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Discussion Forum

bostich roofing nails for hardi siding

drbgwood | Posted in General Discussion on September 25, 2009 02:44am

I replace a fair bit of masonite siding with hardi siding now and then, and been thinking about getting a siding gun.  In the mean time, I’ve been reading that it’s permisable to use roofing nails to hang the fiber cement.  I’ve got a bunch of bostich roofing gun nails laying around…  anyone use those for fiber cement?  I’d blind nail with those, and face nail with some hot-dip galv handnails as needed.

 

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  1. User avater
    Dam_inspector | Sep 25, 2009 02:55am | #1

    That seems to be the ticket now. Pretty common way to go.

    I use a siding gun myself, but the small heads can blow through, even with the depth control set correctly. I wasn't sure the roofing nails were sufficiently corrosion resistant, and was concerned that the larger shanks might crack the planks. Also I was also concerned that the length might be too short to penetrate the studs, especially if furring was used. I use ring shanks, but I have since heard they can blow out the back of the siding. I know they will hardly pull out. Smooth is probably better.

    1. drbgwood | Sep 25, 2009 04:11am | #3

      Thanks,

      Just curious... does anyone face nail with the roofing nails? 

      1. User avater
        Dam_inspector | Sep 25, 2009 04:17am | #4

        Maybe hacks.

        1. drbgwood | Sep 25, 2009 04:33am | #5

          sounds good.  I've probably only averaged putting up a few hundred pieces of siding a year (but that rate seems to be growing lately),  so I'll give my roofing nailer a try for now. 

          A palm nailer is sounding like it might be a good thing to add to the box as well.  Might work for doing any remaining face nailing that I need....  not a big fan of handnailing siding nails.

          1. User avater
            Dam_inspector | Sep 25, 2009 04:42am | #6

            A palm nailer is worthless on hardi. The nails have to be flush, not broken through. You would be better off buying a siding gun.

            Edited 9/24/2009 9:43 pm ET by Dam_inspector

          2. drbgwood | Sep 25, 2009 04:53am | #7

            Makes sense.  I wouldn't expect the palm nailer to be able to drive them all the way in perfect flush...  probably one last whack with the hammer to get it perfect.  palm nailer might not be worth the time.

          3. User avater
            Dam_inspector | Sep 25, 2009 05:11am | #8

            I have a hitachi nv65ah, it's pretty good, it's better for face nailing, but its good for blind nailing too. Hardi is not really that hard to hand nail if you have to. So I would say get some ss or hd siding nails and hand nail if you aren't looking at a lot of nailing on the face.

        2. Hackinatit | Sep 25, 2009 12:22pm | #9

          Yea, we do. Some of us think that tight siding is preferable to the blind nails and waves.. some hacks can make them all but disappear.

          View Image

          A La Carte Government funding... the real democracy.

