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I'm about to re-side my home with Hardy Board/Plank. We had it built in '93 and that lovely LP was installed.............nice stuff that. It's time to re-side as the mushrooms started to appear several years ago and it's time to make the change. I've scraped, primed and repainted several times, but now we're at the change out point. Living in WA. state, the great PNW, mushrooms are a delicacy, just not on my home.

I've had 3 contractors give me bids. My concern is that they all 3 came back with different ideas on what goes under the new siding. Not knowin' a lick about what is best to go directly under the siding, I'm hoping to get a more definitive answer from some here that can help me decide what to do.

One suggests, TyVek, another suggests TyPar and the last guy said he'd only recommend installing tar paper (such as the stuff that goes under roof shakes, I'm assuming). We currently have TyVek on the house, but I'm hearing from all three that no matter what, it will have to be replaced.

So what say you guys with a bunch more knowledge about this stuff than I, or perhaps even those bidding. And what's the difference between TyVek and TyPar?

Thanks for your help in advance. This is a major job and given my useful time left on earth and the fact that I'm not sellin' anytime soon and when I do this house will likely go to my son, I'd like to have it done right.

Thanks again.................

Typar or Tyvek are what you need (very little diff.)- throw away the # of the guy who told you tar paper. After removing your old siding the original Tyvek is going to be full of holes, tears, possible mold - never know what your going to find until you get to that point. Similar to trying to re-roof a house and use the old tar paper again, it's best to do it right and not worry about the little bit extra it costs as you said.

Out of curiousity, what are they charging for installation per square in your area?

***Tar Paper - Does not "breathe", making it a poor choice, particularly in a wet climate. It also (30#) will not lay nice and flat which can cause ripples in your siding. It is an antiquated choice and there are certainly better products out there.

Couple of useful links here...

http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=652.0

http://www.typar.com/builder/produc...=main-products&it=products-housewrap

Quick answer, seems Typar may be able to be exposed to sunlight/UV longer than Tyvek (if this is going to take awhile). Also Typar may be more resistant to surfactants which will kill the effectiveness of either product.

Seems like a lot of folks on that first site, still recommend 30-lb felt paper.

FWIW, I put Tyvek over the foamboard/concrete block/furring strip mess that was under the aluminum siding when I replaced that on my house. It was nice to work with but I can't say as to whether it changed anything noticeable.

Not much help , but keep a little extra change set aside to cover extras after the siding and tyvek are removed.
You can't tell what's really there untill it is stripped and you can see it.
You are looking at long term so moldy or mildewy spots need to be addressed on the substrate. Any visible moisture damage needs to be cut out and replaced . From what I hear , that cement board has a long life span. No sense in just covering up stuff just to save a few $$.
Corners , windows , and doors are prone to leaks , the extra cost of making sure the under flashing is done correctly will go a long way towards longevity as well.

felt will turn water if the siding leaks, but it's not a vapor or air barrier.

you should be okay since you're using wood siding


but for those using vinyl or aluminum beware using Tyvek according to a local engineer here.

according to him when the sun beats down on your siding it gets so hot underneath that the Tyvek must melt a little thus closing down its pores that allow it to breathe effectively creating a vapor barrier on walls with good sun exposure, since there's a vapor barrier already in place on the other side of the wall moisture that would dry out naturally from plywood and wall studs has no place to go thereby rotting the wood away.


any of you guys replacing siding on homes old enough to have gone through this process can confirm or refute this?

it makes sense to me provided Tyvek does lose it's breathability from heat exposure.

Hardi plank siding

http://www.amazingsiding.com/PPF/Parameters/27_167_/amazing_siding.asp

man thanks Phil I didn't know about that stuff, that sounds like great news!


I hate the looks of vinyl siding but the low maintenance won me over on the last house I built.

hope to build another on a piece of property I own that overlooks the Tanana River and the Alaska Range. was struggling with the idea of putting vinyl siding on it.

Hmmm....the published melting point of Tyvek is 275�F. Does it really get that hot underneath vinyl/Aluminum siding?

I've installed a small amount of Hardy Board. It's easy to do if you can keep a straight line. If you have much cut work, though, it will eat up carbide blades like crazy.

Not to mention the areas where it is cut over/under windows are EXTREMELY fragile until they are installed. It is the best stuff out there however - and it looks outstanding when stained to look like cedar.

