Replies

1. 
   floor sweeper | May 29, 2006 09:39pm | #1

   You can always take a scrap submerge it in water for your own test.

   I have replaced masonite siding with the same problem inspection always turned up a lack of back priming and edge sealing.

   I try to back prime siding material we install just to play it safe, even the last two or three courses to protect from splash from rain of the roof line.

    

    

2. 
   Westcoast | May 30, 2006 03:29am | #2

   I have a piece of Hardie soaking in water for a year and a half now with no change whatsoever. Half the board is submerged and the other half dries out then i rotate every couple of weeks. The Hardie-plus finish hasn't even peeled yet.

1. 
   McDesign | May 30, 2006 04:34am | #3

   Kinda like watchin' paint dry without the drama, huh?

   Forrest

3. 
   BruceCM | May 30, 2006 05:11am | #4

   Well, I hope it holds up!

   I cut 5X5 inch pieces of Hardi-Backer board and put under and on top of my 6X6 posts for my deck between the post and the Simpson steel brackets. My purpose is to keep the end of the post from sitting in moisture during long rainy periods.

   So repost your question in a couple of years and I'll let you know how these turned out!

   BruceM

1. 
   DoRight | May 30, 2006 06:24pm | #8

   Bruce, Sounds like a great idea!!

   I did something similiar.  I built some shelf units for my garage.  I might hose teh garage out on occasion, water from melting snow gets under teh shelves, and the shelves are close to the front doors and rain water could get in.  So I tacked asphalt roof shingles to the bottom of the legs to keep water from wicking up the legs.

4. 
   WayneL5 | May 30, 2006 05:27am | #5

   Before I sided my house in 1999 I ordered a sample, drove nails through it into another board and put it outside on the shady side of the house through a Canadian style winter.  It appeared completely unharmed.  The house siding looks great now, too.

   I believe Hardie products come with a 50 year warranty.

5. 
   bolts | May 30, 2006 08:53am | #6

   The short answer to you question is no Hardies cement sheet products and board have bee used in this country for years it is not totaly indestructable but it certainly comes close. PS in Australia

   You can make it fool proof but not idiot proof 

6. 
   mojo | May 30, 2006 02:01pm | #7

   I installed HardiShingles on my house and found that if a cut was not made cleanly _and_ not primed and painted that it would start to delaminate if exposed to water.  Having said that, I used HardiePlank for my starter rows and they seemed more substantial.  I would think they were the same material but the shingles I could easily break in my hands but the planks were stiffer and came pre-primed which is good. 

   For giggles, I'd seal all cuts (as is recommended) and I think Hardie will be a good choice.

7. 
   vbondon | Jan 18, 2015 10:21am | #9

   Can Hardy Board Get Wet

   Thanks for going to all this trouble and then sharing it with us.  I was half way through my project when I read that Hardie Board can only be use in low moisture projects.  Glad you have proved this is not so.

8. 
   HarryLudke | Jan 20, 2015 02:54pm | #10

   I've had some experience with crumbling Hardiboard. Even though it might be primed and painted, Hardiboard that is very wet and than goes thru repeated freeze/ thaw cycles, will eventually crumble and need to be replaced. It's the winter freezing that slowly delaminates the layers of Hardiboard. In my case it started crumbling after 6-7 years.

   My solution was to replace the Hardiboard that was exposed to splashing exc. with pvc trim board. Problem solved.