Anyone know the process to stain axon cladding

Hi, We are building an house in Brisbane, and we are getting Axon Smooth Cladding at upper floor. I had discussed with builder to stain it in Merbau colour. It appears that they no longer stain the Axon Cladding.

We wanted to stain the Axon Cladding with Merbau stain. Do you know anyone who could help on this?

Hi James,

This is actually something I know a bit about as I did a townhouse project a few years ago with 30 odd homes with stained cladding so I had to research the heck out of it.

Is your AXON installed already? If it isn't you might want to swap it for Weathertex (https://weathertex.com.au/products/).

They have a stainable product which has the same profile as the AXON but it is made in Newcastle out of hardwood and stains a lot better than the FC AXON. The price is pretty close.

I have had the primed version product on my own home for 4 1/2 years and it performs exactly the same as the James hardie version.

I can you you one of the rep's phone numbers if you need to ask more technical questions.

And AXON can be stained, but doesn't look as natural.

Cheers

Simeon

Hi Simeon,

Thank you for your response. Currently, the house is under construction, and due to the builder's high quote for Weathertex, we opted for AXON Smooth cladding.

It seems that staining the AXON is our best option. Could you kindly provide details on how to stain AXON cladding and suggest contacts I can reach out to for assistance?

Your information is highly appreciated. Thank you so much,

-James

Hi Simeon

Thank you for your response. Currently, the house is under construction, and due to the builder's high quote for Weathertex, we opted for AXON Smooth cladding.

It seems that staining the AXON is our best option. Could you kindly provide details on how to stain AXON cladding and suggest contacts I can reach out to for assistance?

Your information is highly appreciated. Thank you so much,

-James

Hi James

Not sure how much he is charging but the weathertex should only be around $15/sqm more, around $5-6k for a 400sqm home. You may end up spending this or more with labour to stain.

Ok so you have locked in FC sheeting, so see if you can get your builder to get you the 133 woodgrain. The surface needs to be prepped properly with an acrylic caulk and then thoroughly washed and wiped with a rag to remove any dirt and dust. Once dry you need to apply 3-4 light coats of a semi transparent stain. You can't use a wood stain there are specific ones for fiibre cement. FYI Wattyl has a product called Hardistain.

Good luck with it

Cheers

Simeon

The most definitive answer to your question James is this taken from the James Hardie Axon Cladding Installation Guide - i just happen to have it handy.

STAINING
Some paint manufacturer’s such as Cabot’s and Wattyl offer stain systems that they have tested with HardieTM fibre cement products. For a stained look, contact our Technical Team on 13 11 03.

As you can see there are two paint manufacturers who may have staining systems. Best to call this number and ensure you only use a system that Hardie Recommends if you would like to maintain the product warranty.

Anything anyone else says is just speculation unless they are recalling the same advice provided to them from the JH Technical Team.

All the best.

Obi