camartin. what is the cost of cement board and is this a stand alone material or does it need a backing?

The Hardie siding is $27 a sheet at home depot for a 4x8 sheet. It ain't as cheap as plywood or OSB but is far more durable. I apply it directly to the framing (1 layer of 15# felt between the wood and the siding, studs 16" on center). No other backing. It is plenty strong for a deer stand. However, there is no insulation value and because of it's relative density it transmitts sound worse than OSB i would recommend some insulation (foam sheets or R6 duct board or plenum wrap). All of wich costs money but, if you are building a stand to last many years it is worth it. I am aware that you could probably buy a fiberglass stand for the same cost (i have no real idea how much they cost), I just enjoy building the stand. (I also get a lot of my material from the jobsite, so it's not as bad for me)

thanks for your reply

I used to hang the stuff, Hardi board is much heavier than OSB when you are talking 4x8. I've used Hardi before and that stand is still sitting where I built it years ago and isn't going anywhere anytime soon. It is a great product, and as you mentioned, it will last a long time and will need to be insulated. It isn't applicable for me since I have a 1 year at a time lease, and if I have to move, I'm not going to try and move a Hardiboard stand. That's why I'm very curious about the stands above with the insulation foam as the weather gaurd and insulator as one. If you own the land, or have a long term lease, I'd definitely consider the cement board products when building a stand though.

You sir are correct. It did not seem that much difference to me but, after checking it out it is Hardie=73.6lbs a 4x8 sheet and 1/2" OSB is only 53.44lbs on average. So on a 4x4 blind that would be an additional 80lbs

I have been reading all the posts and saw a few things about painting or sealing your stands I would like to add too. Not trying to prove anyone wrong. I managed a paint store for several years and had to deal with many costly problems with peoples homes over that time that could have been prevented. I know a deer stand doesn't have the value of a home, but the application is the same. If you want to paint treated lumber let it dry out for a couple of summer months. I have bought it before and it is still wet in the store. If you paint over the the wet lumber the paint will more than likely fail. All the moisture will evaporate and have to get through the paint to do this and usually cause the paint to bubble and chip during the process. Wood surfaces shouldn't have to be painted every few years. You should get a minimum of ten years in normal conditions, of course other factors can increase or decrease the paint life such as paint quality and the environment. I prime all bare wood surfaces with a quality latex primer/sealer. Not all primers and paints are created equal. Then apply two even coats of paint. The coats do not need to be put on thick. If you use good material your paint will last for a long time. For the exterior use quality latex paint. Oil based paints do not like the UV rays from the sun. An example is when you run your hand over a painted surface and your hand gets covered with a chalky dust. This is the UV rays breaking down the paint. Oil based paints are typically more durable for things like trailers, but don't handle the UV very well. Some of the cement board is pre primed with a low grade primer and is ok to paint. I have seen paint fail because concrete products have a PH level that is acidic. This causes a chemical burn to the paint which will cause it to bubble and peel off. There are masonry primers made to combat this. Usually time will cause the PH level to neutralize. You never know how long this stuff sits in a warehouse for the PH level to neutralize to a level that will not burn the paint. I have seen guys paint two houses within a week and one have paint failure and the other work great with no problems. The only difference was the builders purchased their cement board from different suppliers. The peeled paint was sent to a lab since this was a costly issue and it failed due to the whole PH issue. Like I said I am not knocking anyone's painting techniques, just sharing what I have learned over the years so you can have more time hunting instead of replacing or painting stands.

dsniper.......

how do you feel about waterproofing products for wood? I have a wooden deck I built for a flatbottom boat that I applied several coats of a waterproofing and mildew resisting stain.....then applied 3 coats of spar urethane to seal and uv protect it.....so far ..so good... I have gotten 4 years of water splashing on it and fish bouncing of it and it is holding up well.....thinking of doing the same to a homemade blind this summer.

westtex75:

Some of the waterproofing products are good and others not. Some of the $10/gal water sealers dont seem to hold up long on decks that are in the sun everyday. If your boat is only in the sun while in use and then you put it under a carport it should last a real long time. Problems with different coatings usually start to occur when they are submerged for extended lengths of time. I am sure that deck looks nice with the urethane. With the water sealers you have a window of time to apply the second coat. After this time the product is cured and liquids should bead and run off. So if you apply two coats always remember this. There are some exterior stains that are also sealers and this maybe what you used on the deck. The window for re-coat also applies for the products. With that said I am sure a second coat would stick after that window, but its not going to bond as well and give you the same long term results.