Re-iterating that I'm far from an expert.
Some new home builders buy rail car loads of framing lumber that is cheaper because it is not yet dried to specs. Within 5 years problems show up from the framing lumber drying , and twisting , and that moisture released within the walls.
Not likely the case here though. Existing house , lumber stabilized , interior walls finished and painted . Not very much moisture heading out from inside .
Fresh plywood sheathing around windows and doors as well as any soft spots by the foundation will dry out this summer. Tyveck sealing itself will just help keep moisture from infiltrating in as well as become a better wind barrier. Never heard of self sealing tyveck , but that is what it sounds like to me .
The painted cement board should expand and contract with the sun hitting it , opening up plenty of opportunity to let the house breath out any moisture that does infiltrate the siding in the rainy PNW.
Re-disclaiming , just my opinions . I'm not good at writing and disclaiming as I go .

That's why they make fiber-cement shears.........No dust to breath, but ya got to clean up all those pesky squirrely-Q's....

Ask the contractor about sealing cuts, any cut made on Hardie siding should be sealed. The better contractors even prime the back of it if there's an issue with moisture.

I got a free siding replacement (including labor and disposal) after 14 years, the vinyl faded.

I was considering Hardie (before the free replacement), but there were no certified installers locally. It's all about the installation (same with windows). If it's done right, it's more expensive than generally thought. As, noted it's more fragile at the edges and I'd recommend reading Hardie's installation PDF at their website...enlightening.

I have been a Home Improvement contractor for 15 years and hardi plank is good stuff.we have seen some issues with the layers separating and some issues of paint peeling but not enough to cause an alarm. It is very easy to break so be fore warned. we normally use tyvek as an under layment but 30 LB tar paper works good, also. Just depends on the costs.
Use shears or specially made saw blades to cut it.
In my experience, most jobs of any consequence will exceed the estimate by 10-20% so be prepared for that. some things just can't be forseen.

We also had LP siding on our house in Dundee Oregon and participated in the LP settlement. We replaced the LP with Hardy Plank and were very satisfied. Our contractor on that job reinstalled new Tyvek. We liked the Hardy Plank well enough to install it on our current house when we built it in 2004. It does help to have it installed by someone that either has experience with Hardy Plank or training in its installation. One of the reason we like it is that it is noncombustible and that (combined with a standing seam metal roof) is a good thing in areas subject to potential forest fires.

Freud makes a special blade for Hardie called the Diablo. Lasts longer than regular carbide blades and cuts better.

Hardie board is one of the great construction inventions of the past 100 years. Awesome stuff that overnight made exterior wood products obsolete in the South and other high humidity areas.

Fellas - I apologize for not getin' back to responding sooner, but I just got in from sport shrimpin', which I was preppin' for yesterday and participated in today. We got about 140 prawns up to 8 inches long...good eatin'..

First off.....thanks to all for your helpful responses. As I said earlier, I haven't a clue about such building stuff/materials. I'm learning quickly. The links were real helpful as well.

The 3 bids I asked for haven't come back yet, but I expect them in this week. So as to how much the materials cost here (as one poster asked), I don't know as yet. Our timing, so far, seems lucky as materials are evidently a bit cheaper these days. I'm having the Hardi Board/Plank which shows only a 4in. reveal, as I like that look a little better than the larger (up to 8in....?) reveal.

I'm definitely about doin' any job right so going cheap isn't an option. I expect to pay top dollar for a good product and service.....always have, always will. Prep work, chalking flashing installation, priming........those efforts that one doesn't "see"......the most important part of any job.....IMHO.

Thanks again, very much. This forum, as I've said before, is more than just a wealth of info regarding firearms related subjects......there's an abundance of knowledge about most everything that can be requested and received from being a member of this site.

Thanks so much again and when the final determination is made, I'll try to remember to post that result, as well as the reason why.

There's a James Hardy plant here just up the road...

Ain't no layoffs going on there, and last I heard they were hiring.

Good products too, from what I hear.

Tyvek or Typar for your vapor barrier, not tar paper.

I put Typar on my house because it was a tad cheaper than Tyvek, FWIW.

If you want I can call a friend of mine that works there at the plant and find out from the horses mouth what they say to put under it......