It's Not All The Same

My brother Guy, our sales manager at Colortones, just returned from a builder social connected to our local home builder's association. At the social, he spoke with a local builder we have done some recent business with. The initial job we bid for about six months ago, we lost to another area supplier. It was a tough loss because we did the takeoff, the research on the products and the education and our competitor used all our information and beat our installed price by 40%.

We weren't thrilled the builder handed all our work and pricing to a competitor, but understand that a 40% savings could not be ignored. The builder assured us that our competitor was providing the same prefinished product with contractual obligation to install material to manufacturer specifications.

A month later, Guy visited the job for a quote on interior trimwork for the subcontractor on the job. This happened to be smack in the middle of the siding installation. The first thing Guy noticed was that the siding was not prefinished. The second glaring problem was that the wrong type of nails were being used. There were also multiple cosmetic issues. Now we knew our competitor could not match our quality at 40% less, but even we were shocked by what we saw. This was a Yugo sold as a Ferrari.

We knew the builder we worked with on this job, wasn't an on-the-site builder, choosing instead to leave the building in the hands of subcontractors. But the decision to tell the builder what we had seen wasn't an easy one to make. It can back fire as an attempt to bad mouth a competitor, which alot of builders despise. We decided the work was so bad and so deceptive, it was worth the risk. Guy sent an email with a brief list of concerns and links to manufacturer website to see the installation errors for himself. We left it at that and moved on.

Back to the social. The builder informed Guy that he followed up on his email and made the competitor tear all the siding off as material was falling off the house and nails were rusting through the paint. The builder also didn't pay for the prefinishing, since they didn't do it, opting instead to have a painter paint it after it was installed. To date, our competitor has not received one dime for any of the work they have done, and probably won't at all according to the builder.

What's the lesson? Take your pick. Quality and honesty always win out. We might have lost a $50,000 job, but our competitor lost $50,000 by deceiving his customer.

Cedar Siding's Success Begins Before Installation

Many builders and homeowners today believe that wood, like western red cedar, is not a feasible siding option because it won't last as long as vinyl, cement or other non-wood products. This argument has merit, but it not fully true.

In composition alone, cedar will breakdown and decay much sooner than petroleum based vinyl or fiber cement. But finished and installed properly, along with responsible maintenance, cedar will last and outlast the life of most of it's owners.

Lap and shake siding have some of the longest history of use because the application is the best at moisture resistance. Cedar has survived centuries in the northeast and decades in the harsh pacific north west winters.

Noted many times in the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association's Finishing Application Guide (click HERE to go to the WRCLA application page), cedar must be acclimated and finished on all six sides previous to installation.

Cedar should be properly dried to a moisture content sufficient to the area (usually below 18%). This typically needs to be done in a shed or warehouse. Kiln drying is also popular but doesn't always guarantee a low moisture content. There are moisture meters available to read content in most woods.

Cedar is generally stable, so if left to acclimate and dry openly (that is, not in a kiln) material can be stacked with sticks in between layers to allow air flow on all sides. No banding is required as long as material is not openly exposed to direct sunlight or heating units which can cause cupping in the cedar.

Once dried, material should be finished on all sides. Spraying is a good method, but brushing is generally the best application since it assists in better penetration. Penetration is the key to stain and paint longevity.

On site finishing of cedar pre-installation (also referred to as prefinshing or prestaining) can be difficult depending on the amount of cedar. Many choose to use siding prefinishers who apply stains, primers and paints in a warehouse setting using one of many prefinsihing machines. This method ensures quality finishing and consistency that is harder to attain by a painter on the jobsite.

The life of stains, primers and paints are maximized when prefinished. Cedar is also assured maximized life because it is "encapsulated" while clean, warm and dry. Cedar siding with primer and paint applied by a prefinisher can be as low maintainence as vinyl and painted cement siding and last just as long if not longer.

Conversely, if cedar is installed raw and allowed exposure to sunlight and weather before being finished even a couple weeks can lose years of overall life. Moisture content is more difficult to control and can lead to accelerated finish failure.

For more information of prefinshed cedar lap, shake or shingle siding, please contact our company Carolina Colortones. We have provided the southeast with prefinished cedar siding for over 30 years.

Proper Exterior Painting on Fiber Cement

Fiber Cement Siding has a combination of low maintenance, low cost and desirable look. Fiber cement siding also holds latex (water based) paints really well. There are a handful of fiber cement manufacturers including James Hardie (Hardiplank), CertainTeed WeatherBoard, Nichiha Nichiboard and MaxiTile Lap Siding. If you have or plan to use cement siding, it is probably one of these brands.

Just about all cement siding product comes with a factory primer, but not all factory primers are the same. Factory primers are usually applied on five sides of the board (on the face and sides but not the back). These primers are not intended to be exposed to the elements (sun, rain, snow) for much more than a month or two, and that may be too long with some brands.

When it comes to choosing a paint, there are many quality paints to choose from. Although many brands boast better longevity and "lifetime" warranties, the secret is that they are all about the same. If you take the top ten exterior paints, any one will last as long as the other. Warranties are also similar... I've done extensive research with not only the fine print, but I have spoken to many tech people in different paint companies. Most only cover the cost of the paint. Some cover labor, but only in the first year or so and usually not more than a fraction of real world painting costs.

It may sound bad, but if your fiber cement siding is painted properly, then you'll never need to file a warranty claim.

Now we are to the meat of this post:

1. Choose a good latex exterior paint. Do not thin the paint.

2. Choose the right time to paint. You want temperatures of both the air and material to be above 50-degrees (F). Cold air or material does not allow the paint to adhere as well to the siding. Think of paint as tinted glue. Glue doesn't work well on cold objects.

3. Make sure you paint when you will have a good 24-48 hours of dry weather. Paint usually dries to the touch within a couple hours, but it can still be ruined by a heavy or sustained rain. Then you have to start over again.

4. Make sure the siding is clean and dry. If it rained yesterday, let the siding dry out before painting. I know the siding is primed, but most cement primers are not high quality and cement does wick moisture, even from dense fog. This is very important since moisture is the number one cause for paint failure on fiber cement siding. It can affect adhesion (remember glue on cold? Try glue on wet) and create salt chalking called efflorescence, which can stain the finish and is very difficult to remove. Dirt also affects adhesion if painted over. Dirt can also provide a breeding ground for mildew, which will stain through the paint and is hard to remove.

5. Once done, repeat. Two coats is always recommended and will last longer than one coat. Most warranties require it. The more paint applied (properly), the longer it will last.

Sounds like alot to consider with temperature and weather. If you are building a new house, its not easy to keep your siding clean. Fear not my friend, there is an alternative solution.

Having your siding prefinished removes all of the above from the equation and ensures the longest lasting finish possible.

What is prefinishing? It is a process which material is machine finished consistently in a climate controlled facility. Material is kept clean and dry and is finished at optimal temperature. Regardless of the outside conditions, prefinishers paint siding anytime. Painted cement siding is allowed to dry properly, without risk of weather or temperature. Because prefinishers need no ladders or scafolding, it is usually cheaper to use a prefinisher.

Yes, I am a prefinisher and my company, Carolina Colortones have been prefinishing cement and wood siding for a quarter century. We service builders and homeowners all over the southeast and beyond. Prefinishing is a mainstream method of painting and is considered a green method of finish application for its sustainability and low impact on the environment.

Many customers choose a combination of one factory applied coat and one field applied coat. While field applications lack the quality of factory coats, it can give a clean finish look with a quality applied base coat.

I hope this post is helpful. Please return for more information regarding proper finishing of exterior and interior products. Visit our website at www.carolinacolortones.com.