Is there a brand of fiber cement type paneling that can be left unpainted? I want the cement/concrete color/appearance. It should have a smooth texture. I’ll be cutting it into 4 foot square panels for installation. Thanks.
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Any such product can be left unfinished. My place went from 1940-2005 without ever having been painted.
"Smooth" is a relative term. Mine appeared smooth, even felt fairly smooth, but was coarse enough to soak up paint like a sponge later on.
Note that, over the years, the pores in the siding captured enough dust, etc., that the pieces took on noticeably different appearances, depending upon just where they were located. For example, the ones near the ground were quite a bit browner than ones higher up.
From the Hardiboard installation instructions.
"James Hardie products must be painted within 180
days for primed product and 90 days for unprimed"
I would assume the same thing would be true for other brands as well.
Those fibers are cellulose and they prefer to be protected by paint. So, go to your paint store and get some paint that matches the concrete color you like. The boards will start to show degredation if you dont paint.
Superdeck makes fiber cement siding stain and concrete stains. I believe they have a gray color.
http://www.worldofstains.com/Masonry-and-Cement-Stain-Products-from-WorldofStains-com-s/31.htm
Best of luck
Bruce
Painting the fiber products is all I've ever understood, also. But I'd still like to have something unpainted. What about using Wonderboard or a similar product. Sure this would be unconventional but isn't cement board simply just that.... cement? And if so, it ought to withstand being out in the elements all by itself. I would expect that it could get stained or take on other colors from staining, etc. That doesn't bother me at all.
Wouldn't Wonderboard allow water to pass thru the VERY porous surface and material?
Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
Yes, it would. But I'm doing a rainscreen detail. The Wonderboard will be spaced out from the actual water barrier. It will only serve as a visual surface and protector against physical abuse.
Wonderboard is porous and might be damaged by freezing water.
i have a penthouse that i covered with unpainted 4x9 sheets of some brand hardie/cement board ran em horizontal ... i used galv. Z type flashing where one sheet meets the next... and nothing but a 30lb felt spline where they butted... i face screwed it all with the roofing screws with the captured rubber washers... i wanted the "industrial" look... it's been 4 years and it's still good... so for now it will remain unpainted.. just like i wanted...
p
btw... i saw a garage roof where the guy used hardie lap siding... looked like it'd been that way for several years
Thanks, I may do something similar.