HardiePlank Top Vent

Product Details

HardiePlank Top Vent is a combined starter strip with ventilation profile for HardiePlank® cladding. The JamesHardie vent strip is designed to suit 25mm, 38mm and 50mm battens.  Therefore we stock the three thicknesses to suit batten thicknesses of  25mm, 38mm and 50mm in 3.0 metre lengths

Battens and ventilation

Firstly the minimum recommended size batten that should be used to allow a free-flow ventilation gap between the cladding layer and the substrate is 25mm.  This is to attain the required gap of 20mm. Additionally it is critical that an air inlet and air outlet gap of at least 10mm is left at the base and at the roofline.  This also also applies below and above doors and windows. Use a perforated enclosure to prevent pests entering through the ventilation gap.

Combined JamesHardie starter and ventilation strip

When installing HardiePlank horizontally it is suggested that the easiest method is to use the HardiePlank combined starter and ventilation profile. This should ensure the first plank is correctly fitted.  However, as an alternative, cut a 30mm wide starter strip from a sheet of HardiePlank cladding to kick out the first plank to match the lap of the wall. This should be nailed along the front face of the battens. Therefore the lower edge of the starter strip lies along the line made by the bottom of the vertical battens. This provides the lap spacing for the first row of planks. Without this starter strip means the “kick-out” on the wall appears inconsistent in the following courses.

Fitting the first HardiePlank cladding layer

When fitting the first layer of HardiePlank cladding a pencil line should be marked 170mm up from the lower edge of the starter strip.  It is important that this line is horizontal. This will be the top of the first row of cladding. This spacing gives a 10mm drip edge at the lower edge of the cladding. Finally,  Gecko Gauges are ideal for speeding up HardiePlank installations if there is no second pair of hands.  .