The most challenging type of siding to paint on exterior homes is hardie plank siding. Hardie plank is a fiber cement siding that is extremely durable, but can be very difficult to paint well as it’s very unforgiving of mistakes. So, here are my three tips for painting hardie plank siding to get the best possible finish.

 

1. Paint when it’s cool

 

The weather is going to have a big impact on the outcome of your painted siding. Anything you can do to slow down the drying time to give your paint more time to level out is going to help you out in the long run. During these summer months, that’s going to mean painting in the coolest part of the day - the morning.

 

Don’t wait to get out there and start working until 2 or 3 o’clock - the paint is going to start flash drying, giving you less time to blend overlaps and fix mistakes. Plus, it’s just miserable to paint in the hottest part of the day.

 

2. Work where there’s shade

 

This isn’t a tip to keep you out of the sun, but rather another tip to make sure that you’re not painting where the sun is hitting the siding. Depending on the positioning of the house and the sun, you’ll be able to work where the house is shaded, which will change as the day goes on. This will ensure that the siding is cooler wherever you’re painting. Move around the house away from the sun.

 

3. Use logical starts & stops.

 

This is one of the most important tips I can give. As much as possible, try to not stop spraying in the middle of the siding. If you stop and come back, overlapping the previously painted siding - you are going to see that. Maybe not immediately, but once the paint cures - it’s going to be very obvious to both you and the customer.

 

There are certain situations, like on the high side of a house, where you’re not going to be able to adhere to this. After all, your arms and gun extensions can only reach so far, which is where you’ll try your best to feather together those areas. High sides are going to be the most challenging part of a hardie plank sided house to paint.

 

There may be other areas of the house with a different type of material, like the soffits - which are usually made out of a composite material. Here, you won’t need to adhere to those logical starts and stops, as that’s a more forgiving material to paint.

 

Bonus tip: You will always need multiple coats.

 

In all of my years of painting, I’ve never gotten away with just one coat on a hardie plank sided home. Even a fog coat and a heavy coat afterwards isn’t going to cut it. It has to be the equivalent of two heavier top coats. Sometimes after that, you may need another coat! This is

something you’ll need to take into consideration during the bidding process when you’re talking to the customer. Make sure you’re getting paid correctly for the amount of work you need to put in.

 

On the last project I worked on, it was a new construction house with hardie plank siding that needed two heavy coats. Check it out here.

For more in-depth exterior painting tips, check out my Exterior Painting Systems & Processes Course, which will take you through marketing yourself as an exterior painter or business owner, all of the prep on an exterior job, plus the actual painting process. You can also check out this playlist on my YouTube channel which walks through both exterior and interior new construction painting tutorials.