Fiber Cement Siding Over Concrete Block Insulation

Cement concrete block concrete forms.

Fiber cement siding over concrete block insulation.

One new wrinkle for many builders is walls built with fiber insulation between the studs plus rigid foam. I ve looked at a lot of the material on building science and would like to. Prefabricated fiber cement siding provides several pros and cons when applied as an exterior finish to icf. Siding fastener length cmu wall spaced 16 or 24 o c.

I m planning an extensive renovation of a 1950s cinder block home in central florida. I ll be taking off the roof and taking down all the interior walls leaving a bare uninsulated concrete block wall with no finishes either on the inside or outside. Gypsum sheathing with combined thickness of 1 inch or less method 2 james hardie siding installed to furring strips that are attached through the c i. A third party life cycle assessment found that insulated vinyl siding has a lower overall environmental impact than fiber cement second only to traditional vinyl siding and cedar.

Screw the strapping through the foam to the studs. Minimum nail length must accommodate sheathing and penetrate framing a minimum 1 inches. Wood fiber cement or plywood siding should not be installed directly over the foam writes senior editor martin holladay. Starter strip hardieplank lap siding nailed directly to block walls trim cmu wall 6 clearance to grade refer to table on next page for fastener type and fastener spacing.

Cladding attachment over thick exterior rigid insulation background current building code does provide prescriptive means to attach cladding over exterior insulation table r704 3 note v. Hardiplank is a fiber cement siding made for exterior use to cover a structure in a long lasting sheathing. Insulated vinyl siding is made of rigid contoured insulation permanently adhered to vinyl siding while fiber cement siding is made from a mixture of sand cement and cellulose fibers. Method 1 james hardie siding installed directly over continuous insulation c i and other non nailable substrates e g.

I wouldn t hesitate to install 1 3 or 2 4 horizontal strapping 24 inches on center on top of the foam holladay recommends. My current question concerns insulating the exterior walls. And other non nailable substrates e g. Though generally used over wooden house sheathing you can mount your hardiplank siding over brick with only few preparatory steps.

Siding over rigid foam exteriors. Fiber cement siding comes in many colors and textures including some that mimic wood shingles. Current pneumatic nailers have maximum fastener lengths.