How To Repair Press Board Siding

How to tell if your home has problematic hardboard siding and what to do about it
During the 1980s and early '90s, 4 meg homes were clad in hardboard siding. It was an cheap and attractive plenty option, and its popularity quickly grew.
Just in 1996, afterwards a month-long trial, the first of many courts ruled against a manufacturer of hardboard siding in a nationwide class action suit. Affordable? Certainly. Simply also lacking. Popularity quickly dropped off. Today, hardboard is no longer sold as a siding option.
But what about the siding that didn't get replaced subsequently the revelations of the '90s? What is hardboard? How tin can you lot tell whether your old hardboard siding is causing problems? And (nearly chiefly) what are possible solutions if it is?

What is hardboard?

Hardboard, also known as pressboard or the common manufacturer's proper noun, Masonite, is an engineered wood product made of wood fibers that have been compressed together. Although no longer manufactured for siding, it'south all the same used as an inexpensive material in building piece of furniture, and as a temporary floor protector on construction sites.
Hardboard should non exist confused with particle board. Although they are both manufactured from woods fibers, the process used to make them is not the same. Hardboard is made from woods fries, which are steamed, ground, so treated at very high temperature and pressure. No boosted binders are necessary when creating hardboard. Particleboard, by contrast, is fabricated from sawdust that is combined with resins or other binders to agree it together before treating. Particle lath is often used in subfloors and non-visible parts of cheaper furniture.
Despite the similarity in name, hardboard has aught in common with Hardieplank siding, which is cobweb cement siding made by James Hardie. It's a manufactured siding pick, only that's where the similarities between the sidings cease. James Hardie siding is fabricated with cement and cellulose fibers, rendering information technology generally immune to the damp and rot that plague wood-based siding options.

What's the trouble with hardboard siding?

In a perfect world, hardboard would have been a perfectly adequate siding cloth. In the existent world, however, it was no match for the fact that all siding comes into contact with two dangerous elements: weather and people.
Weather: All hardboard siding naturally absorbs a certain amount of water due to exposure to the elements. This causes a bit of swelling. When perfectly installed and vigilantly maintained, this swelling doesn't necessarily reach dangerous levels.
People: Unfortunately, perfect installation and vigilant maintenance require all of the people involved to exist at the top of their game. Faulty installation (whether the consequence of contractors cut corners or do-it-yourselfers making mistakes from lack of knowledge or feel) led to the host of bug that resulted in class activeness suits during the '90s. Swelling, rotting, buckling, and mildew required many homeowners to replace their siding only a curt time afterwards installation.

How tin you tell if your old hardboard siding has a problem?

If yous see any of these bug, your pressboard is past its prime:
Swelling. If your siding is clearly misshapen or warped at places, there is already a significant trouble.
Discoloration. This is an indication that moisture is regularly settling in a particular expanse. Some discoloration can also be acquired by mold.
Nails rusting or popping out. This means that your siding has been shifting and expanding or admitting moisture.
Infestation. Termites feasting on your siding won't terminate there, and the damage they cause opens the way to wider problems.

What can yous do nearly damaged hardboard siding?

If the problems are very minor, proper caulking, painting, and water management tin can keep the harm nether control for some fourth dimension. Keep an heart out for any problem areas and deal with them as presently as issues appear.
If in that location seems to be significant damage or if you lot are unable to commit to frequent maintenance and repair tasks, your best pick is replacement. New manufactured siding options like fiber cement don't have the same susceptibility to damp conditions or pest infestation that older siding types do, and are safer in emergencies similar storms or fires likewise. Want to know more virtually your siding options and what replacing the siding on your home would entail? Tulsa Renew tin can help. Schedule your complimentary, no-obligation consultation and quote today.