Hardi trim

[John Dirks Jr]

I know that wood trim that protrudes over windows and doors needs head flashing.

What about Hardi trim? Does it survive well without the head flashing?

[Jerry Simon]

What about Hardi trim? Does it survive well without the head flashing?

The flashing prevents leakage/leakage damage behind the trim; it's not there to protect the trim. Yes, Hardi trim should be flashed in the same manner.

[John Dirks Jr]

Thanks Jerry.

I also tracked down this thread that shed some light on the subject. Apparently, just because head flashing is not visible does not mean the window is installed or flashed wrong.

It is possible for suitable details to be hidden.

https://www.inspectorsjournal.com/forum ... IC_ID=9218

[palmettoinspect]

From what I understand is metal drip flashing is not required by the manufacturer or code as long as there is peel and stick flashing installed. There is no way to tell if there is peel and stick unless you are there during construction. But I would imagine that a leak would be apparent given the windows are not properly flashed. I’ve done several inspections where just the “street sideâ€

[bobthebuilder01]

Is the Hardi Trim any good? How does it compare to smartside trim or Azek in terms of durability. Does Hardi Trim look worn down after 5-10 years in the northern US.

[Brandon Whitmore]

From what I understand is metal drip flashing is not required by the manufacturer or code as long as there is peel and stick flashing installed.

You're missing a section of the code where it basically states that flashing is required at all trim protrusions. I don't have the code in front of me right now, but I'll pull it up later. This has been covered on this site before, and may show up under a search.

So basically, if trim was installed first, with siding butted up against it, flashing is required. If trim was installed over the siding, it is not required as it is only decorative. I personally thing that not requiring flashing at all trim details is just plain dumb. Water ends up getting trapped behind the decorative trim and rotting out the siding, etc.

[Brandon Whitmore]

I forgot that I had a short cut to the code reference saved on my computer. It's R703.8 #4 for the flashing, at least ine one of the last 2 IRC code cycles, but should be in both.