Picking the right siding for your home is a delicate balancing act between good looks, durability, maintenance & affordability. LP SmartSide siding is a resilient mix of wood strands & fibers, zinc borate, and superior exterior-grade resins that are proven to withstand extreme heat, cold, humidity & rainfall.
LP SmartSide works and cuts just like traditional wood, taking nails and screw with ease for easy installation. It does not require special safety training and special gear to protect against airborne silica, like fiber cement. Their warranty is unmatched with their 5/50-year limited warranty providing a 5-year 100% labor and replacement feature and a 5/50-year prorated limited warranty on the product.
How LP SmartSide is manufactured
LP SmartSide is manufactured in Tomahawk, WI. All the wood that is used at their facility is SFI® (sustainable Forestry Initiative) certified, which is the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. SFI® certification helps insure that the wood being used only comes from well-managed forests. By having LP SmartSide installed on your home, you are helping builders reduce waste on the jobsite. This is because without knots, fewer siding needs to be discarded. Fewer knots also mean that the siding can be produced in longer lengths, which cuts back on the number of pieces used. Because the siding is so durable, you may even qualify for certification points in current leading green building programs now available. Here is the manufacturing process of LP SmartSide:
- When the logs arrive on site, they go through a conditioning process so it comes in at the right moisture content for the bark to be removed off the log.
- They reuse the bark and any other byproducts of the log for heating their facility so nothing is wasted.
- After the bark is removed, the log itself is turned into precisely shaped strands of wood that are now ready to be dried.
- The size of the wood strands is very precise; that is what gives their product such strength & durability, allowing it to lay flat and true to your home.
- After the strands are cut, they still contain 50% moisture content and the product is tumbled in large steel drums that force the moisture out of the product to between 5%-10%.
- Once the strands of wood are dried they go through the SmartGuard process, which is the blending of the strands with an exterior rated binder, which acts as industrial strength glue.
- In addition to the SmartGuard process, they add a wood preservative treatment that is environmentally safe and EPA registered. The American Wood Preservatives Association recognizes it because it’s proven effective against termites, wood decay and rot. That is why LP SmartSide has an industry leading 50-year warranty.
- After the SmartGuard and wood preservative process, the strands of the product have been mixed thoroughly together and are formed into a woven mat that is overlaid with a resin impregnated paper.
- It then travels into a heated press, and under intense heated pressure, the mat that is 6-8 inches thick is compacted down to as small as 3/8 inch.
- The realistic wood grain finish is pressed into the product from plates during the heated pressure process allowing for the look of wood without having to deal the natural defects of it.
- The wood grain finish is very realistic and doesn’t have the natural defects of natural wood. When the product is being pressed under the heat and pressure, there are plates that push the wood grain texture into the product.
- Once pressed, it comes out in a sheet that is about 16 feet long that is cut down into 4’x16’ sheet products.
- They further cut these sheets down into the specific sizing that is needed.
Lindus Construction is proud to be a Platinum member of LP’s Build Smart Preferred Remodeler Program. We have gone through extensive training with LP through jobsite audits and LP University to make sure that every job is done to the specifications that the manufacturer entails. We also offer a visual remodeler program that allows you to view LP® SmartSide® on your current home. LP® SmartSide® comes in 100 different profiles so the possibilities are endless!!
Tune into AM 830 WCCO on Saturdays from 9:00-10:00am hosted by Denny Long and Andy Lindus to ask questions regarding your home improvement projects. Call us now at 1-800-873-1451 or check us out on the web at www.lindusconstruction.com to schedule a free in-home estimate.
