When hardboard siding is installed and maintained correctly it can hold up for 30 or 40 years.
Rotten hardboard siding.
But without proper attention isolated areas can begin rotting in only a few years especially near the foundation.
In some cases the boards rotted away where they were nailed to the house and the hardboard would fall off.
2 slope the ground away from hardboard siding.
3 keep nature away from hardboard siding.
To remove and replace damaged siding.
Remove the deteriorated hardboard siding using a pry bar and chisel being careful not to damage.
Water splashes up from the ground frequently soaking the vulnerable bottom edges.
Cut fiber cement.
Replace rotten sheathing if needed replace the sheathing behind the siding using 1 2 plywood covered with builder s.
Failure to do so can lead to moisture and insect infiltration that will in turn lead to rotting and deterioration of the boards.
As a result in 1994 a nation wide class action suit was settled against some of the major hardboard siding products manufacturers.
If this is not the case you will have problems with rot mold and mildew.
The best filler for your siding is a two part epoxy product that cures to a rock hard consistency.
This usually occurs on the bottom rows of siding near the ground or on siding that adjoins a roof or chimney.
Cut fiber cement siding.
Make sure that the ground slopes away from the foundation.
Remove damaged siding remove the deteriorated hardboard siding using a pry bar and chisel being careful not to damage.
1 scrape all loose paint from around the area to be repaired using a paint scraper or putty.
Cut the fiber cement siding.
Second the moisture left behind the new siding in the rotted wood is an invitation for trouble including bugs mold and mildew problems.
Water from rain or sprinklers can damage hardboard and wood siding over time causing it to rot or deteriorate.
Hardboard siding needs to be primed and painted just like wood.
The spaces between each piece of hardboard and along the edges need to be filled with caulk.
Watch this graphic depiction of the removal and replacement of hardboard siding.
Masonite which is a trademarked name was not part of the suit.
You also need to stay on top of the caulking.
If needed replace the sheathing behind the siding using 1 2 plywood covered with builder s.
How to remove and replace siding.
Hardboard siding must be installed at a distance of at least 6 inches from the ground grass mulch and plants.