I've heard Duration paint is the best, hands-down. It's more expensive, but I've had 2 different paint experts tell me about that particular brand and it's the only one they use on exterior jobs now.

I'm about to get the masonite siding taken off my house and replaced with preprimed Hardiplank and I specified the paint to be used has to be Duration. I'm trying to pick my color now.

As for caulking, I don't know anything about technique, but as for a product I've been told that Sherwin Williams "Sher-max" is the one to use as it is an elastomer caulk that will last and last.

Good luck!

We used Ace Brand semi opaque stain and it worked wonderfully. It's an oil based stain, but it lasts forever.

Excellent info, Brushworks. Thanks!

Thank you very much for the information.

We decided to use Duration from Sherwin Williams.

I didn't realize there was a time limit on getting it painted. We're putting the siding up ourselves and it's taking forever.

I'm glad I didn't start using the wood filler I bought for the joints. I'll have to get the Elastomeric Joint Sealant

Brushworks, you wrote:

"2. James Hardie does not recommend the use of caulk at field butt joints."

I had read this in the instructions while my HardiePlank was being installed and was not sure what it meant. Please explain. If caulking field butt joints is not recommended, then are the gaps between the joints supposed to be left gaping? I know my installer filled the seams with caulk/sealant.

When I watched the installation video (which is online) they recommended using a felt paper flashing behind each joint of the siding. Basically it's just a rectangular square of felt paper that you nail under the joint so that any water that might get between the joints will run out on the flashing paper. You might want to check out the installation video.

SW Duration. I painted my house with it last year. I used the satin finish. Has a bit of a sheen of course but I like the way the rain runs off it. It's great paint. I went from gray to tan in one coat pretty much. I am sure I would have had to use 2 coats with cheaper stuff, even their cheaper stuff, well worth the extra cost. The stuff is thick but goes on really nice. Don't use to thick of nap on roller, it gets too heavy and wastes a lot of paint. I think I used 1/2".

The use of felt paper behind the butt joints is a short term installation for a long term product. We use galvanized painted metal strips 3 inches wide 7 inches long under each joint. The metal will not break down like the tar paper will and also will not leach oil onto the surface of the siding.

Pacific Reconstruction Ltd.

Just want to pass on my experience with my owner/builder Hardie Plank installation. I prepainted approx. 600 sticks of primed HP in a heated shop with a Cloverdale covercoat flat acrylic latex. (If you don't prepaint then the primed overlap never gets sealed correct?)

I had heard of the chalking problem with HP, and so restacked the prepainted plank with heavy plastic wrap between each piece. The rumour at the time (2008) was that contact with the raw back of the hardie plank caused the chalking on the front.

I gave the installed siding a 2ND coat of the Cloverdale,,, all for naught, I got chalking and fading within five years!!!!! I suspect the paint quality, even though we asked for the longest lasting paint they had. At seven years commenced repainting this 2 story house and its five, 12 in 12, 33ft. peaks, with BM Aura, rrrrrrr.

The real reason I am posting is a discovery I made when siding my garden shed with the Hardie. I took to sealing the cut ends, front and back, plus the lower drip edges and the upper overlap with some oil primer I had kicking around. Then painting the finished job with the remaining Cloverdale. A few years later the chalking appears where primed hardie got only the latex paint, just like the main house. BUT NO CHALKING WHERE THE OIL PRIMER WAS APPLIED!!! See attached photographic proof. So don't be so fast to discount using an oil primer on your Hardie Plank! I have now primed shed with the oil primer from Home Hardware as a test, and will update how it pans out.

Sorry for rambling long, Quadlock owner/builder, Norm

I used Duration after I installed my HP last year. Haven't gotten around to doing the second coat yet, but as far as I can tell, the stuff is pretty awesome. Tenacious adhesion to pretty much anything.

You should never use oil based anything with a high pH substrate, such as cement board. The oil saponifies, which is a technical term of making soaps. Even with pre-primed, still an issue.

As far as stacking DIY boards, I doubt that it causes chalking. What you do see with any substrate that is exposed outdoors is moisture vapor transmission. Even with a vapor wrap like Tyvek, the board will wick water some through the open ends. This is of course a huge problem with oriented strand board and other wood composites, but still a slight issue with cement board. So priming the end butts is still recommended in my book. And I have been in the industry for almost 40 years as a formulator (Benjamin Moore) and supplier to the industry.