Use and Care Guide

It is a good practice to keep vegetation such as shrubs, bushes

and small trees trimmed back away from home and siding.

It is a good practice to keep gutters, blocked

pipes, and overﬂows clean of any debris,

leaves, twigs and dirt.

Avoid direct contact

with deicing salts.

General Maintenance

Maintaining the exterior of your home helps prevent water intrusion and is an important part

of sustaining the beauty and value of your home. The extent and nature of maintenance will

depend on the the design of your house, its geographic location, the amount of weather and sun

exposure, and the landscaping near your house. As a guide, it is recommended that normal care

and maintenance tasks include:

• Installing gutters and downspouts on your home if they are already present when you purchased

the home

• Cleaning out your gutters, blocked pipes, and overﬂows as required

• Keeping vegetation such as shrubs, bushes, and small trees trimmed back and away from

the home and siding

• Adjusting sprinkler systems so they do not excessively spray on walls or continuously soak

the ground near your house

• Avoiding direct contact with deicing salts. The salts may prematurely damage the ﬁnished

look of the siding. James Hardie recommends the use of sand or gravel to manage snowy

or icy surfaces near siding

• Ensuring required external ground clearances (typically 6 in.) and drainage slopes are

maintained

NOTE: Do not in ﬁll landscaping up to the siding

For more information, see Tech Bulletin #20 Cleaning and Maintenance at www.jameshardie.com