When we built, i think our installers had to be trained and approved by Hardie. I’m not a professional, but mine does not have those faults.

Thanks Molly -- I tried to look online for closeups of the Hardie Trim on the outer corners and windows, but honestly I couldn't find any. By chance do you have any actual photos of how your trim looks?

I kinda regret going smooth now, since it makes everything more noticable. No one warned me it would turn out this way.

One other thing -- Does your outside corners form a black line where they connect -- mine looks awful somehow. Not sure if it's the white color, but it just looks unrefined.

I can‘t find at the moment and it’s freezing outside to try and take pictures. I’m sure a pro will chime in whether your results are within an acceptable range. Do you know if they were Hardie approved installers? I would consider reaching out directly to Hardie rep and asking them.

Ah no worries, yeah please stay warm. Thanks for your input.

Yeah the installer is an James Hardie Elite Preferred. I'll take your suggestion and reach out to Hardie for a 2nd opinion tomorrow.

Yes, we do have a line like you show. Report back on what you find.

Asked my husband what he thought…our trim edge is not as rough like what you show. He was wondering if they had nailed the boards with a hammer vs air nailer and then filled the holes which is what you reported not liking. Again, we are not pros and hopefully some will chime in here.

A follow up --

I contacted James Hardie, but they wouldn't say whether the installation issue was a problem or not, other than to have me file an official claim with them.

So after going back and forth with the contractor, they thankfully agreed to come back out to fix the issues. They added more layers of JH touch up paint over the boards and trim, and that made it 90% better.

Here are some more before pictures of how poorly the installation was. Every blue tape is a cosmetic/installation issue. The amount of issues is really surprising to me, as I specifically picked this contractor as they were the top James Hardie Elite Preferred contractor.

And after:

Anyway, all is good now.

Looks good! Unfortunate you had to fight with them, but good you got it resolved.

I'd say the problem isn't with the product but with the installation. If your installer is referred by James Hardie, I would have them come over and look at how the job was done.