James Hardie Advice and FAQ
The best way to have your questions answered is to just give us a call and talk to us. We love to talk! In the meantime, however, here are some answers to the questions we are frequently asked.
James Hardie FAQS
James Hardie is a fiber-cement siding product. Fiber-cement is a combination of water, Portland cement, ground sand, and cellulose fibers.
Because of the durability of fiber-cement it is considered a GREEN product by many green building programs like Built Green Colorado. Fiber-cement is greener than vinyl siding products which originate from fossil fuels, and wood or wood based products.
You can apply James Hardie either pre-primed and ready for paint, or pre-finished with James Hardie’s ColorPlus Technology. James Hardie’s ColorPlus Technology is a baked on factory applied finish that comes with a 15-year warranty.
Most of James Hardie siding products come with a 50-year transferrable warranty, which means James Hardie siding products will last much longer than wood or wood based sidings. Because James Hardie is not wood or vinyl, it will not warp, crack or swell like wood based sidings, is non-combustible, insect repellant, and impact resistant.
Any contractor can tell you that he can install James Hardie siding products, but you want to go with a contractor that has experience with the product, especially ColorPlus. As a James Hardie Preferred Remodeler, Scottish Home Improvements has installed over 1 million square feet of James Hardie, including over 200,000 feet in 2008, and all of our installers and estimators have been trained on James Hardie’s best practices.
The cost to re-side your home with James Hardie siding products depends on several factors including the size of your home, the complexity of the job, and the type of James Hardie siding products you choose to use.
Once again there are many factors that determine the time it takes to re-side your home like weather conditions, and the factors that determine the cost.
Damaged siding on a home can sometimes indicate that there are causes under the siding and with previous construction techniques that are contributing to the decay. We prefer to tear off the old siding so that we can inspect the substrate for pest intrusion, and water damage and fix the problem instead of covering it up. In addition, by tearing away the old siding, we can install a weather resistive barrier and even insulation to make your home more energy efficient.
Contact Scottish Home Improvements, and one of our siding professionals will meet with you at your home and give you a full no-cost evaluation of your home’s siding needs.
Portland cement, sand and wood fibers.
15 years.
50 years.
We use a “blind nailing” process that hides almost all of the nails.
Yes. We completely seal the house prior to the installation of the siding to stop air infiltration and as a vapor barrier.
As we go along but we do a major clean up at the end of the day. Then we go over the area with a magnet to make sure all the nails are picked up.
The finish is warranted not to fade over 3 Hunter units. This is not enough to detect the difference you’re your eye.
Yes. It is a very specialized product and is very difficult to install. It will only be warranted if installed by a trained professional.
The crews are all factory trained by James Hardie®. They also go through ongoing training programs. They memorize all of the nailing sequences prior to being allowed to work with our clients and they must know all aspects of James Hardie® “best practices” manual.
They use a specially designed blades by James Hardie® to cut the material.
They also use a custom vacuum system in conjunction with the saws to prevent a lot of dust blowing around. This equipment is only available to James Hardie® approved contractors.
We use only caulking that is approved by James Hardie® and is color matched to all Color Plus products.
