Has anyone ever used or thought about using hardy plank siding for deer blinds? It cost half of the price of plywood. Any thoughts pros/cons? Other than the weight.

Stuff is nasty to cut with a skil saw. My son has a construction business and he won't cut it without a dusk mask. It is durable and paintable.

Spanky

I've been looking at it to, but man it's heavy. The plus is that it would last forever.

Agreed that a hardy blind would be heeaaaavvvvyyyy

Try researching a product called LP Smart trim. It is lighter than hardy, and from what I hear, it has a better warranty. Not that a warranty matters for a blind, but good to know anyway.

I'm building a couple of blinds next week and plan on using the LP Smart trim. Here's the one I'm going to build, I really like the full side opening for some reason.

I used hardy on my shop/garage and it is good..... but as you say it is heavy. In the last couple of years I have built two steel blinds and I personally think that is the way to go. Insulated them from the Texas Heat and you don't have to worry about repainting all the time to prevent the blind from falling apart on you. I plan on building a couple for sale next year. One word of advice though, when you build this thing give it plenty of foethought because unlike plywood it will last a long time with very little maintenance. So if you forget to put something in or on, it may be a very long time before you get around to the preverbial "next time". I built mine 5X5 that give me plenty of room to keep all my toys and not feel so cramped.

I have a tower blind w/hardy sdg and will tell you that it was a serious chore to get set up the first year and then again when I relocated it the second year. Relocation involved lowering it to the ground and despite taking precautions, hardy sdg incurred dmg because of its brittle nature. A hardy sdg blind is HEAVY but would be perfect for placement on land that you actually own in a productive area that you are satisfied w/setting up and leaving alone for 3-4 generations. Just make sure that you scout the area first and hunt it w/ a light tripod before making your decision to hardy blind placement because believe me you will not be interested in relocating it or repairing relocation dmg. Plywood or t-111 sdg much lighter and more resilliant in the short term. Insulation in any deer blind that you intend to hunt w/windows open is pointless. I have installed a shooting table in my blind that funnels all heat from a propane htr past my torso / muffles htr hiss.

At the Hunters Extravaganza in FW tonight I saw a blind sheathed in Hardieplank.

1/4" 4x8 Hardi soffit will only weigh approx 59#. 5/16" 4x8 Hardi panel is approx 73#, 7/16" 4x8 OSB approx 53#, and 1/2" 4x8 CD plywood approx 48#. It's not really that much heavier than other siding options, but it is much more brittle. You would have to take great care in transporting and erecting it, and making sure it stays up. If I weren't making my next one out of R-panel, it would be Hardi. That stuff will last forever with minimal care.

Thats some good information,thanks for the input guys.Good luck to you all this year, and be safe.

I built a round blind in 1992 that still looks as new as the first day. I used gavlanized sheet metal that I bought from an air conditioning contractor in 4' x 8' sheets. I washed it down good with alcohol to remove the pickling oil and painted it light grey. I don't have it any more but the guy I sold it to says that 15 years later, it still has the original paint on it and no rust or rotten wood. I used wolmanized plywood for the base, roof, and 2" x 2" studs. Note the door. I was pretty proud of that.

Sorry for the BW photo. That's all the scanner at work will do.

A buddy of mine built one last year out of it. Looks great, paintable and very warm. One of the most comfortable I have sat in, but it almost killed our backs getting it up (10 ft tower) took a bit of sweat to get it to the breakover point while pulling it up. The funny thing about it is, IT is the only blind on the ranch that was not tied down AND the only one that did NOT get blown over by wind.

It is a great product but it has its limits. As other have mentioned it is heavy and it is brittle. But of the flip side it will last a life time. I use a 4x8 sheet for my roof. I just fasten it to a sheet of plywood and the frame rails and a few cross members and away we go. I use the plywood for support in the event a limb or whatever falls on it it wont go through the hardi siding.

When cutting it, use a special blade designed for hardi siding or you will dull a steel or carbide tipped blade quickly. And by all means wear breathing protection.

TX7Mag

I used some stuff called hard wood, that I bought at LOWES for about 15 bucks a sheet, it is the stuff they put in showers before they tile it. It looks like cardboard almost, but I left a piece of it in a bucket of water for 2 weeks suberged, and it didnt warp ir swell. It is pretty light too. It is 3/16" thick, and can be cut with any saw.

I am using some really old fashioned technology called plywood with lots and lots of paint. Neat concept. The old fashioned technology doesnt break apart like that new hardiplank stuff (or as bad) when they hit the ground.

Seriously, isnt that hardiplank REALLY expensive compared to plywood ?

I ended up going with lp soffit, 30 year warranty and only cost $17.00 for 4 x 8 and it is pre primed so it doesn't soak up a lot of paint.