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Has anybody heard of this problem? I am getting ready to install hardi-plank and was talking to another contracter an he told me that when he installed the plank on the house all of his butt joints shrinked an 1/2″ or more. All plank was dry when installed and all joints chaulked.
Any info on this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,Bill
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I have never heard of this problem. I habe used hardie plank for 8 years now. be sure it is painted by ths specs.
*Did the hardi plank shrink or was it the 2x wood trim used in the corners and at doors, etc. that the siding was butted to. Also could the building have settled or moved pulling apart the siding.....
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Brian,
Siding shrinking occured at all joints including siding to siding.This was on house less than 1 month and the house is in full sun.
*Hardi and all of the other fiber cement siding materials have a very minimal linear expansion rate. This is one of the benefits of that material and is why it is as low maintenance as it is. The material is most likely not what shrunk. The structure had the flaw and not the siding. When dealing with solid sawn lumber that is always a potential pitfall.If you want a product with all of the benefits of the fiber cement and an even smaller linear expansion rate, try L-P SmartSystem siding and trim. It is a treated, engineered wood product. In an immersion test the Hardi had a linear expansion rate of .18 and the SmartSystem on had .14. The warranty is going to be much more favorable for you with the SmartSystem [email protected]
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Gee, Phil, you wouldn't be a manuf rep for L-P these days, now, would you?
Rich Beckman
*Isn't the smart system a resin paper covered wafer board?
*I thought that LP stuff is the same OSB they're paying people to remove, under court order, because it falls apart. This time they used a preservative, I hear, but to me OSB and constant water exposure are a sure loser.
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No the SmartSystem siding from L-P is not the same as the old Inner Seal. That had been just an OSB product from what I have been told and yes it was a huge problem. SmartSystem is a strand product but is very different from OSB. It is also the only treated siding product available that is treated from face to face, all the way through. What causes rot in wood is not water, but fungus that utilizes water to metabolize the wood. Stop the metabolization and you stop the rot. That is exactly what their treatment does. It also stops wood boring insects. As for delamination, the reason that plywood and OSB delaminate so easily is that they are held together with glue. Glue only bonds physically and gets trashed by water. L-P uses a two phase resin binder that bonds chemically as well as physically. Problem eliminated. In the three years that this has been out, the complaints have been only numbering 1. The average for new products is 4%. This product has had only one complaint. Much lower than any of the fiber cement products. Pretty remarkable.
Check it out!
*Hi Don,No, the SmartSystem is not resin paper coated wafer board. It is a strand product, however, OSB only requires about five steps to manufacture. This requires sixteen. Even though it is a strand product, it is not OSB. It is an engineered, treated product that does have a ninety pound MDO face on it. If you have seen those highway signs that are made of wood that rarely ever have to be repainted, they have a sixty pound MDO face. This has a Ninety Pound MDO face. It is a resin impregnated Kraft type paper. This gives it a solid surface for finishing that holds paint beautifully and doesn't take much of it like fiber-cement and wood. Since it is treated and uses a two phase binder, it won't come apart like OSB, Plywood or wafer board. It has an unbelievable warranty as well. If you need to know more just e-mail me and I'll do what I can for you.Good Luck.
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This entire thread smells like a plant to me.
Steve
*Steve,I was thinking it and you said it. I have a tendency to over research materials that are new to me. My supplier was able to give me a list of the most reputable guys who had been using hardiplank the longest in my area. To a man the thing they liked the best about it was its dimensional stability. Most of them lay it tight in my area with a big bead of vulkem in the butt joints. Granted, our climate is pretty temperate compared to what alot of the guys on this board are dealing with.JonC
*This is Phil's e-mail response to my question:>Hey Rich,>Saw your reply to a Hardi plank response by me on the Breaktime page. I used to be a manuf. rep for one of the Fiber-Cement manufacturers thatjust sold its operation. I specialized in several types of siding from Hardboard to vinyl to fiber-cement and now SmartSystem. It is a greatproduct and not many people even know about it yet. Most are familiar with the old inner seal product that nearly bankrupted L-P. The simplefact that they came back out with a siding product after that huge debacle should be an eye opener for anyone who has a good business sense. Obviously they wouldn't want to open up that type of liablility again. No one could afford that type of a blunder. They strongly believe in this product, (as evidenced by the warranty and the fact that they even came back out with a siding) and so do I. I am sure you would too if you researched it.>Good Luck and check it out.>[email protected] Beckman
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Phil, I understand that Innerseal was not as good a product as some others, but also part of the blame must rest on the installers whose only interest was getting it up to get a check. Also, during the '80's I could buy the LP in seconds. Surely the siding had no warranty, but today's homeowners would not know that. I sympathize with their problem, but on my house I installed the old square version #1 grade, and mine has swollen. When they pay me the $2860 they owe me, I'll use and sell their products again. Now they're wanting to cut my $2860 into half or less. How can a contractor sell even their new product?
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Has anybody heard of this problem? I am getting ready to install hardi-plank and was talking to another contracter an he told me that when he installed the plank on the house all of his butt joints shrinked an 1/2" or more. All plank was dry when installed and all joints chaulked.
Any info on this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,Bill