t1-11 siding

[grainger12002]

any ideas for alternatives to t1-11 for siding my barn ? I have looked at smart board and the like,wondering if anyone has experience w anything comparable that comes pre primed w a warranty ?

Thanks

 

[LD1]

Metal??

Expensive, but will outlast most all alternatives.

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm a big fan of James Hardi siding. With the new saw blades designed for cutting it, that part is now really easy. It nails on easily, it holds paint forever and it's bug proof, just about fire proof and it will never rot. It does have to go over something like OSB and then you need to use house wrap, but both are simple enough to do.

Smart Siding is just a pre painted OSB. It looks nice when it's up, but if you don't seal the cut ends, it will absorb water and swell up on you. How long it lasts is still a question that hasn't been proven. Cost wise, it's not much cheaper then Hardi, but it's lighter and easier to install.

Metal is always good, but you have to like the look of it. Once you get the hang of it, it's very fast and easy to install. Best of all, once you hang it, you never have to mess with it again!!!!

T1-11 is a pain because of all the maintenance it requires. Some like the way it looks, but to me, it's cheap and temporarly looking.

Avoid anything based on paper or a paper fiber. That stuff is by far the worse of the worse!!!!

Eddie

 

[Swamp Yankee]

Here's another vote for Hardi. Even unpainted, it lasts forever. Several companies make shears for cutting it that run off a drill. Easy to use, and no dust. If you're using a saw with the stuff, you need to worry about silicosis from the dust.

T1-11 is difficult to flash around windows. It almost always leaks.

Better than T1-11 is just plain old rough sawn vertical wood siding. That's traditional, and if you have a local sawmill, it might cost less than T1-11. Keeps the money local, too. Where I am in New England, the traditional woods include white pine, hemlock, and poplar. Installed vertically and kept off the ground to minimize soaking from splashback, and with some attention to flashing, these woods can last a century. Installed wrong, you'll get ten years.

 

[cdaigle430]

Here's another vote for Hardi. Even unpainted, it lasts forever. Several companies make shears for cutting it that run off a drill. Easy to use, and no dust. If you're using a saw with the stuff, you need to worry about silicosis from the dust.

T1-11 is difficult to flash around windows. It almost always leaks.

Better than T1-11 is just plain old rough sawn vertical wood siding. That's traditional, and if you have a local sawmill, it might cost less than T1-11. Keeps the money local, too. Where I am in New England, the traditional woods include white pine, hemlock, and poplar. Installed vertically and kept off the ground to minimize soaking from splashback, and with some attention to flashing, these woods can last a century. Installed wrong, you'll get ten years.

? I have T1-11 around my house and garage-no leaks. It's been on the house for 45 years.

 

[BeezFun]

any ideas for alternatives to t1-11 for siding my barn ? I have looked at smart board and the like,wondering if anyone has experience w anything comparable that comes pre primed w a warranty ?

T1-11 needs to be nailed around it's perimeter or it will warp and look lousy, so unless you have framing on your barn that allows that, it won't work. If the framing allows it you could also use rough sawn plywood, or rough cut boards if you can find a decent source. Pine might be affordable. As others have said metal is an option. Never used Hardi board, but I've heard people do everything from rave about it to curse it, so I'm not sure what that means. People also rave and curse about T1-11, so maybe it means anything installed properly will work, anything not installed properly won't.

 

[buck12]

Another vote for Hardi siding. Had my shop sided with it and looks great.

 

[Swamp Yankee]

? I have T1-11 around my house and garage-no leaks. It's been on the house for 45 years.

Could be it was installed correctly and it doesn't leak, or it could be you haven't noticed the leaks. Not all leaks show up inside. All too often they're concealed, and go un-noticed until something important rots. In my experience, few people understand how to flash T1-11 correctly. The bottoms of windows in particular can be hard.

Also in my experience (30+ years in the trades), all siding leaks under the right circumstances. That's why the layer of tarpaper or housewrap below is critical.

 

[MacLawn]

I'm a big fan of James Hardi siding. With the new saw blades designed for cutting it, that part is now really easy. It nails on easily, it holds paint forever and it's bug proof, just about fire proof and it will never rot. It does have to go over something like OSB and then you need to use house wrap, but both are simple enough to do.

Smart Siding is just a pre painted OSB. It looks nice when it's up, but if you don't seal the cut ends, it will absorb water and swell up on you. How long it lasts is still a question that hasn't been proven. Cost wise, it's not much cheaper then Hardi, but it's lighter and easier to install.

Metal is always good, but you have to like the look of it. Once you get the hang of it, it's very fast and easy to install. Best of all, once you hang it, you never have to mess with it again!!!!

T1-11 is a pain because of all the maintenance it requires. Some like the way it looks, but to me, it's cheap and temporarly looking.

Avoid anything based on paper or a paper fiber. That stuff is by far the worse of the worse!!!!

Eddie

I'm with you on the Hardi Plank, Eddie. I just love the look of lap siding on anything - house or barn. Plus, as you mentioned, it is very durable. I am planning to put Hardi on my house (when I get the time). And, on my pole barn - also when old time comes along.

 

[EddieWalker]

? I have T1-11 around my house and garage-no leaks. It's been on the house for 45 years.

Nice to hear when this happens. You must be the type of person who keeps up on maintenance. Wood siding requires regular caulking and painting to last and keep the weather out. As the wood ages, it cracks and moves. If not sealed up right away, leaks and rot begin.

Since most of us don't want to have to do this on a regular basis, wood isn't a prefered choice for siding in many parts of the country. Especially if there is a lot of moisture to deal with.