          Edited 9/25/2009 5:23 am by Hackinatit

          1. User avater
            Dam_inspector | Sep 25, 2009 01:52pm | #11

            That is a very good looking job.I don't mind face nails. Hardi is not supposed to have the nails sunk into the siding, so they are proud of the surface and show. I guess roofers might be less conspicuous than siding nails when painted since the heads are so thin. But it is not recommended by james hardi. Also the recommended length is 2", longer than roofers. Of course their instructions contain an error because they recommend a shorter nail for face nailing than blind nailing into osb.Face Nailing should only be used where required for high wind areas
            and must not be used in conjunction with Blind Nailing
            FACE NAILING
            Nails - Wood Framing
            • 6d (0.113" shank x 0.267" HD x 2" long)
            • Siding nail (0.09” shank x 0.221” HD x 2” long)
            Screws - Steel Framing
            • Ribbed Bugle-head or equivalent (No. 8-18 x 1-5/8" long x
            0.323" HD) Screws must penetrate 3 threads into metal framing.
            Nails - Steel Framing
            • ET & F pin or equivalent (0.10" shank x 0.25" HD x 1-1/2" long)
            Nails must penetrate minimum 1/4" into metal framing.
            OSB minimum 7/16"http://www.jameshardie.com/pdf/install/hardieplank-hz5.pdf
            • Siding nail (0.09" shank x 0.221" HD x 1-1/2" long)*Blind Nailing is the preferred method of installation for all
            HardiePlank¯ lap siding products
            BLIND NAILING
            Nails - Wood Framing
            • Siding nail (0.09" shank x 0.221" HD x 2" long)
            • 11ga. roofing nail (0.121" shank x 0.371" HD x 1.25" long)
            Screws - Steel Framing
            • Ribbed Wafer-head or equivalent (No. 8 x 1 1/4" long
            x 0.375" HD) Screws must penetrate 3 threads into metal framing.
            Nails - Steel Framing
            • ET & F Panelfast¯ nails or equivalent
            (0.10" shank x 0.313" HD x 1-1/2" long)
            Nails must penetrate minimum 1/4" into metal framing.
            OSB minimum 7/16"
            • 11ga. roofing nail (0.121" shank x 0.371" HD x 1.75" long)
            • Ribbed Wafer-head or equivalent (No. 8 x 1 5/8" long x 0.375" HD).

          2. Hackinatit | Sep 25, 2009 04:02pm | #12

            Thanks for the complement. If you were looking in person for the nails, you would easily find them. Otherwise, they become part of the field and are left unnoticed.

            The instructions point toward blind nailing UNLESS IN HIGH WIND APPLICATIONS. Why is that?

            Maybe face nailing is better able to hold the lap down... in which case, it is my preference based on that alone. I still prefer the look when the bottom of the lap is hard to the piece below. So I have two reasons.

            1.75" dbl galv Bostich roofers are penetrating the stud 3/8" when applied through 1/2" sheathing. While that isn't what the specs call out (2"), the difference is that I always nail to the stud instead of relying on the sheathing alone. I'm also much better at hammering the wider head of the roofer for the final set without breaking the surface of the siding. The head of the roofer is plenty wide and flat to "disappear" with a bit of caulk and paint.

            Lastly, IF I need to remove the nail for any reason, it is easier for me to use the prybar under a roofer than a siding nail without too much damage to the lap. 

            So, I do it wrong... but I know it's ok in the long run. Plus, the look of wavy siding caused by blind, thick-headed siding nails holding it proud won't make me grimace every time I see it.A La Carte Government funding... the real democracy.

          3. User avater
            Dam_inspector | Sep 25, 2009 04:10pm | #13

            That's when I place a face nail - when there is a gap. Hardi recommends against both blind and face nails together, but whatcha gonna do?You get a lot less waves if the blind nail is as low as you can go without it showing. Sometimes I tap the nail in with a hammer to pull it tighter.

  2. Hackinatit | Sep 25, 2009 04:04am | #2

    Use them (dbl galv) exclusively. No worries and double the usefullness of the roofing coil nailer. They don't look too bad face nailed, either.

    A La Carte Government funding... the real democracy.

  3. User avater
    Matt | Sep 25, 2009 01:08pm | #10

    Use the longest nails you can get for your gun.  Probably be 1.75".  If you want to drop some coin order some HD galvanized from Maze nails.  They are the best. 

  4. Jamwats | Sep 26, 2009 02:16am | #14

    Do you have a framing gun?  We used Swan Secure stainless 2 3/8" x .113 face nailed on a beach house we did a few years ago.  That's the first size on Hardie's list for face nailing.  Most newer framing guns have a depth adjustment - My Bostich did a pretty good job.  I like to err on the high side and hand tap it tight if I need to.  You could still see the nailheads after painting if you looked, but I'd rather have tight siding that I know isn't blowing off anytime soon.  I mean, it's no secret that siding is nailed up, right?

    Jamie

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