I looked at a house yesterday that has masonite siding. there were a few severe, but localized problem areas that I will recomend replacing with hardiboard.
The entire house has the masonite face nailed and around every nail head is a quarter size ring of soft masonite. What would be the most practical solution here? It’s another rental house so the owner will want to only fix the bare minimum at this time.
What would you do if it were your house, and you were tight with money?
A. Do nothing. Will the nail head problem may be able to wait a few more years?
B. Caulk over the nail head areas, then paint the whole house.
C. Sugest a go ahead to re-side the house with either hardi, or cover over with vinyl.
Replies
That type of hardboard siding needs to have a waterproof coating, and unfortunately when much of it was installed "flat latex", which is very "leaky", was the rage. The problem was exacerbated by installers who overdrove the face nails.
From the sound of it this unit isn't in terrible shape and probably has another 5-10 years of life in it.
You can extend the life of the siding another 3-4 years or so by priming the bad spots with an oil/alkyd primer and then repainting the whole thing with a good semigloss acrylic.
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If not already done, go to http://www.masoniteclaims.com and file a claim with Masonite. In my case, the payout wasn't enough to cover replacement, but it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick (as my dad used to say).
I don't see any need to replace the siding until it becomes too bad of an eyesore or it begins to allow water penetration into the envelope. Also, you can file multiple claims with Masonite. I.e. if they pay you for 50% damage, and you refile a year later and it's determined that now 60% is damaged, then you get an additional 10% settlement. Once 75% is deemed damaged, they pay out for 100%.
fan fold / felt
and new vinyl.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa