# peeling paint on Hardieplank



## KA PAINTING (Apr 12, 2010)

In 15 years of painting Hardieplank i never saw peeling.Now i've come across 2 jobs in a row with that problem.It's peeling right down to the raw material.It's textured so you can't sand it[without damage]and scraping with a putty knife could take forever.Apparently this siding was and is being abused by neglect[not topcoated soon after installation,not repainted after years of weathering?].It does have latex on it now[not much].Anyone else seen this and is there any hope besides the dumpster for this siding?Sales rep for hardie and paint company have'nt ben much help!


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## TJ Paint (Jun 18, 2009)

Kinda hard to know whats going on with it just from the info you have shared.


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## Msargent (Jan 16, 2009)

Hire a pro next time


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## 6126 (May 9, 2010)

WTF? I thought this was a site for painters helping other with advice? I paint a lot of HardiPlank and havent really run across any that was peeling other than a couple minor spots with was usually because they painted over dirt during construction. And I usually just hit it with a sanding block. How big an area are we talking about?


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## KA PAINTING (Apr 12, 2010)

Msargent was born knowing it all apparently.The rest of us mortals learn by asking or doing.My pitiful approach has been to ask before doing so as not to learn by F******* up.-------.To Woodland,thanks for backing me up.We're talking the entire south facing side of the house,oceanfront Northern Oregon coast.Some of the most brutal weather conditions of the continental US.Salt,wind,rain,hail,and wind driven sand.And some snow and sun also.Basic question,can Hardi be stripped and will paint bond with bare Hardi afterward?Pics attached


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## KA PAINTING (Apr 12, 2010)

*Hardi plank peeling*

pics?


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## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

KA PAINTING said:


> Msargent was born knowing it all apparently.The rest of us mortals learn by asking or doing.My pitiful approach has been to ask before doing so as not to learn by F******* up.-------.To Woodland,thanks for backing me up.We're talking the entire south facing side of the house,oceanfront Northern Oregon coast.Some of the most brutal weather conditions of the continental US.Salt,wind,rain,hail,and wind driven sand.And some snow and sun also.Basic question,can Hardi be stripped and will paint bond with bare Hardi afterward?Pics attached


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## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

Looks like you need to power wash, scrape, sand and prime. I don't get why it's a hard one here. Looks like with the right prep, prime and topcoat you will be fine.


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## KA PAINTING (Apr 12, 2010)

*more*

more pics


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

And that is the rest of the story. Once you get what is going to come off with a pw then you will have the most of it, any good primer will be fine.Good luck.


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## KA PAINTING (Apr 12, 2010)

*Hardi plank peeling*

more pics


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## KA PAINTING (Apr 12, 2010)

hardi does not sand well,its cement product. and if you sand the grain off it shows. cant scrape it to well for same reasons,the grain.and adhesion of original paint is suspect.its not wood,you cant just whip out the 60 grit and random orbit.And when i'm done i dont want it peeling again in 2 years.


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## KA PAINTING (Apr 12, 2010)

*Hardi plank peeling*

i guess what i'm looking for is someone who has seen this before,dealt with it and had it stick 5 years later.Not opinions.Thanks to those that answered so far.Cept for msargent.


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## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

Wire brush it, and from the looks of how its peeling I would say water is getting behind that siding. If this is true you will be getting a call back in no time. 

Fix the issue before you paint it. Most hardee suppliers lifetime warranty the paint, and in all my years have never seen the factory primer fail on it unless it was installed incorrectly.


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## KA PAINTING (Apr 12, 2010)

*Hardi plank peeling*

And one picture with ladders is after PWing


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## KA PAINTING (Apr 12, 2010)

*Hardi plank peeling*

Msargent.I got some syrup on the house and i need hire a vermont pro to get it off


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## nEighter (Nov 14, 2008)

I will install and paint this stuff.. but tell people of this very problem. It is a cement based/type product and needs to be treated as such. I passed up a whole house reside and paint because I really don't like Hardie and warned the guy about it.. but he "researched online and HE knew what was best"  so anyway. Yeah. Sucks. Glidden Pro has a product called Hydrosealer. It is a bonding masonry primer that kicks serious ass. Wire brush it and get all the loose off, then put you a thick coating of that on, and topcoat.


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## vermontpainter (Dec 24, 2007)

From the looks of it, some jackamo, either at the factory or prior to installation put something like provt or "the finish" on the stuff, without realizing it was damp. Hardi is a sponge. Throw a scrap in a 5er sometime and observe for a couple of days. 

I would strip it chemically and give it several good days of dry time, then start over. That right there is a time bomb. If not handled correctly prior to painting, it will be the gift that never stops giving, which is not what these synthetics are supposed to be.


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## 6126 (May 9, 2010)

What a PITA. That looks like a moisture problem to me. I tend to agree with Scott on the chemical stripper then maybe a wirebrush. Might be the easiest way to get it off. I would check into the moisture problem some more. Or perhaps its just the Oregon coast. Are any of the other homes in the area having the same problem? The problem def needs to be resolved or it wont matter what you do. I would defineatly let everything dry out really well, especially after all the rain weve been having out here. Not really sure if a masonry conditioner would be helpful, or if PeelBond would be of any help either?


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## NCPaint1 (Aug 6, 2009)

Agreed on the moisture issue. The trick is finding where its coming from and stopping it.


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

I think this must be a bad batch of hp for I have never seen this around here. HP is the best material I have found to hold paint without peeling I have seen.


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## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

Throwing some water on the coating might soften it up enough to scrape or wire brush it off. Once you get the coating off, if it is water intrusion it will be exposed to see the trail of water. Have you determined what type of coating is on there? Is there primer under the topcoat? Do you think its a moisture issue?


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## AztecPainting (Jan 28, 2010)

Hmmm I've never seen something like that before, my first guess would be that water is coming behind the hardy plank by one of the flashing lines from the roof, let them check that roof and or cracks that let water in and as we all know moisture is trying to get out somehow creating those bubbles and peeling off. Power wash it, scrape it on the places that need it, sand it pretty light without damaging the grain, spot prime it and you are ready to go. Good luck...


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## MBMatt (Apr 4, 2010)

*Hardi problem*

Hi there,

I have painted a few projects that have had hardi plank, i know its been around for a while but i have only seen it in the last 6 or so years. 

I am always curious to see how these "new" poducts will stand the test of time, so maybe this is the forefront of an issue coming to a lot more homes soon.

As to your issue:

Is it possible for you to find out from the HO the date of installation and find out from hardi if they ever "just primed" their boards.? 
It does look like it may just be a prime coat or a very thin topcoat. 

I think you could strip it but you would have to use chemicals, seems expensive and messy.

Personally i would give it a light scrape and hand sand with 120, giving it close inspection to make sure there are no more loose parts or bubbles.
I would then recommend applying a full coat of Mad Dog primer. This i believe is similar to "peel Bond" I've been very impressed with it where there is a history of peeling problems. 
After that i would use 2 coats of either Cabots' "the finish" or californias' 2010 .
OF course you do all this after you have explained to the HO that you will do the best you can, but unless you could remove ALL of the original failing product there is no warranty.

Good luck! I'm curious to see how it works out.

Matt.

P.S. Look into the Hardis' warranty, i thought they were supposed to have a pretty robust warranty. of course it may be past the date.


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## nEighter (Nov 14, 2008)

Thank you. It doesn't last that long on HB.


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## IHATE_HOMEDEPOT (May 27, 2008)

That Hardiplank got the equivilent of being gang raped. I am going to jump in and assume that yes it was wet when it was painted and to top it off they used ....wait for it, wait for it, interior paint. Here is the kicker they thinned it too.

You actually might get it to feather out if you used a scotchbrite grill scrubber or wet dry sandpaper. Peel Bond might help here.


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## Metro M & L (Jul 21, 2009)

Cheap paint on a semi rainy day. No brushing of the coating into the substrate.


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## TJ Paint (Jun 18, 2009)

IHATE_HOMEDEPOT said:


> That Hardiplank got the equivilent of being gang raped. I am going to jump in and assume that yes it was wet when it was painted and to top it off they used ....wait for it, wait for it, interior paint. Here is the kicker they thinned it too.
> 
> You actually might get it to feather out if you used a scotchbrite grill scrubber or wet dry sandpaper. Peel Bond might help here.


if its interior paint, it should be entirely removed no?


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## NCPaint1 (Aug 6, 2009)

TJ Paint said:


> if its interior paint, it should be entirely removed no?


Unfortunately theres no real way to check if its interior, and I dont think that could cause it. 



** I boxed interior and exterior paint together and painted my privacy fence....6 years later, no peeling......and no primer either.......**


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## TJ Paint (Jun 18, 2009)

NCPaint1 said:


> Unfortunately theres no real way to check if its interior, and I dont think that could cause it.
> 
> 
> 
> ** I boxed interior and exterior paint together and painted my privacy fence....6 years later, no peeling......and no primer either.......**


thats Benjamin Moore quality right there


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## NCPaint1 (Aug 6, 2009)

TJ Paint said:


> thats Benjamin Moore quality right there


Nah, just my lazy half  git 'r' done mentality :jester:


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## nEighter (Nov 14, 2008)

how about the surface was just never prepped right. Was probably dusty or the otter most "skin" was aggravated and loose or turning into dust.. it was not washed or sanded/scuffed to begin with, then was painted.. and it goes to poo. This stuff is not all that great IMHO. I think the composite woods are WAY better, don't weigh as much, and easier to install.


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## VanDamme (Feb 13, 2010)

nEighter said:


> how about the surface was just never prepped right. Was probably dusty or the otter most "skin" was aggravated and loose or turning into dust.. it was not washed or sanded/scuffed to begin with, then was painted.. and it goes to poo. This stuff is not all that great IMHO. I think the composite woods are WAY better, don't weigh as much, and easier to install.


I agree it was probably not washed before painting. Another contributing factor could not enough paint applied.

I did 36 new houses w/HP siding. 35 turned out great LOL! Had one house where 10 months later had what would best be described as acid rain spots just on the back of the house AND only in certain spots on the back of the house.

Had my paint rep. out to take a look and we were both puzzled. The developer hated the owners and had drug this issue out for 3 months before I was even notified of the problem.

To solve the problem, I repainted the complete house including trim. Problem went away! Sure, we could have debated back and forth for another 3 months, or just repainted the back of the house, but I decided to just make them more than happy.


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## LOSTinDETAILS (Jun 17, 2009)

I dont understand all the Hardie hating:blink:. With proper install and paint it is a good siding choice in my opinion. With this particular case my vote goes to bunk @ss prep and paint with a slight chance of rain.


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## nEighter (Nov 14, 2008)

Lost. You ever have to install this stuff? And the dealing with it after that. It isn't the WORST but there are alternatives that just don't have the issues it does. That is all I am saying.


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## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

What composite wood is even in the same price range that you would suggest? I really don't have an issue with hardee either, well maybe the fact that finishes hold up so well. If the ho doesn't want a color change there isn't a need to paint the siding for 15-20 years with good paint.


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## LOSTinDETAILS (Jun 17, 2009)

nEighter said:


> Lost. You ever have to install this stuff? And the dealing with it after that. It isn't the WORST but there are alternatives that just don't have the issues it does. That is all I am saying.


Yeah N8 I have installed quite a bit of it. It is a sponge like VP mentioned but if it is handled and stored correctly and not left outside and uncovered before being installed it is a fairly routine product to install and maintain IMO. I would not bet the farm but I would wager a few paint sticks that a good portion of these failures is related to joe bloe thinking he has a stack of concrete that he can leave out in the elements before he gets around to installing it. When I see Georgia red clay on the siding up by the gables I know some one did not follow the instructions for storage.


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## Last Craftsman (Dec 5, 2008)

Fortunately I have only had to paint Hardie plank once. I personally cant stand the way it looks. 

But I would try to get a hardie plank rep over there.

My understanding is that Hardie plank usually has no problems. They are such a successful company, that you might even be able to get them in on the funding. They will also know about the chemical attributes of the product, and what kinds of stripping processes would work if you decide to go that way.

Just from the looks of it though, it looks like either the batch was defective, or there was something on it that interfered with the primer coat.

If you can get Hardie involved in the funding, that takes financial pressure and stress off of your clients which makes your job a lot easier.

For example, if can get Hardie to simply provide the material to reside the structure, and instead of paying for the stripping and prepping process, the clients pay someone to tear off the old siding, and put up new siding, then you can paint the surface worry free, and without all of the logistics and question marks accociated with the job currently.

I don't think it is likely that a current moisture problem is causing water to "get under" the paint. That style of construction is all built the same, and all since the mid 90's, I can't see how there could be any kind of roof or siding issue that could allow moisture back there.

Definitely give your client some forewarning about only scraping the areas that are currently failing. From the looks of that surface, even the areas that don't appear to be failing now, will fail and continue to fail over the years.

I see the 2nd growth cedar shingles got their obligatory one coat of some kind of semi-transparent stain that probably lasted about 2 years. Blech.

That style of construction is very unappealing to me, which is quite disconcerting, because it has taken over, and those types of buildings are literally everywhere now.


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## Last Craftsman (Dec 5, 2008)

One more thing, are the bottom edges of the siding caulked? That could cause moisture buildup.


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## KA PAINTING (Apr 12, 2010)

*Wow! You Guys Got Smoke Coming Out Yr'ears*

I Mean That In A Good Way.what Started With Some Weak Replies Turned Into Some Real Help.thanks To All Responders!i Used To Love Hardie Board Till I Got A Call Back On One Last Year.both Of These Problem Jobs Were Painted The 1st Time By The Homeowners And Then Sold To Current Owner,so Nobody Really Knows "wtf" Was Previosly Done Or Not.there Are No Leaks From The Roof Into The Wall Cavity.the House Has 2ft Overhang Exposed Soffits.my Own Opinion Is That The Homeowners Let It Sit With Just Primer On It For Too Long[hardie Says 2topcoats Acrylic,not Longer Than 6 Months After Install].then They Sprayed One Thin Cheap Ass Coat And That Was It For 14 Years.the Ocean Humidity And Constant Rain Soaked The Concrete Board Enough Times Till It Pushed Off The Surounding Paint.i Still Don't Know If The Paint That Stuck After Power Washing Is Bonded Well Enough To Prevent Future Problems.will Go Back With Duct Tape And Razor Knife.also Won't Repaint Without Moisture Meter.the Last One I Painted That Had Similiar Problems Bubbled And Peeled Pretty Bad After 4 Rainy Winter Months.the Reps Who Looked At It Said I Did Everything Right[acylic Primer And 2 Topcoats Satin Acrylic].one Guy Said Maybe I Did Too Good Because He Thought Moisture Was Coming Out From Behind The Paint And I Sealed The Surface With 3 Full Coats Which Cut Down The Permeability[previously Had One Thin Flat Coat But Was Not Blistering So Naturally When It Blistered 4 Months Later It Was All My Fault!


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## KA PAINTING (Apr 12, 2010)

Pics Of 1st Hardie Problem B/4 Current One.both Oceanfront Homes In Nortern Oregon,so.washington


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## NCPaint1 (Aug 6, 2009)

Sprayed....badly....and over applied.


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## Last Craftsman (Dec 5, 2008)

LOSTinDETAILS said:


> I dont understand all the Hardie hating:blink:.


I haven't heard of that many people who hate Hardie siding. I thought I was a rare example.

The only reason why I don't like it, is I just don't like the way it looks.

It has always reminded me of the cheap metal strips they use to side traliers with.

It doesn't have any depth. And then since the siding has no depth, they figure, let's also use trim boards that have no depth.

The structures built that way are just featureless and 2 dimensional. When I drive by the structures, they look like a drawing on a sheet of paper.

They do have a form of Hardie I have seen that is actually shaped more like an old fashioned wood lap siding, and it actually has insulation in the core which increases the R value to boot.

But I have never seen it actually used. 

In all honesty, it is probably a really good building material. We don't have all kinds of wood anymore to go around building houses made out of solid wood like we used to. And it is non-toxic, and the earth has a LOT of the material used to make it.

But it doesn't look good. I prefer to paint houses made of real wood. Even stucco and brick I like a lot better.

My distaste for Hardie Plank is purely an aesthetic thing for me.


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## NCPaint1 (Aug 6, 2009)

To me it looks like plain aluminum siding....only much more expensive.


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## VanDamme (Feb 13, 2010)

Just got back from a job I will start Sat. Existing house that just had new HP installed. One thing that struck me, is the primer is a different color than the typical green/gray.

The sider said that HP now uses 2 or 3 different primers depending on what part of the country the siding will be used in. News to me.


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## NACE (May 16, 2008)

that looks like a chloride contamination. Chlorides or salts expand as they are hydroscopic (moisture loving) As they expand not only do they compromise adhesion but pull off the finish. Hardi should have any acrylic product applied, however it this was on the coast, it may have had some salt contamination prior to painting. Tough to prepare this properly. Taste the back of the chip. What does it taste like? Have you inspected the chip or surface with a small microscope? Radio Shack has 30x and 100X handheld for $9.99. Not sure I can suggest a prep as it looks like more than 50% is failing.


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## Last Craftsman (Dec 5, 2008)

NACE said:


> Taste the back of the chip. What does it taste like?


Tastes like chicken.

:whistling2:


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## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

NCPaint1 said:


> Sprayed....badly....and over applied.


 That paint job looks over 20 years old from some of those pics. May be Wal Mart paint.


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## Wallpaper Gypsy (Feb 22, 2010)

When Hardi board first hit the market, the only coating that the company recommended was latex solid stain- no prime. I just checked a job I did back in 96... it's still holding up pretty well.

Effervescence is a real problem with obviouly by these pics.


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## KA PAINTING (Apr 12, 2010)

*the whole story*

The pics shown previously are off a job that was painted 4 months before.the Hardie was installed 7 years ago and then painted with one coat of acrylic flat. When i bid the job, I had concerns with a few dozen quarter sized spots that had peeled and had a dusty white residue on the surface and told the owner that i had never seen problems on hardie before.

When i power washed it the paint came off everywhere caulking was on the surface, which was quite a bit because the siding was face nailed and the siding installer used polyurethane caulk to cover the nail heads. They used a putty knife to smooth the caulk over the nail head.

When washing it the caulking was curling up and coming off,even along corner boards and around windows.But the rest of the previous paint stayed on and looked ok.now at this point i was very concerned and told the customer, who was a friend that I might have run from this job if i did not have some confidence that i could work with the homeowner and do my best to give him a good job.

I spot primed and backbrushed all the bare spots[and i do mean bare hardie with NO paint]with bullseye 123. Then i sprayed the whole house with same. Then recaulked everything with dyna flex 230 and sprayed two coats of satin acrylic Miller paint. 

It was not sprayed badly or overapplied as a previous post suggested.Time period between washing and overall primecoat was 2 weeks,fairly dry weather[is it ever truly dry 500 feet from the pacific ocean].All paint was sprayed on dry sunny days in september.Looked great when done.Friend was happy,paid in full.

4 months later February he called and said it was bubbling.b/4 i got there i was worried that it was coming off where i had primed bare HB.But it was blistering in entire sections with water filled blisters on approx 10% of the house in a toally sporadic way on all sides. Here and there east west south north with the bulk closer to the ground, no real issues more than 12 feet above ground.

Had hardie rep and miller paint rep look at it and they said i did everything right and that the house had moisture issues with water coming out from behind paint film.The owner friend said i sucked as a painter,it was all my fault and he was gonna call his lawyer if i didn't "fix" it.One reason i plowed ahead after telling owner about peeling caulk[besides owner urging me to keep going] was my previous love relationship with painting hardie.No problems ,headaches,just easy surface and profit.

Now after i have stumbled onto another problem hardie job pending on the coast i am paranoid and called S-W rep before signing contract and he said he's never seen nothing like it and won't guarantee any advice or product.Why do i get all the basket cases?

Well this time I will get in writing that there is no warranty if they still want me to paint and not reside the whole house.

I'm still not sure about the moisture coming thru the paint on the 1st job. Interesting theory about chloride salts.But when it blistered 4 months later it came off all the way down to bare hardie product,not just new paint or primer.


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## KA PAINTING (Apr 12, 2010)

*more hardie pics*

And Miller is good paint,not walmart stuff.And how do you come to the conclusion that the problem was ...Sprayed ...badly...and over applied , Mr. paint store owner?


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## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2008)

I wonder if an industrial/marine coating would be a better solution... 

And, don't sign a contract unless you are for sure of your process.


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## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2008)

Have you thought about using Peel Bond as a primer?


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## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2008)

I don't think Miller has a self priming product. But if you followed Peel Bond with Duration (self priming) after some serious TSP wash down then you might have a viable solution? This is of course having no moisture issue under the siding...


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## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2008)

And for adhesion security, I would back roll the whole thing.


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## nEighter (Nov 14, 2008)

that poly-euro I had problems with also. Only it didn't seal right. The paint adhered correctly but it didn't stay attached to the substrate. I think I read on the tube it was supposed to sit (cure) for a week?? < can't remember but it was ridiculous the time it takes to cure out, and I used it in February (end of) and it just didn't end up working correctly for what I used it on.


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## NCPaint1 (Aug 6, 2009)

K, in the first pics you had posted, the top two especially, the finish looks like it fish eyed, pitted, or started to sag. Usually that means that either there was foreign material on the surface, ( which was ruled out ) or it was over applied. 

We're just looking at pictures, so we can only speculate.


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## paintman77 (Jul 5, 2008)

Has paint supplier sent chips off to lab to analyzed? I think NACE is on the money with cause of failure. Loxon conditioner would be great primer/first coat and then topcoat with loxon acrylic finish.


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## KA PAINTING (Apr 12, 2010)

*loxon*

S-W sales rep who is looking at my latest hardie basket case[scheduled for sept. painting] thinks it is a "hot" batch of hardie board that has too high of Ph.But he forgot his test strips so will test later this week.He thinks Loxon might be the way to go but is leaning toward telling the homeowner to replace their siding.Wish i could find someone who "KNOWS" whats going on ,not just thinks he knows. Here's what i think.In coastal area's of high rainfall,humidity and dampness mixed with salt air hardie plank that has not been maintained with fresh paint[every6-8 ]years at the recomended millage starts to degrade and lose it's ability to bond paint.Whether its lime,chloride migrating to the surface or disintegration of surface fibers i do not know.But none of the reps have stated it this way and i "think" i'm closer to the answer than they've been so far.Now all i need is to go to college and get a degree in chemistry to prove it.


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## nEighter (Nov 14, 2008)

I have said this a million times but hydrosealer from Glidden Pro is a high ph primer for masonry surfaces. It is the bees knees and it dries FAST.


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## NCPaint1 (Aug 6, 2009)

Why dont they get rid of that stuff and cedar shake the rest of the house, that looks really nice in the pictures, maybe throw in some stone too.


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## jaydee (Mar 7, 2018)

*any luck solving this?*

Hi, I realise this thread is 8 years old, but I've just come accross the same issue. The faux wood grain hardi board siding is peeling on the S facing side of this building. It appears to be the factory paint. Wondering if you had any luck coming up with a solution that worked long term?
TIA


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

jaydee said:


> Hi, I realise this thread is 8 years old, but I've just come accross the same issue. The faux wood grain hardi board siding is peeling on the S facing side of this building. It appears to be the factory paint. Wondering if you had any luck coming up with a solution that worked long term?
> TIA


sand/scrape all the loose stuff off and use a much higher grade paint. The stuff they put on in the factory is pretty much just to make it look pretty until the warranty expires. Some of the generic "hardyplank" products out there are notorious for either peeling or fading away to nothing.


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