We have the smooth Hardi-board (looks more like real clapboard which is traditionally smooth-the wood grained siding always looks fake to me). We have had no issues with upkeep in seven years. No mold, no mildew. Have never had to clean it at all. We do have a couple of spots where squirrels gnawed on it, but they must not have liked it, so damage is very slight and not worth the trouble of replacing boards. When we had wood siding, we never had to do much upkeep either-just paint every ten years or so. I can't imagine having to clean siding every month or so!

I have had Hardieplank on my house since 2005. I love it. We got smooth hardieplank, not the kind with the woodgrain impressions in it (imo, the woodgrain always looks fake anyway -- real wood siding is smooth, not woodgrain textured!). And we painted it on-site instead of getting it prepainted (we used Sherwin Williams Duration Exterior) -- basically because I didn't know what color I wanted when it was time to order so I just figured we'd paint it after it was up. It could use a good pressure washing to get rid of the dead bugs and cobwebs, but there is no mold or anything. I would think the tendency to grow mold is going to have to do with how mildew-resistant the paint is and how much moisture/shade you get, stuff Hardie can't control which is why they exclude it from the warranty.

The whole point of choosing Hardie over wood is that it is a cementitous product and does NOT expand and contract (it's also not vulnerable to termites or rot!). And the installers should not be using caulk anywhere on it - you don't caulk the seams (you flash behind them with a piece of metal flashing). The only place we have caulk is between the hardie and our window trim and then only for aesthetics (proper flashing of the windows means we didn't need caulk for waterproofing). And that caulk is as intact as the day the siding was installed because, like I said above, Hardie does not expand and contract.

You do need to make sure it is properly installed by someone who knows what they are doing (cut ends must be primed before installing, for example, or the ends will absorb water and swell). But once it's installed (properly) and painted, I can't imagine there being a more maintenance-free siding material in existence. Ours has been up for 5+ years now and we've done absolutely nothing to it -- we're only just starting to think it could use a powerwashing (and then only because of the dead bugs and spider egg sacs all over the house, not because the siding looks "dirty" or moldy. We live on top of a hill where we regularly get 50+ mph winds and while our neighbors with vinyl or aluminum are constantly losing pieces of siding or hearing their siding "rattle" during windstorms, ours stays quiet and stays put. I can't say enough good things about our Hardie siding and I have no regrets whatsoever about choosing it.

patrice607-

We've had Hardi plank (smooth board, ITA that the simulated wood grain looks, well, simulated) installed since 2005 and I agree with everything lkplatow said about the product, other than a little cobweb sweeping, it's been totally maintenance free. We live at the east end of a large lake, and we get major wind, snow, rain and overall moisture, and the Hardi still looks like the day it was installed. Like wood, Hardi does have to be repainted, but it does not rot, so there's not a lot of scraping or repair, just painting.

I'd bet that the contractor doesn't know how to install Hardi, wants your business and is trying to convince you to go with vinyl so he can get your business.

Good luck-

sandyponder

I have hardiboard also. If you have the paint store treat the paint you use with mildewcide, you won't have a problem with mildew. Our hardi is just as pretty and clean as the day we installed it.

Was the contractor selling vinyl?

We have never had a problem with our Hardy Board on previous homes. Don't have it this time.

We used the fiber cement board on the addition, because it matched our absestos shingles exactly. I live in the deep south where houses need a yearly pressure wash. The wood trim on our house gets mildewed ... the siding doesn't, but it still looks better with a yearly wash.

Just past the electric meter is where the two sidings meet.

Agree with everything lkplatow said. I would throw what your friendly contractor said out the window.

With the insurance companies steering away from mold issues, I would be surprised it you find any product that doesn't exclude mold. The underwriters either won't write the product or they want so much that it makes it economically unfeasible.

I have the wood grain hardyplank. Love the product. The previous two houses were cedar. What a chore. Always painting and it was almost impossible to get a smooth looking paint job. The current house had the LP siding(with the class action suit) so after purchasing the home we changed it for the hardyplank. I actually had a scrap piece that I threw in the bushes so the sprinkler could get it wet. It was primed but no paint. I didn't see any change in the product, other than being really dirty, so we went with the hardyplank.

The house was resided back in 94. Other than the paint fading over the 15 year span, the siding hasn't changed. So spend the money and buy a very good quality paint. The trim has required more painting because it's wood. We finally repainted last year. I would not hesitate to reside a home in the hardyplank. Actually I would prefer the hardyplank to any other product except brick or stone.

Mold is probably more of an issue with any product depending on where you live.

Natal - Great job matching! Your home is charming - thanks for sharing.

Ikplatow - thanks for the very informative post.