For your home made deer stand I would say this process is overkill and costly. Last time I checked that Spar Urethane was pretty steep per gallon. If it were my stand I would prime the bare wood with a quality primer. I link Zinsser 1-2-3 primer. I have cut corners in the past with my prepping and this stuff would bond anyway. Then I would paint with a exterior paint rated somewhere around 20 or so years. Use two even thickness coats (not too thick). That's what I would do on my stand if I wanted it to last a long time.

thanks sniper.....This blind is going on land I own ..so I want my grandkids to be able to hunt out of it years from now.

I have used the same process on my homes and it works.

That is interesting Dsniper. In 20 years of building apartments I have never seen paint peel off cementuous products so we wondered why all of a sudden it started being shipped primed. gotten so popular now the factories are shipping it before it cures completely would be my guess. Also I recomend using NP1 or a similar urethane caulk. It is oil based so I know you have to wait a week for it to except paint but, get similar color to the paint and you can skip that step. I would also recomend "kdat" material if you have exposed 2x? material to paint. Kdat stands for "kiln dried and treated", it is designed to be paintable. It should have a moisture level of 16% or less. I would prime it as well

camartin

I am glad you never had to experience that. Majority of the builders don't have it happen, but when it does it is going to be expensive. The first layer will continue to loose its bond if you just paint over it and will then cause the second layer to do the same, so it has to be removed. The NP1 is a great product and commercial quality. My old company sent me to a week long training seminar and caulking was one of the topics. You really get what you pay for.

If you are still building and the bonding company requires your statements to be reviewed or audited I have a connection for that also.

James Hardi makes a very good product and it does work well. I am in management for a small family owned lumber company. The only thing that would concern me with hardi if your blind were to ever tip over because hardi can break very easy especially if it if falling from an elevated position. Yes it wont ever go bad, but it maybe costly to replace if your blind isnt anchored correctly. Just something to think about. Wood blinds are good hunted out of numerous ones but in my opinion metal all metal blinds is the way to go. I use that light gauge flat tin right before they roll it and you can find some that is painted so you dont have to worry about painting your blind.

I will for sure second hardi board! We had a grass fire on our place and it burned two of our blinds down. Since we have rebuild two of our blinds out of hardi plank and they work great, hold up to the sun and water better, wont burn or rot... and for some reason unknown to me the yella jackets dont go in them nearly as much.

matt

Hi,
Have any of you seen the stands at:
www. realbark.com?
You can get a 4', 5' or 6' dia. stand
You can get it 5' or 10' high with a ladder or stairs.
They are better then any plywood stand I've ever seen.
If I can scrape up enough to get one then I'll be in a 5'dia. stand next season,
check it out, they are in Henderson,Tx.

osb is not better than cdx, paint it and it starts to fall apart, it does not like to get wet, paint is wet, dont do it.
hardi is good stuff but not that good, its a paper product, dont paint it and see what it turns too.
smart panel is an osb siding, pretty good stuff as well.
For a deer blnd I would either use smart panel or regular cdx with good primer and paint.
No matter what you use its going to boil down to good primer and paint.

Hardi is not paper. It is fiber cement board. It is the same material used as tile backer board only thinner. I have sheets of it that have been in my yard unpainted for 9 years and it is still usable. CDX is made with water resistant glue and soft wood layers in tne middle. When they laminate with soft woods those layers absorb water and expand. This action results in the glue losing its bond. Also the glues used in most plywood are water resistant not water proof. This means they will dissolve in water over time. OSB is made with a better grade of glue but will eventualy succumb to weather as well. By the way Vanguard, the paper product you refer to is called MDF (medium density fibreboard). Smart panel appears to be good stuff. It is essentialy treated OSB made with good resins. It is treated with Borate wich is a natural termite killer. We started using Borate to spray our wood framing 8 years ago. It will not mold either. If you know an exterminator get him to spray your frame for your blind with it.

you say hardi is fiber cement board, what exactly are these fibers ?
Its a cellulous fiber (paper)
Ive seen hardi turn to what looks like paper, soak it in water and see what it turns too and looks like, looks like some type of paper to me.
I built a fish cleanin stand using it down at the coast in the canal, in about 8 years and has turned into what looks like cardboard.
I am actually re doing my house using it as well, some of the scrap got saturated and it turned to what looks like paper as well.
Its good stuff but pure cement it is not.

It is a cement, as in portland cement, product with cellulose, wich is a component in paper as well as Kraft parmesan cheese, insulation, plastics. etc., to bind it.It also has carbon black as a hardening agent does that make it toner for a copier. If you had fiber cement board dissolve in the weather you are getting some off brand crap. I have literally had more than a hundred thousand square feet of this product installed on my 19+ projects and never seen one piece dissolve. They Make shingles out of it because of it's durability. Check out the product you are using, something is wrong. Again I have several sheets that have been sitting in my backyard for 8 years (uncovered) and not one piece has dissolved.