Is this how weatherside looks like?

[williamfieldman]

Hi,
I visited a home, where the weatherboard looks the size of hardiplank. According to the agent, it's wood and showed me where the paint has chipped off. It's a 60s house. Other 60s houses I've seen use wood planks that are about 11cm wide and 1.5cm thick, so I'm puzzled.

I've taken some pictures. Is this how weatherside looks like? Can anyone post some pictures of what weatherside looks like under the paint?

[Aston]

No that's not Weatherside, it looks like Hardiplank. Weatherside is smooth and doesn't have any texture.

If your Agent says it is wood, then ask him/her what type of timber it is.

[k1w1]

Looks like rusticated hardiplank to me. Was that around in the 60's though?

If it is, it's good stuff. Cheap, water tight and bullet proof.

[sooty]

Weatherside was the outside version of oil tempered hardboard. Looks the back of Laminex sheets. It came preprimed wit pink primer, it was a smooth face plank about 5mm thick.

[Philmc1]

Try cedar - very common round then and the surface is very hardiplank like. Hard to sand because you lose the woodgrain effect.

[RonHoyFong]

Weatherside and Hardiplank

When its painted both Hardiplank and Weatherside look the same.

Hardi-plank is basically fibrolite and brittle

Weatherside is compressed oil tempered wood like hardboard lining around showers, seratone lining etc.

One way to tell is the nails in the plank.

If its hardiplank the head of the nail will sit above the surface because it would crack the plank otherwise.

If it its Weatherside the head of the nail will be even with the surface, probably won't see it after painting.

When the weatherside breaks down there will be sign of it on the lower edges of the plank turning crumbly like wheatbix.

Ron

[hort1]

I would

guess that it is weatherside for sure.

There have been problems with it as far as rot, If it is not maintained well

I have a property with this cladding on, the trick is to keep it well painted and no problem.

I would us the Weatherside as a negotiation point.

Cheer's

[williamfieldman]

Thanks everybody. I went back to view the property again and spoke to the agent. She said it's Tawa wood. I felt the exposed part of the weatherboard and can feel the grain. The thickness is slightly more than 10mm.

Is Tawa commonly used for exterior in the 60s? I've always thought that they are used for interior floors.

[Viking]

Unlikely. She just doesn't know so ask a building inspector or look at the council plans for the building.

[Aston]

Is Tawa commonly used for exterior in the 60s? I've always thought that they are used for interior floors.

No, Tawa was not commonly used but it's not unknown. See the quote below.

I'd be very surprised if Tawa was used at 10mm thick in the 60's. More likely to be 18mm.



"Boric treated tawa was used as weatherboards in the late 1960’s and heart rimu joinery from freshly logged native forest was available until the 1980’s. But by the 1950’s there was a looming shortage of native timber ironically at about the time that timber properties were being published for most of our “commercial” species [1]. As seismic refurbishment hit Wellington in the 1980’s, older buildings were demolished and around the country beautifully seasoned heavy timbers often 400 mm x 75 mm, kauri, rimu or kahikatea were lapped up for boatbuilding and furniture by those in the know."

http://www.ipenz.org.nz/ConventionCD/Documents/Hank-Bier.pdf