Fiber Cement Siding Repair
Cracked boards, peeling paint, moisture behind the panels — fiber cement doesn't rot like wood, but it fails in its own ways when installation was wrong. Rainwood Construction finds the cause and fixes it properly.
We respond within 24 hours
How Fiber Cement Fails — It’s Almost Never the Material
HardiePlank has a 30-year substrate warranty for a reason. The board is incredibly durable — portland cement, cellulose fiber, sand. Doesn’t rot, doesn’t burn, doesn’t attract insects. When fiber cement siding repair shows up on our schedule, the problem is almost always behind or around the board. Not the board itself.
Cracking at nail holes? Overdriven fasteners or nails too close to the edge. Paint peeling in sheets on 5-year-old boards? No back-prime — moisture migrates through and pushes the coating off. Boards crumbling at the bottom course? Less than 6″ to grade, standing water wicking up through cut edges.
Worst cases: water intrusion at window heads and roof-to-wall where flashing was skipped. Cement board absorbs enough at cut edges and nail penetrations to transmit moisture to sheathing. By the time someone calls, the Hardie looks fine from 10 feet. Behind it, the OSB is black.
What Cement Siding Repair Costs
Spot repair — a few cracked boards with sound sheathing — runs $400–1,200. Pull damaged boards, inspect WRB, install matched replacements, prime, paint. A day’s work.
When rot reaches sheathing or framing: $2,000–6,000 per area. Sister studs, new sheathing, WRB, re-flash, re-side. A window corner with structural damage is the most common scenario — and the most underestimated.
Full elevation strip and re-side: $5,000–15,000 depending on size and condition. Rainwood Construction scopes after opening the wall. Concrete siding repair quoted from a driveway misses what matters.
OUR SIDING SERVICES
What Rainwood Construction covers for fiber cement siding repair projects.
Board Replacement
Remove cracked HardiePlank, inspect sheathing and WRB, install profile-matched replacement — same thickness, reveal, texture. Back-primed on all edges. Stainless or hot-dipped galvanized ring-shank nails per Hardie spec — not electro-plated that corrodes and stains within two years.
Structural Rot Repair Behind Fiber Cement
Board might look fine. Wall behind it might not. We pull siding at suspect areas, moisture-meter the sheathing. Wet OSB gets cut back, damaged studs sistered, new sheathing, WRB, flashing — then cement board goes back on. Repair fiber cement siding here means fixing the envelope, not the face.
Flashing Correction
Most cement board siding repair callbacks trace to missing flashing. Pan flashing at sills, kick-out diverters at roof-to-wall, step flashing at sidewalls. We install what was skipped and correct what was wrong. One repair, not a recurring appointment.
Paint & Finish Repair
ColorPlus failing early — rare, usually impact exposing raw substrate. Field-painted Hardie peeling — common, almost always missing back-prime. We spot-prime with Hardie-approved primer and topcoat. If back-priming was skipped, we address moisture first — otherwise the new coat peels the same way.
Caulk Joint & Trim Repair
Butt joints opening, corner trim pulling, caulk cracking. Hardie spec: 1⅛" minimum gap from trim, approved sealant. Joints too tight or wrong caulk = cracking within two heating seasons. We re-gap where possible and re-seal with elastomeric.
Rainwood also offers interior renovations. Contact us to discuss your project.
See Our Work in Action
Watch how we transform homes with quality siding installation.
COMMON PROBLEMS WE FIX
Cement board siding repair issues we encounter most in Greater Seattle.
Why Choose Rainwood?
Repair cement board siding wrong and you’re back in two years with the same crack plus sheathing damage. The board is easy to replace. Finding why it failed — that’s the job. Rainwood Construction opens the wall, reads moisture, traces the entry point, and fixes the assembly.
- Moisture meter and substrate inspection at every repair — we don't guess from outside
- Flashing correction included in every structural repair scope
- Hardie-spec fasteners and back-priming on every replacement board
- Written scope with photos after damage assessment — you see what we found
10+
Years Experience
We had an excellent experience with them on our sunroom project. The quality of the work was outstanding, they were easy to work with, and they clearly explained each step, the schedule, and key decisions (with various options to help us understand cost) along the way. Communication was solid from start to finish, and the final result looks great. Highly recommend, they are my new go to recommendation when friends ask.
Rainwood construction completed 2 projects in my home recently. The first, which was to add a bar in my family room, which when completed fit so well that it looked like it always belonged there. It came out exactly how we wanted it and we love it. The second project was to completely remodel and modernize my 1955 original kitchen. The kitchen turned out fantastic! It’s light and bright with clean lines exactly how we had envisioned it. The team was polite, competent, hard working and always cleaned up after themselves at the end of the day. They always made sure to ask how I wanted things done when there were options, making suggestions where needed and made sure I was happy with the completion of items along the way. I was very pleased with the quality of the work, plan to use them again in the future and have already recommended them!
Excellent work done ✅ I’m really impressed and looking forward working further. Recommend 👍
Anatoliy and his company, is great person to have a business with!!!
We just remodelled the entire main floor of our house; the scope included changing floors, installing new cabinets including a drop ceiling, added a custom entertainment wall, and fully upgraded the powder room, among other work such as electrical upgrades including an EV plug. We are overall very happy with the work that the team has done, satisfied with the cost, and definitely recommend them to others.
Toli did great work renovating our home and upstairs bathroom. It was a great change.
Our Simple Process
From first contact to final walkthrough, we make siding projects straightforward and stress-free.
Request a Quote
Call or use the form. Tell us what you're seeing — cracks, peeling paint, soft spots, water stains inside. Photos help us plan the visit.
Damage Assessment
Pull boards at the affected area. Moisture meter on sheathing, probe framing if readings are high. Written report with photos.
Clear Scope & Schedule
Board replacement, structural repair if needed, flashing corrections, finish plan. Spot repairs: 1–2 days. Structural work or elevation re-side: 4–10 days.
Repair & Closeout
Structure and flashing first, then WRB, then siding, then finish. Every layer checked before the next goes on. Walkthrough before we leave.
Ready to Get Started?
Contact us today for a free on-site assessment. We’re here to help protect your home.
Call us now
425-750-1025
Email us
Anatoliy@rainwoodconstruction.com
Visit us
12310 Hwy 99, Everett, WA 98204
Hours
Mon-Fri 9:00 am–6:00 pm, Sat 11:00 am–5:00 pm, Sun Closed
FAQ
Individual cracked boards — yes, straightforward replacement. Can’t be patched. Fiber cement doesn’t accept filler — any patch cracks with thermal cycling. Pull the board, install a new one with correct fastening. Multiple cracks in the same area? Fastener pattern is the root cause.
Two reasons, both moisture. Either boards weren’t back-primed (moisture migrates through substrate and lifts coating), or flashing was missed and water gets behind the wall. Repainting without fixing the cause is a waste. We check substrate moisture before recommending paint work.
Correct install — 25–30 years before cosmetic work. ColorPlus warranted 15 years. Most early failures (under 10 years) are installation defects: wrong fasteners, no back-prime, skipped flashing. The material doesn’t fail. The details do.
Limited damage — a few boards at a window, one elevation’s bottom course — repair every time. Fiber cement is expensive to install; preserving what’s sound saves thousands. Over 40% of an elevation with structural rot? Re-siding is cleaner than patchwork.