Eddie

 

[TRR]

I had T1-11 on my house in Florida for 30 years. I needed to keep up with the painting to keep the surface cracks sealed. Painted it about every 7 years, probably should have been sooner. After 30 years the bottom 6 inches was soft. Otherwise it was in good shape. I originally put vinyl siding on my barn but water got in behind it and I had to replace header beams, and plywood sheets. I put on hardie board and painted it - 6 years later there is no indication that it needs painting yet. Just be sure to caulk whatever is used properly.

 

[Iowachild]

Hardie does make a vertical panel in 4 X 8 and 4 X 10 if you like the T-111 look.:thumbsup:

 

[Danno1]

.


Eddy, et al,

I've read that Hardie siding needs to be primed on the cut surfaces (kinda like priming end grain on wood) to keep it from swelling in a humid climate.

Is this true? Do any of you guys do this?



.

 

[BeezFun]

Also in my experience (30+ years in the trades), all siding leaks under the right circumstances. That's why the layer of tarpaper or housewrap below is critical.

Siding is supposed to allow some water infiltration, it's only there to look good and prevent the water barrier from being damaged. There should be a water drainage mesh between the back of the siding and housewrap to allow water that infiltrates to run down and drain away. It can be vertical material like lathe, or they make stuff in sheets that looks like plastic scrubby pads that is installed over the housewrap. Tyvek also makes a product called Drainwrap that serves this purpose. Siding installed directly over housewrap causes the wrap to become saturated, then it loses it's water proofness and wicks moisture into the wall. It's important to have that air space in between the siding and wrap to allow the water to drain and the wrap to dry out.

 

[shane]

Siding is supposed to allow some water infiltration, it's only there to look good and prevent the water barrier from being damaged.

Um, I would question that statement.

First, I believe most siding is designed and to be installed that "if" there is water infiltration, it has a way to escape. I don't know of any that is "supposed" to allow water into the building.

Secondly, by design, it's there for more than looks. It is a weather barrier. Siding has be used for centuries before the the design of moisture barriers such as house wraps, rain screens, and even felt paper.

I don't mean to be argumentative or try to challenge you, but I believe this is a bit of misinformation that could be harmful.

 

[BeezFun]

Um, I would question that statement.

First, I believe most siding is designed and to be installed that "if" there is water infiltration, it has a way to escape. I don't know of any that is "supposed" to allow water into the building.

Secondly, by design, it's there for more than looks. It is a weather barrier. Siding has be used for centuries before the the design of moisture barriers such as house wraps, rain screens, and even felt paper.

I don't mean to be argumentative or try to challenge you, but I believe this is a bit of misinformation that could be harmful.

How could it be harmful? If everyone expected that siding would leak, they might be more likely to install the water barrier correctly, instead of hoping it doesn't leak, or trying to caulk it enough to keep it from leaking. Modern structures are different than they were centuries ago. It didn't matter if the siding leaked when there was nothing under it to trap water. Modern construction techniques require more complicated approaches, like using housewraps to control air and moisture transmission across the wall.

 

[TRR]

I've read that Hardie siding needs to be primed on the cut surfaces (kinda like priming end grain on wood) to keep it from swelling in a humid climate.

Is this true? Do any of you guys do this?

That is true. There are pictures of the cut ends swelling a little and if you look along the wall it is noticable. I used a wet saw to make my cuts to keep the silica dust under control. Then painted the ends. The wet saw was a mistake, you can see all the cut ends have swollen. If you look at it from the street you can't tell and since the cut ends are on the 2nd story most people won't notice, but I do. Probably the best answer would be from the company:

HardiePlank Lap Siding

 

[300UGUY]

? I have T1-11 around my house and garage-no leaks. It's been on the house for 45 years.

I have T1-11 on my barn and it is in great shape after 24 years. It isn't the same as the T1-11 that is sold today. T1-11 sold around here is a OSB type product. My siding is plywood and much tougher. It can be hard to get a nail into.

 

[300UGUY]

Nice to hear when this happens. You must be the type of person who keeps up on maintenance. Wood siding requires regular caulking and painting to last and keep the weather out. As the wood ages, it cracks and moves. If not sealed up right away, leaks and rot begin.

Since most of us don't want to have to do this on a regular basis, wood isn't a prefered choice for siding in many parts of the country. Especially if there is a lot of moisture to deal with.

Eddie

I''ve been staining my barn, 3 times in 24 years. I am thinking of going to the "duration" type paint next time. I read that it is rated for 35 years. That would take me into my 90's.... What do you think of these paints? Will they last that long?

 

[EddieWalker]

I''ve been staining my barn, 3 times in 24 years. I am thinking of going to the "duration" type paint next time. I read that it is rated for 35 years. That would take me into my 90's.... What do you think of these paints? Will they last that long?

I don't have any first hand experience with "duration" paint, but feel very strongly that preperation is what REALLY matters in painting. I've been known to spend a couple weeks prepairing a house to paint, and only three days doing the actual painting.

You do get what you pay for in paint, but if it's not going on a solid, dry, sealed surface, then nothing is going to last.

Dry is important. That means that the house was not pressure washed. You should NEVER pressure wash a house. The house was never built to withstand thousands of psi of water coming at it, and instead of cleaning the house, you are destroying the caulking, the mortor and whaterver else is was used to keep out rain water and wind. You are also putting water into places it's not supposed to go, and will stay wet for months!!!!!

NEVER PRESSURE WASH A HOUSE!!!!!

Eddie