Housefairy - I was planning to get the factory "Color Plus" paint. It's guaranteed for 15 years. I'm relieved to hear that you and other posters are happy with the hardiboard. Does the wood grain collect dirt? How often do you clean it?

Thanks to all for calming my nerves. I was having a major case of buyer's remorse and trying to figure out how I could get out of the contract. I think I'll buy hardiboard. Just trying to decide if I should buy with or without the woodgrain.

Patrice I don't really notice that the dirt collects in the grain. More cobwebs to knock down in the entrance than any general dirt. So that area gets a power wash, the deck in back, the concrete, and knocking the dirt off the garage doors. But no, the whole house is not washed. The back does get hammered by the wind and rain.

We just purchased the primed hardyplank. Actually I don't know if the painted version was even available when we resided. Here's a picture of the back, just don't know if you can really tell anything about the texture.

{{!gwi}}

Love your home, sandyponder. So unusual and I bet the views are wonderful!

Just chiming in to say that we're another satisfied Hardiplank owner! We've only been in our home 3-1/2 years, but the Hardi looks like new. Even on the north-facing areas that are very shaded, there is no mold on the siding. (Ours is the smooth Hardi, so I can't speak about the woodgrain version, though.)

housefairy - Very nice! What state are you in?

Sandy - Great house! When's the party??

Hoosiergirl - Thanks for the reassurance. Any pics?

Patrice we live in the Pacific Northwest. So we don't have the humidity. Even though we have a milder climate the back gets hit with the wind and rain when it comes up the mountain. We also get more snow than most of the metro area just because we are at a higher elevation. A couple years ago we had snow for about a week.

It's hard to really see much of the siding, other than what's above the one garage door. But this is just to show you that the siding does get some cold weather. The other one shows you just how much area gets hit with the weather and still looks like the day it was put up. The snow picture is before we repainted last summer. The dog is supervising the shoveling.

{{!gwi}}

Patrice -- there are tons of pics of our siding on my website, along with the whole story of why we were residing (and re-roofing) a 6 year old house in the first place. We went with the smooth lap siding and used a 4" lap to simulate the siding on old clapboard houses. The siding was hung pre-primed and we painted it on-site with SW Duration Exterior.

I believe I included some closeup shots of the installation details (metal flashing behind joints, how the hardie needs to be cut short at any roof-wall intersections, etc.) These are all things your installers should already know, but you might want to make sure they are doing them right, because if not, JH won't honor your warranty (they'll blame any problems on the installer and rightfully so, but that won't help you).

If you don't want to sift through the whole saga, click the Show All link and go to the very end -- the last set of pictures (#382 and on) was posted after the siding had been up 4 years so you can see how it held up. Here's one:

Good luck with your decision.

Here is a link that might be useful: Our house...

I live in the humid south...and everyone I know who has hardiplank loves it. Our house is sided with solid-stained cedar...but if we ever did need to re-side (I can't see why we would need to) we would be residing with hardi-plank.

lkplatow -

OMG! What a story!! I can't believe you lost the law suit. I would take all that documentation and head over to my nearest congressman. Seriously, the laws need to be in place to protect consumers against people like your builder.

Your home is lovely! Well worth the work. After all your research, you could probably go into business as a general contractor or inspector.

Patrice, this is the only pic I can find that is close enough to really show the Hardiplank (and it's not very close either -- and the lattice frame will be painted in case you're wondering!):

hoosiergirl - You have a lovely home on a beautiful piece of land. I love the turret! Lucky you!

Thank you, Patrice! We do *love* it here!!

Another happy JH fiber cement siding owner. I have to say most people do not realize this is not wood.

eandhl -

Do you have the wood grain or plain? I'm worried about dirt getting into the grain and causing a maintenance problem.

Any pics?

To clarify some advice given above that is not correct per current Hardie "best practices" documentation...

It is true that you should not caulk joints (seams) in Hardie siding between where siding meets vertical trim. Those seams should be flashed (and Tyvek, for ex., can be acceptable there as can other types of flashing).

But Hardie states that you MUST caulk (using only Hardie's proprietary caulk) where the Hardie plank meets vertical trim, such as at the end of a wall, at a window or door, etc.

In addition, you must seal all field cut ends in HardiePlank, such as at those seams between ends at vertical trim, and Hardie specifies that you must use Hardie's sealer there (not caulk).

You can find this documentation on the Hardie web site, I don't have the link handy here, unfortunately.

I'm also in the PNW. We get some fierce winds and rain that attack our house during the winter months. We've had HardiePlank for 5 years now and have never power washed or painted. Ours is textured and was site painted. No mold or mildew that we've noticed. We couldn't be happier. Agree w/others that the spider webs are more of a concern and get hosed off when we wash windows. On the other hand, that fierce rain does a huge number on the windows.