Not too sure if that can be done with james hardie siding but what you could do is contact james hardie product support and ask them or request a sample of primed hardie panel and try it out before cladding.
Does hardiplank siding need to be primed before rain.
I would be interested to know how it came out.
Hardiplank siding can also be painted if the homeowner chooses to touch up or change the color entirely.
Here are just a few exerpts from their site.
Our primer is optimized for superior adhesion to 3rd party topcoats.
Our distinctive gold primer for hz10 products and green primer for hz5 products are climate tested and engineered to enhance the performance of paint on james hardie fiber cement siding.
Problems with hardie siding.
Paint hardiplank siding within installation time frame after installation of primed hardiplank siding it is recommended to have it.
There are still a few special guidelines that must be considered for best results of hardiplank siding.
The advantages of james hardie primed siding.
Re applying caulking when it has begun to show signs of wear can help keep moisture from getting into the wall cavity.
Primed siding from james hardie is exactly what it sounds like it is primed at the factory and ready to be painted once properly installed on your home.
The james hardie company has all manner of information available about their products.
As most types of hardie board siding come with a 50 year warranty the good news is that it is not something that you will need to worry about replacing too many times in your lifetime.
The finish however is a different matter as most color options come with a warranty that lasts only around 10 to 15 years.
Hardie looks like wood but unlike wood it is fire insect and weather resistant.
Please let us know and send pics.
Hardieplank siding has grown in popularity among homeowners because of the many advantages it has over wood siding.
Do not use stains or oil based alkyd paints on james hardie products.
Fiber cement problems are rare but do happen from time to time.
Hardie siding problems a k a.
Fiber cement siding repair or patching.
James hardie developed the first factory applied primer for fiber cement siding.
I hope this was a help and best of luck.
For additional information on finishing james hardie products download technical bulletin 22 from here.