Old fiber cement siding - paint or replace?

11 years ago

Our 1927 NJ colonial is sided with with fiber (asbestos)-cement siding that I estimate to be ~40 years old. I don't mind the material but the size and texture of the boards looks dated to me, and not necessarily in a good way. That said, it's not horrible and my wife doesn't mind it, so I'm considering what direction to go now that it needs an update.

We could put on new siding in which case we'd likely consider Hardie Plank, not vinyl. I'm sure that would look nice, but it would mean spending a lot of money on the same material we have now it for the sake of cosmetics.

The other alternative is to keep the existing siding, replacing a few cracked and broken pieces. Plus, the back of the detached garage was never done so I'd need to cover that too. Then repaint and focus on updating the Sandy-damaged gutters and trim.

I realize this is a subjective question but would that be worth it, considering the era and style of the siding we're talking about? And if so, where could I even find matching pieces to replace the ones that are cracked and broken now? I've found some the same size but only with a different grain pattern.

Featured Answer

sombreuil_mongrel

11 years ago

1st, I'd see what's underneath; I guess it could theoretically be the original siding, but there may be fairly good wood siding under there which only needs the holes filled and a good prep & paint job.
The tiles can probably be removed DIY if you are minimally careful not to break them up. I'd wear a dust mask and double-bag the shingles and take them to the dump.
I think you house would look incredible with wooden shakes.
Casey

Comments (11)

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Christopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting
11 years ago
That type of siding holds paint very well.
jmc01
11 years ago
You would not find perfectly matching pieces cause asbestos isn't sold any more. If you confirm that the tile has asbestos (hazardous material testing is required), you will need to have follow EPA standards for removing it.
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millworkman
11 years ago
GAF purchased the Supradur Company some years ago who still make the fiber cement siding that matched the old style asbestos (most patterns anyway) Find yourself a good lumberyard or siding and roofing specialty supply house and they may be able to provide what you need.
carnivore
Original Author
11 years ago
Yes the original wood shakes are underneath but I don't think they're in very good shape. There's also the fire rating and draftiness to consider. I think you're right about the look but very few of the similar houses around here still have them and I have to assume there's a reason mine were sided over, years ago.

@millworkman, thanks for the GAF tip, I see they do make Profile 14 - Straight Edge w/Striated Surface, priced at $148/bundle (11 pcs). At that price it would would cost at least $1,800 in materials to replace broken pieces and cover the back of the garage, plus installation and painting of course. At least I have that to compare against a complete do-over now.
katsmah
11 years ago
My house also has those asbestos shingles and a couple of years ago I purchased the fiber cement replacements directly from GAF for some repairs after removing built-in wall air-conditioners. They are a very close match to the original asbestos shingles.

In the 20 years that I've lived here, I've had my house painted twice. Both the original asbestos and new fiber cement shingles hold paint very well, the only reason I even had to repaint was because the paint on the south and west sides of my house faded after many years.
columbusguy1
11 years ago
To me, $1800 for the amount you need is good, because a complete removal would be far more than that--and you'd have to buy new for the entire house rather than just patching.

Is there any reason you can't do the back of the garage at a later date? And, you can install the new pieces yourself, making an even bigger saving.
carnivore
Original Author
11 years ago
I wonder how it would look if I put Hardie Shingles on the second storey in the front, and painted them in a contrasting color. Then I could use some of the reclaimed pieces from that section to patch the rest of the house and garage instead of buying those expensive replacements from GAF.

I don't mean to think out loud but that idea came to me after reading sombreuil's comment about the wood shakes, so at least the feedback has got me thinking in different directions. :)
columbusguy1
11 years ago
Two things regarding the idea of redoing the second storey:
1 Are you sure that the Hardie Shingles are really going to save you money? Other than that, I'd say it is a good plan.
2 The contrasting color--I'd stick with the color of the lower floor--it unifies the Dutch Colonial form of the house.

On a side note, do you know what the original siding was? What is currently there is too large a scale for the house.
carnivore
Original Author
11 years ago
The Hardie shingle idea wasn't about saving money. I just thought it might look better that way.

The original siding was wood shakes similar in size to the Hardie shingles pictured above. Most of the other houses in the neighborhood built around the same time are either brick or vinyl now. I've seen a couple with the wood shakes but they look a little run down. There are also a few that have stucco which I don't like, and a few others around with the same asbestos-cement siding as ours.

I agree about the current siding looking big, I guess that's why I'm looking at the Hardie shingles for the top, I thought they might add some balance.
columbusguy1
11 years ago
I've had no experience with the Hardie products, my house still has the original wood clapboards...for spots where I need to patch cracked ones, I can still get them.

Now that I know what the shingles look like thanks to the second picture, I think they look nice. An idea occurred to me just now as I was re-reading the thread: rather than replace the shingles on the top floor (I assume on all sides?)--how about removing them all from the front of the house, using those for repairs on the other sides and the garage--and put the Hardie ones on the entire front? Since that would give the whole house a much better appearance than just doing the top?

As time permits, you could continue the process on the next most visible side, etc....