Attach Allura or Hardie fiberboard siding to cement stem wall
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How do I do it? Siding to concrete? The siding may need to be firred out with foam or wood to match existing siding?My garage was built in the mountains using a stepped stem wall on 2 sides because the land is sloped. My contractor installed Allura siding from the roof down but left a jagged checkerboard bottom that runs from 6″ to 12″ above grade. It look terrible. He says paint the concrete or add a stone bottom. Bottom line, he is dogging the job imo as I already paid him for the finished product. So how do I do it? I can’t glue it because it would be recessed from current siding. Side note: I am trying to be an owner builder which not I realize was a mistake but I am stymied on this last piece to make my garage presentable.
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My neighbor just attached Hardie plank to a stem wall on their house last month. I suggested using tapcons to attach 3/4 PT plywood strips and nailing to that. She didn't like the idea of it sticking out, so she screwed it directly to the concrete with tapcons every two feet. I had to loan her my hammer drill and a good bit to drill all those holes. It took her a bit of time, but turned out looking just fine.
Fur it out with 1 X 4" pressure treated strips. Attach them with stainless steel concrete screws. don't use the blue ones as they rust away pretty quickly. Attached the siding with 1 1/2" roofing nails. Also, remember that the siding can't touch the ground. You might need to use a PVC trim board at the bottom.
I wouldn't attach fiberboard siding directly to concrete. Definitely fir it out with something, so that the fiberboard is not exposed to the moisture in the concrete.
same question i also have
Agree with DanH. You'll want to check the installation manuals for both products. Neither is rated for contact with concrete or masonry and should not be attached directly to it. I believe instructions for both require a 6-in. minimum clearance from finished grade. You might want to check out Boral's TruExterior products, which (as far as I know) are rated for ground and masonry contact.