As global leader in fiber cement siding, James Hardie manufactures products unique to it’s market in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the USA. My structure seeks a modern aesthetic. If I had a choice I would have selected a Scyon system of exterior cladding or a EPDM tape option for a genuine rainscreen siding, but in the USA, we have fiber cement vertical panel and aluminum reveal to adapt to the limited products available.
Fry Reglet, Tamlyn, and Easy Trim Reveals offer fiber cement reveals. Each manufacture similar profiles to encapsulate the 5/16″ fiber cement panel on all edges to shed water away from the building, but only Easy Trim Reveals allows an easier installation of aluminum trim and a water management strategy, not just decorative trim. I worked with a handful of lumberyards for pricing and availability of products, and expect a delivery of panels, fasteners, trim, and tools soon.
Many firms manufacture fiber cement panels from the Japanese Nichiha and KMEW, to domestic Allura and GAF. Many of these cladding systems offer amazing textures and installation systems, but my walls are structural insulated panels, and few vendors are willing to warrant installations on this building system. James Hardie has an installation on sheathing exclusively with the correct fastener length in their Evaluation Report.
My final exterior cladding selection includes a Henry Blueskin VP100 Water Resistive Barrier, plywood battens for a 11 mm rain gap, HardiePanel in Colorplus Monterey Taupe JH40-20, SFS TW-S fasteners, and Easy Trim Reveals in clear anodized color. I had some primed Soffit panel that I needed to color match to the Monterey Taupe, and Valspar Paint customer service shared the recipe with my local paint store. For some reason Easy Trim Reveals do not offer a window flashing profile, so I had to order a Tamlyn XtremeTrim just for that part of the project.