, and were hoping for 5-10 years - it looks like we are going to get 10-15 years without painting.
Of course, this is a garage on an urban alley, not on the main house. I suspect if it were on the house, we would have done exactly what Marc suggests. And it is important to follow installation recommendations on edges, etc.
But there are tons of projects out there where the developer is hanging onto the property for 7 years or less where I can see the temptation to save the field painting cost and go with prefinished. It all depends on the project.
George A. Everding AIA CSI CCS CCCA
Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies
St. Louis, MO |
Sheldon Wolfe
Senior Member
Username: sheldon_wolfe
Post Number: 558
Registered: 01-2003
| | Posted on Friday, March 30, 2012 - 12:53 pm: | |
I prefer finishing before installation, if for no other reason than you can't finish the back side if you install first. Yes, touch-up will be necessary, but if you're using the same coating there should be little difference.
Personal experience: We used rabbeted bevel redwood siding on our house. We laid all of it out on sleepers, stained the backs, let it dry, flipped it over, and stained the face and edges. The coverage and penetration are much better than if applied to a vertical surface, and we didn't have to re-stain for much longer than otherwise would be expected.
In your case, penetration isn't an issue, but I believe the factory coating will perform better than if applied in the field on a vertical surface. |
Robin E. Snyder
Senior Member
Username: robin
Post Number: 389
Registered: 08-2004
| | Posted on Friday, March 30, 2012 - 12:55 pm: | |
The prefinished boards come in limited colors, but do provide a warranty for the finish. Field finish can be any color but will probably require more mainenance |
Adrian Dunevein CET
New member
Username: adriand
Post Number: 1
Registered: 07-2011
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 04, 2012 - 10:22 am: | |
Would it not be more cost effective overall to purchase through colored fiber cement panels from Eternit or Swiss Pearl or similar in the desired colors ?
The material is guaranteed for fifty years and although more expensive than Hardie Panel, you wont have cost and time associated with painting or the worry of making sure that this process gets done properly. |
Jim Sliff
Senior Member
Username: jim_sliff
Post Number: 116
Registered: 08-2010
| | Posted on Monday, April 30, 2012 - 11:58 am: | |
"Think of prefinished as a nice primer coat for field painting :-)"
Ding!
All good answers. I absolutely agree that all 4 surfaces must be properly coated prior to being attached in such a way that one or more sides is no longer exposed.
But the reality-check is that in many cases (far more than you would want to believe) the "factory finish", "shop-applied coating system" or whatever the heck you want to call it is a very cheaply made material.
If more than one coat is shop-applied, you get even more of less for your money!
(I need to put that in my "save for future use" file.)
No matter what it says on the submittal for shop-applied coatings for wood, most structural steel, cement board products or anything other than precisely-defined finished goods (i.e.those with powder coating, fluoropolymer systems and other permanently-finished products), what will actually be applied is whatever the fabricator uses on a day-to-day basis.
How often does anyone visit a fiber cement siding manufacturer's facility to verify that the specified (and submitted) coating is actually being used?
Would "never" be a stretch?
When I was working on the contractor side of the fence and had to field-finish a large quantity of shop-coated *anything*, I was a pain in the backside because I'd visit the shop (if local) or otherwise try to find out exactly what they used "normally" - because in most cases I knew it'd change what I'd have to do in the field.
I saw the same thing as a product rep - shops that wouldn't buy a drop of my product but submitted it for use whenever it was specified (and then use their usual cheap stuff).
Sometimes it's important, sometimes it's a minor issue - but I recommend thinking of all general shop coatings as "temporary coatings" simply meant to protect the coated product during shipping and jobsite handling. |
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