# Forum Home Renovation Cladding  Nails for Hardiplank Smooth Weatherboard and fixing method discussion

## barrow

Hi  
I am about to begin cladding a shed in Hardie plank and wanted to get opinions on the best method to do this. I have a finishing nailer and according to JH install instructions 2.8x40mm gal nails should do the trick.
Question is,  Can this be done with a nailer straight into the board or will it split?Where is the best place to put the nail - top of the board so that the next board overhang will cover the nail, or on the top board overhang so that the nail goes through 2 boards but is visible. 
any other fixing tips would be greatly appreciated
i.e windows and door frames flashing etc seems to be a minefield of flashing  
cheers

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## sol381

You need a coil gun. i wouldnt go any closer than 25mm from the ends. maybe check the james hardie site. Im sure they have installation instructions. We used a framing gun with 50mm gal nails for the primeline on an entire house. Not one split or blowout.

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## barrow

thanks 
JH install instructions say 2.8x40mm gal nails if you could do it with a framing gun then I should be good with the finishing gun. Its a lot gentler.

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## Bedford

> thanks 
> JH install instructions say 2.8x40mm gal nails if you could do it with a framing gun then I should be good with the finishing gun. Its a lot gentler.

  The Hardiplank nails are a flat head like clouts but a little smaller, I doubt you'll get them to work through a finishing gun.

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## sol381

exactly ... the brad nails have a tiny head.. you need a clout type  nail which is the same as the coil nails. Do NOT use a finishing gun.

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## Marc

Coil gun if you want to do a good job.
 Bostitch is good, Hitachi is the RR https://www.totaltools.com.au/138543...-coiler-n66c1k  https://www.totaltools.com.au/132733...ler-nv65af3h1z

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## barrow

am I missing something? I cant use a finishing gun but I can use a framer? or is the coil gun something different that will shoot a clout 
Thanks for you help

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## Marc

Nail guns are chosen according to the nail they can shoot, rather than the way they are built. Or better, they are built to shoot a particular nail.  
What you are asking is, why can I use a Colt and not a Beretta.  
The right question is what sort of nail do you need for the job, not what sort of gun. 
You need a 2.8 x 40 gal flat head nail / round head , not a bullet head, not a clout, not a clipped head.
You can drive this nail with a hammer or a gun.
Any gun that can shoot that nail.
If you go pig hunting and you want to use a 223, you need a gun that shoot that. If you prefer 308, only a gun in 308 will do  :Smilie:  
Framers shoot full round or clipped head nails
Finishing guns shoot braders either D, C or T and different variations ... no good for hardiplank.
Coil guns shoot a variety of flat head nails and can load coils containing a large number of nails. It's the best choice for repeat shots, pallet, cladding, fencing etc.
A coil gun will shoot 2.8x40 gal all day long, a bradder will not. A framer, if it shoots full round heads, no problem, although the framer tip will most likely mark your cladding unless it has a padded tip.

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## barrow

Thats a great explanation thanks Marc. 
Any views on nail placing i.e. top of the board so the next board hides it or at the bottom to go through 2 boards at once giving working out to 2 nails per board?
is one nail per stud enough?

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## MeasureTwice

There's a load of great info on manufacturers website with videos by them on you tube.  
Maybe have a read of this from their website: https://assets.ctfassets.net/rg5y8r6...ion_230421.pdf

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## Marc

I see their first choice of gun is Hitachi 65 ...  :2thumbsup:

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## droog

> Thats a great explanation thanks Marc. 
> Any views on nail placing i.e. top of the board so the next board hides it or at the bottom to go through 2 boards at once giving working out to 2 nails per board?
> is one nail per stud enough?

  Weatherboards should not be nailed through 2 boards, you want them to be able to expand and contract. For Hardi plank boards it is often nailed at the top then there is no patching, there is no reason you cannot nail it at the bottom but like normal timber boards the nail should be placed above the line of overlap so it is fixing only that board.

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## sol381

Indeed. top nail hidden bottom nail patched.

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## barrow

I hired a coil nailer from Kennards and it was rubbish. It dry fired ever other nail then double nailed and got jammed. so I took it back for a refund and went with Marc's suggestion and bought a Bostich. Ill give that a go today.

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## r3nov8or

Coulda done it by hand by now.  :Smilie: 
But I do understand the need for new tools!

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## phild01

Think I would have used a hammer, it's not a lot more effort.

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## UseByDate

> Think I would have used a hammer, it's not a lot more effort.

  Radical. :Smilie:

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## sol381

Its a hell of a lot more effort. take 10 times longer. Havent seen cladding nailed by hand since last century.

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## phild01

It's only a shed, placing the board would be the hardest part.

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## r3nov8or

> Its a hell of a lot more effort. take 10 times longer. Havent seen cladding nailed by hand since last century.

  Yeah but DIYers only need to do this once, not once a week or whatever, and the time is soon forgotten (in my experience anyway). 
Though I did once by a framer to do a 10m wall frame, because first and foremost I wanted a framer  :Smilie: .

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## phild01

Yes, framer is a must.

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## Marc

Hi Barrow,how did you go with the cladding?

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## Jonno80

> Yeah but DIYers only need to do this once, not once a week or whatever, and the time is soon forgotten (in my experience anyway). 
> Though I did once by a framer to do a 10m wall frame, because first and foremost I wanted a framer .

  The input is probably a bit late now.... but I think this point is overlooked a lot. "Professional" practices involve factors which have differing importance when doing the work yourself, ie the balance of speed, time and effort vs quality of finished product. 
The thing with nailing any cement board is that you are hoping that the cement binder is crushed to powder and the fibres punch straight through the other side. They don't part laterally like wood fibres, they just crack apart.  
I prefer to pre drill then use a hammer/palm nailer, eg a 2.5mm drill bit for a 2.8mm FC nail. The board is never cracked or weakened and I get the nails perfectly flush. 4.5mm eaves material is more forgiving, but once you get into thicker cladding material pre drilling is the safest way of avoiding any cracks and delamination of the fibres.

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## sol381

The way these hardie weatherboards are made its pretty hard to crack. As i said  we did an entire house with 14mm boards using framing nails. Sometimes nailing within 20mm from the end. Never had 1 board split or crack. Coil nails are even smaller so no chance. Timber weatherboards are best hand nailed but not the fibre cement ones. Also  you can do something fast and still have a quality finish.

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## intertd6

Hardies also recommend stainless steel 14g X 50mm gun nails for fixing scyon products , face fixed with two nails for wide boards, one nail hidden by the lap. Other gun nails are supposed to be left proud of the face & finished with a hammer by hand, D head nails are not recommended I believe & would look substandard to me.
inter

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## JB1

> Think I would have used a hammer, it's not a lot more effort.

  Quite a bit more effort for the movies here Phil :P 
Holding the planks and hand nailing ain't easy. Much  easier to hold up and nail gun it. 
lk

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## r3nov8or

> Quite a bit more effort for the movies here Phil :P 
> Holding the planks and hand nailing ain't easy. Much  easier to hold up and nail gun it.

  If operating solo, measure to the centre of the middle-most stud and mark the stud centre and board height. Transfer centre to the board and start the nail. Lift to height. Hammer 
But, yes, a nail gun always makes you feel like you have a third hand  :Smilie:

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