Yes, you are correct--this would work. Battens, to be most effective, however, need to be 1"-2" (nom) thick. Thus, a batten that's only 1/2" or so thick would look a little skinny.

You might also consider using 4 X 8 sheets, with special "trim" pieces for battens. These are available from most of the major manufacturers of the panel products.

Good luck with your project.

Cement board is meant to be laid on a solid substrate, and covered with something hard, like tile.

It's not very strong when it comes to resisting crumbling, and your battens would tend to crumble and break apart.

I think the OP is talking about fiber cement siding like James Hardie, no? If so, it could be used for board and batten.

We used the 4' x 9' (or 10'?) Stucco in our garage and used strips usually used when building a screen porch to cover the joints. Our builder had used in his garage since it looks nice and can be washed. We have not needed to wash ours going on 7 years.

What you are describing is Hardie Vertical Panels with Hardie Trim battens applied vertically which is shown on their website (see link).

The difficulty is if the wall is taller than 10ft. If so, you would have a horizontal joint line between panels and it would have to be flashed with a "z" shaped strip of metal which is reminiscent of texture 1-11 grooved plywood siding and definitely not attractive.

Panel siding of any kind is difficult to detail at window and door openings. Draw the sill, jamb and head details before you choose this kind of siding. Unusual exterior envelope detailing is not an amateur project.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hardie Board & Batten Siding

This post was edited by Renovator8 on Sun, Mar 3, 13 at 17:49

The Hardie comes in 4 x 8, 9 and 10 feet... if that's what OP is talking about.

Our house was originally designed as rough cedar board and batten, but we changed to mortar washed brick for less headaches. The cedar on our home has to be restained/resealed yearly. Not to mention carpenter bees and the mess dirt dobbers make.

Yes, you most certainly can do this. I saw this done recently on a garage, part of a luxury high end home, and it looked stunning.

This post was edited by -henry on Sun, Mar 3, 13 at 17:29

Hardie Vertical Panel Siding is 5/16" thick, 4 ft wide and either 8ft or 10ft tall.

It must be supported on a continuous flat substrate and the horizontal joints must be flashed with metal z strips with a 1/4" visible gap above the joint free of caulking.

The battens must be centered on a wall stud and Hardie only makes a 3/4" x 2 1/2" batten.

Field cut panel edges must be caulked, painted or primed. Bottom edges must be held 2" from decks and other horizontal surfaces.

Windows usually require special head flashing and sill extensions or additional sub-sills.

In my opinion the only reason to use this siding is if you like the way it looks because it is not easy to install and that's where most of the cost is.

Have you considered using real boards and battens?

I priced them and I can do genuine western ranch rough-cut board and batten for less than any of the imitations.

Yes I have considered real boards and battens for the first floor. We have a wraparound porch which will cut down on the weathering but wanted a product that will be up for a really long time.
Having the wrap around porch also helps with having no seams. Just floor to ceiling full 4x8 sheets with horizontals at top and bottom to make up for the 9'ceiling.

Has anybody else used hardie for this,I would like to have my siding painted and not raw wood?

a near to perfect as humanly possible air barrier
under board & batten should be installed.

each batten caulked on all 4 sides when installing.

once upon a time before this house was mine...
it was barge boards & battens. somewhere
along the line battens were removed &siding
installed.

exterior of walls are leaky like sieves.
water tight...but tons of air leakage.

just something to keep in mind.

best of luck.

How well will paint hold up on real board and battens?I think that's why the hardie seems better till you look at all the extra work that's been mentioned.

I've used Cape Cod board and batten siding; machine coated on all sides, it comes with a 15-year warranty.

Experienced professional installation is a must.

I called cape cod and there product looks great but they have no dealers in my area(Oklahoma).
Any other termite treated pre painted board and batten products you would recomend?

We are using hardie board for our board and batten. I'll have to check with my contractor on all the specifics. He's used it this way before.

Qbryant, I think LP smartside is termite resistant but I'm not sure. Its an engineered product and they have it at Lowe's in SW Louisiana so they probably have it in OK too.

Is the cape cod siding sold in the USA ?

Their website says to call 1.800.565.7577.

I started this thread so I figure I should follow up. We love the look of hardi-board but couldn't stomach the thought of painting every 5-10 yrs. I loved the board and batten look but my dh wasn't as thrilled about it. So... we ended up going with vinyl 4" regular in gray.

We love the look and the thought of minimal maintenance.

Thanks for all your help!!

Jen

It should hold paint longer than 5 years,I saw on the cape cod site there's had a 15 year warrenty,I have been reading a lot about using cypress and painting that.

dutty, i am LOVING your home!!

dutty, i am LOVING your home!!

dutty, i am LOVING your home!!

dutty, on the Hardie panels, did you go with smooth or textured? Love the look of your house!

mommytoty - I used smooth! The builder acually assumed textured and so the soffit boards ARE textured since they went up first, before I told him to switch to smooth. They drive me crazy every time I see them. IMO, smooth is so much nicer. :)

carp - Thank you so much for the compliment. It comes at a great time because I'm so fed up with the process and all the things that are wrong that at this point I want to throw myself on the floor, kicking and screaming like a proper 3 year old! I really need to try and focus on the happy things. :)

dutty--Thanks! I selected smooth, but DH and my GC keep asking if I am sure, so I was starting to double-guess myself. :-)

dutty - what is the width of your battens and how far apart are they spaced?

eyezonz It's been so long since we decided that I forgot. I was on site a little while ago and thankfully remembered to bring a tape measure! :D OK... the battens are 3 and 3/8ths and they are 16" on center. Hope it helps.

I would love to see the smooth vs textured hardie with the z flashing installed?

Is it necessary to calk the battens that are applied to fiber cement when painting a new installation of fiber cement board and batten siding.

You need to read the manufacturers instructions. Fiber cement siding must be installed 100% per their instructions to have any sort of warrranty.

personally knowing what I know about air/water intrustion...I'd butt the hardi with miminal gap..or
no gap & install battens on top of seams.
while installing...I'd caulk hardi sheets on all sides,
then do the same with battens.

overkill? not IMO...it isn't IF it leaks..it is WHEN it
leaks. secondary sealing is cheap & easy during
install..but pita later..and repairing damage...major pita.

best of luck.

one quick question as we are installing Board and batten on our remodel. The batten nails seem to be good and bad, they go in straight 60% of the time and bend and break 40%, quite a bit of waste and time consumption trying to get it right.....any ideas for making my life easier, as we finish the batten install? thanks

This thread is old but the nailing problem is probably due to hand nailing or not using stainless steel finish nails.

Installing vinyl board and batten on my ranch house. Have reached the gable side of the house which is taller than the 10 foot B & B panel. I want to continue the B & B all the way up to the gable with a horizontal piece going across the house to make the bottom of the triangle. What is used to do that horizontal piece and should the siding at the upper level stick out beyond the siding on the lower level or does that horizontal piece act like a drip line out over the lower level of B & B. I am working with a carpenter friend/handyman and he wants to be sure he does it the right way since this is a first for him. Too dark to take a pic now, but I can add one later if needed. Thanks. Kathy