I'm about ready to side my mini-barn so I went down to our brand-spankin-new Home Depot last night to check out their T111 prices. I've been a little concerned about using T111 but it fits the budget. Once I actually saw the stuff though, my concerns deepened. I can't imagine how I'd get enough paint on the stuff to prevent rot. So, a couple of questions:
1) Are my concerns valid? Anyone have long term experience with T111?
2) What else is there? I can afford a little more but not too much. Is there a much better option for just a little more money?
T111 will stain on the bottom 18" where the rain splashes. Look around at the Amish sheds you will see what I mean. I have not seen a cure yet. I went with Vinal over cheap plywood. Snow blowers and stone raise hell with it though. [and lawnmowers] bcs
What about hardie panel or something similiar. It is a sheet of fiber cement board. I haven't used it yet, but have heard good things once it is installed. Installation is harder because of the dust when sawing and it is harder to nail through. Can be cut with shears to eliminate dust, but most people don't have shears just laying around. I haven't priced T111 vs Fiber Cement, so this might blow the budget.
I don't know about paint but it soaks up stain like a sponge, to the tune of 1/2 gallon per sheet. Make sure you include that cost in your calculations. And if you are using stain buy the cheap stuff in 5 gallon buckets.
I don't know how you feel about metal siding, but for me, that's the way to go. I'm not talking about the 28-32 ga sheets at Home Depot/Lowes/etc, but the commercial grade material used on pre-engineered buildings. It usually consists of a galvalume (coated) base coating with a factory applied paint finish. Very durable and no maintenance.
I built a pole barn-shop and went with 26 ga coated panels. Their standard gauge was 29, but I opted for a bit thicker panel and I'm glad I did.
I have built a variety of structures, carports, and patio covers using pre-engineered building framing and covers and have always been very pleased with the results. In many cases you can contact a local steel company or a steel salvage company - they buy surplus material and the savings are substantial.
Just a suggestion. The initial cost may be slightly higher than T-111/paint, but the labor and maintenance savings for me make up for that.
Rob, I have to agree with cillimau; the cement fiber board is slick. I'll be soon posting the pictures of our barn that is sided in Hardie panels. The 4X8 sheets were tough on my 5'2" wife, but I supervised her closely so she didn't get hurt puttin' them up. They are HEAVY. Ours really soaked up paint, too, but we're happy with the end result. And, if they last as long as they are supposed to, it was worth the cost. Don't forget the dust mask when cutting and handling it!
Got a shed out back that we moved with us. It was built in 88 or 89 and has never been painted. The bottom of the T-1-11 shows rot in several places, and will require some patching when I get to it.
When I put up my pole barn, I went with 10 foot walls and 8 foot sheets of t-1-11. I put the 2 foot splice at the bottom, anticipating it can be changed out later if it gives me problems. I'm toying with the idea of just covering it with split stone or cultured stone. (I just haven't gotten up my gumption to challenge another big project like that.
The main problem with the t-1-11 is splash. That's why it does better on houses and garages with block rat walls. It's above the splash line. It does take quite a bit of paint to cover it, which is why I've never painted mine. It turns kind of a silver gray color with exposure to the elements.
Make sure you nail it down securely, because it warps pretty bad.
That makes sense. I've got a rent house I need to skirt the bottom two feet on all the way around. The guy I bought the place off of 5 years ago had replaced the bottom of a few sheets when I bought it and it's rotting already. The best way to stop the rot, or slow it down anyway, is to paint the backside of the sheet before you install it and soak the bottom edge with paint. I think the problem with T1-11 is that the bottom edge acts like a wick and sucks the water up inside it. I used some siding called "Smart Panel" that is OSB with a wood grained overlay on one trailer four years ago and haven't had a problem with rot, yet. We did soak the bottom with paint. Any of it beats that LP siding.
I ended up using the Smartpanels as well. OSB from the inside but the face side must have a layer of finer sawdust that they mold into the woodgrain look. The kicker for me is that it's preprimed with a 30 year warranty. Only a couple bucks more per sheet than raw T-111. Here's a link [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
Here in Upstate NY, alot of pole barns get covered in rough-cut lumber. I am building a pole barn with a board and batten pattern, and the lumber is about 45 cents/bf delivered. Looking at t-111 prices, the 3/8 stuff is about $18/sheet, which is equivalent to 56 cents/bf, and the 5/8 is $27.50/sheet, or 86 cents/bf. I am planning to leave the lumber natural, but obviously you could paint/stain it, too. Low/no maintenance is my concern. BTW, the silver-grey color that wood gets if left unfinished can actually be washed off with a pressure washer, leaving the wood with the "new" blond color if you want to keep that look. Just another alternative to consider - there should be plenty of local mills in your neck of the woods.
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