We are having a small cabin (20’x24′) built on our heavily wooded property in east Texas. We would like to use hardi plank siding for longevity and fire resistance. One company says it would install hardi plank right to the studs over tyvek or black paper while the other company says you need to sheath the walls in osb, then use black paper prior to siding, because hardi plank isn’t really a structural material. Anyone have thoughts on this. Thanks.
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Replies
They are each right in a way. You CAN put hardi directly on studs without sheathing, but you need to use let-in bracing to give structural rigidity to the walls. And either way, you should use a barrier like tarpaper or Tyvek underneath it.
Myself, I would not consider using the siding without sheathing but that's your decision.
are wood and hardie lap siding the same in, that they both need sheathing beneath them? (or let in wood pieces)
or is wood lap siding considered a strutural material and hardie is not???
No, I can't see wood lap siding considered structural. It's no big deal to let in a diagonal brace here and there though. I could easily do your whole shed in less than an hour, and the material cost is low too.
Obviously, you get some benefit from each type of siding, just because it is nailed so thoroughly. It will help to reduce flex, racking, etc. but that's not what it is there for.
At say $6 a sheet though, couldn't you just get some OSB and slap it up first? You'd only need about 22 sheets to do the basic perimeter, plus your gable ends if you have them.
Dog
Edited 5/14/2003 2:35:41 PM ET by Mad Dog
OK, Mad Dog. Thanks. That clears up the confusion for me. Both the guys I was talking to were older experienced guys and it didn't make sense that either would be completely off on this. It does seem like the let-in bracing would be cheeper and maybe the way to go on garages and sheds. The osb sheathing sounds like its more what we'd want on our little cabin for extra sturdiness and a little snugger feel maybe.
Well, yeah. I think it would do a lot for comfort to say nothing of structural help. It would be quieter, a little warmer, less apt to allow pests to make their way in, stronger against vandalism and break-ins, look a lot better if you don't put insulation in for a while, give something to nail or screw into for outside fixtures, help seal around windows and doors. Probably a lot more stuff too.
Now let's upgrade that OSB to fir plywood and you are building a fine cabin!
Where are you located?
MD