There are two options for this.
Can you put vinyl siding over metal siding.
Vinyl over any other siding is a mistake.
Putting lathe up against the siding will usually end up with some wavy areas in the vinyl siding.
The main concern to understand is that the hardieplank siding is going to be on the house for.
Installing vinyl siding over wood siding.
This type of siding can be placed over some existing siding but most will not be good.
Remove the siding and install oriented strand board commonly referred to as osb or to use the existing siding that s on the house now as substrate or layer beneath the top surface underneath the hardieplank siding.
If the job had been done right the house would have been a total loss.
Also if you are in a humid area you would be taking a big chance with moisture problems by having double vapor barriers.
When you put siding on don t nail it tight you should leave a 1 8 1 4 inch between the nail head and the furring strips so the vinyl in between can easily move.
Any imperfections in the wall will almost always show up in the siding.
If it isn t there will be more steps that need to take place before it becomes possible and you might need the help of wood siding repair contractors to have the bad boards replaced which isn t always easy to do for the homeowner himself.
Granted siding is not as critical as roof fpr weatherproofing there are other problems with trim and performance to be recognized in advance.
Yes you can put vinyl siding over existing wood siding assuming its condition is still good.
The long slots in the siding are for that reason so the vinyl can slide as it expands in the heat of the day and not warp marring the appearance.
I ve seen house fires where the vinyl siding burned off only to reveal the superior asbestos shingles underneath which saved the house.
Many homeowners choose vinyl siding because it is relatively inexpensive easy for a do it yourselfer to install resists insects and rot and never needs.
Just like vinyl siding you ll need to ensure the siding surface is completely flat either by the old siding or by adding slats to the wall.
In many areas with variable climate you are not allowed to put new over old roofing even if you know it will shorten the ife and not perform well.
This goes for fiber cement hardwood and masonite siding.