Painting Fiber Cement Lap Siding

Acrylic paint is best suited for fiber cement stone and stucco exteriors.

Painting fiber cement lap siding.

Fiber cement siding is a home siding material that is attractive paintable and is also fire resistant. And it s a great candidate for exterior painting whether to correct a failing paint job or to simply change the color of the siding. This home utilizes fiber cement in both horizontal lap siding and in natural looking shakes both stained to give them appearance of real wood. Caulk transitions where fiber cement meets trim.

More and more homes and townhouses are popping up around the country with fiber cement siding. This can be done before it s installed either by the manufacturer or by a paint shop hired by the lumberyard where you order the siding or after it s up. After your surfaces are primed it is strongly encouraged to use acrylic exterior paint for your home. This handsome material is a high density combination of you guessed it fiber the cellulosic variety and cement plus sand.

Fiber cement siding has to be painted or stained. The siding is durable termite resistant water resistant and non combustible. Hardie plank is also called fiber cement siding. While it s far heavier than aluminum vinyl or wood it is extremely durable and typically only needs a new paint every ten to twenty years for maintenance.

Prefinished siding arrives painted and ready for installation so it doesn t require a paint job or other preliminary maintenance. Brand new fiber cement siding arrives prefinished factory primed or unprimed. We have rarely seen this material in a worn friable condition but should that occur one might paint the surface also to stop fiber shedding and to preserve the material. It is one of the best materials and long term solutions for protecting your home.

Manufacturers charge about 1 per square foot and offer a 15 year warranty but color choice is limited and you get only one coat. If there s material left on the fiber cement siding it can cause voids in the painting which gives an access point for water. Use a quick dry flexible paintable caulk that is designed to bond to fiber cement and your trim material. Step 1 clean the fiber cement siding in order to properly seal the fiber cement siding it needs to be completely free of dust and debris.

Using the proper materials and paint for fiber cement or hardiplank siding a very good latex primer should be used to prepare the surface for paint. It also retains its shape with minimal bowing or warping. Make sure the fiber cement is free of dirt and mildew. Painting cement asbestos siding or non asbestos fiber cement siding is in part a cosmetic decision.

Do not prime the siding it comes pre primed use 100 acrylic paint. While more fiber cement siding manufacturers have popped up in recent years unlike other home related materials such as flooring or tile fiber cement is not a market that lends itself to small or even medium scale manufacturers.