Comments for HOME REMODELING

Comment on HOW CAN I TELL WHAT TYPE OF SIDING IS ON MY HOME? by ROONE UNGER

ROONE UNGER — Thu, 09 May 2013 12:47:18 +0000

Mike – All of the pressboard sidings (Masonite, Lousiana Pacific, Georgia Pacific, Abitico, just to name a few) removed their siding products from all markets several years ago. The only options that remain are in the fiber cement category. Unfortunately the fiber cement siding is not as thick (dimensionally) as the pressboard siding. So you can use it to replace a few pieces, however, the difference in the two products will be noticeable. I would not recommend trying to repair the soft spots in the siding. The soft spots are typically a sign that the board has absorbed moisture and many times from the inside or bottom edge. While it just appears soft on the outside, the damage may be much worse on the backside of the board. I would recommend replacing a minimum of one wall. This will blend better with the overall look of your home and allow inspection of the sheathing to make sure there is no moisture damage or potential mold.

Comment on HOW CAN I TELL WHAT TYPE OF SIDING IS ON MY HOME? by Mike

Mike — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 20:56:24 +0000

Great site..I have some type of pressboard on my house (appox 7.5″ wide)..some pcs have small (appox 2″ x 2″ damaged areas (soft)..what’s the best way to repair these? Does anyone make this board anymore?? Thanks!!

Comment on WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CERTAINTEED AND JAMES HARDIE FIBER CEMENT SIDING PRODUCTS? by runger

runger — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:29:16 +0000

CertainTeed has been named in several class action lawsuits for its fiber cement siding. These lawsuits have been consolidated in federal court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. There is no certified class action. The plaintiffs need to demonstrate to the court that the cases are suitable to be treated as class actions. So far that has not happened and the court has not ruled that these cases have merit to be treated as class actions. CertainTeed is vigorously defending itself and its fiber cement siding in the consolidated case. The nature of these types of lawsuits is that they can take a long time to get resolved. In the meantime, CertainTeed stands by its warranty and responds to each claim that it may receive on an individual basis by following the terms and conditions of the applicable warranty. We might add that CertainTeed is the only manufacturer of fiber cement siding that offers payment for replacement labor for two years from the date of installation along with providing replacement material should the siding be determined to have a manufacturing defect during that time.

Comment on WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CERTAINTEED AND JAMES HARDIE FIBER CEMENT SIDING PRODUCTS? by rrk

rrk — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:09:41 +0000

@Roone, what is this? http://www.bergermontague.com/media/215152/certainteed—consolidated-amended-complaint-(filed).pdf

Comment on WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CERTAINTEED AND JAMES HARDIE FIBER CEMENT SIDING PRODUCTS? by Roone Unger

Roone Unger — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 13:40:01 +0000

Ray – Im sorry to hear you are having problems with your siding. Unfortunately I believe, based on your description, that your issues is the same as Laura who commented. Please see my response to her above. As far the warranty, providing replacement product for defective product is standard for the building material industry, so Certainteed is no different than any other manufacturer for remedy. As I recommended to Laura, you should be working with your contractor and supplier as this is a storage and installation issue. If you can confirm that you have Certainteed siding on your home, then maybe you can get them to supply the product and your contractor to supply the labor.

Comment on WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CERTAINTEED AND JAMES HARDIE FIBER CEMENT SIDING PRODUCTS? by Ray Replogle

Ray Replogle — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 22:31:02 +0000

I’m having a major problem with CertainTeed boards on my house which was new in 2004. Reading many reports of people just like me who find their boards cracking, warping and gapping. I’m having trouble getting a warranty out of CertainTeed because I don’t have the original receipt that the material was got with. I bought the house new – the contractor bought the material. He gave me the receipt but it doesn’t call out CertainTeed on it. CertainTeed wants me to take a piece off the house to send back for a warranty that will only give me new boards – doesn’t cover replacing and painting!

Comment on EXOVATIONS Inside The Project: Steel Deck Framing by Candice Skinner

Candice Skinner — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 15:32:22 +0000

Hi Ken,
I just sent you an email –
Thanks,
Candice

Comment on WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CERTAINTEED AND JAMES HARDIE FIBER CEMENT SIDING PRODUCTS? by Roone Unger

Roone Unger — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 15:16:04 +0000

Laura –
Thank you for your comment. I’m sorry that you are having problems with the siding on your home. Your reference to a multi million dollar class action lawsuit is not accurate. And that “a huge percentage of the boards are defective” is not accurate either.
When you perform an internet search for “Certainteed siding lawsuits” (or any other manufacturer for that matter) you will find several law firms that appear to have a class action suit. If you dig deeper you will find that these are firms are looking for people to join a suit against several manufacturers of many different products. While it gives the appearance that there are suits pending, none have been filed in court under the class action status that I can find.
I believe the issue with your siding is related to the installation and proper storage. If fiber cement siding (from any manufacturer) is installed while it is wet or contains moisture, it will contract as it dries. This will cause the cracking and warping you refer to. The product can be stored outside and get wet, however, it must dry before installation. Here is the link to both James Hardie and Certainteed installation instructions referencing this: http://www.jameshardie.com/pdf/install/hardiepanel-hz10.pdf, http://www.certainteed.com/resources/fc017.pdf – see the notes under storage and handling. We require our distributors to store these products indoors.
Your contractor should be involved with your claim. He should be working with Certainteed and the local distributor of the product to get your claim resolved to your satisfaction. If you have not contacted them, I would recommend doing so. We have never had a problem resolving a product performance complaint to the customer’s satisfaction working with either of these manufacturers’ and the local distributors.

Comment on WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CERTAINTEED AND JAMES HARDIE FIBER CEMENT SIDING PRODUCTS? by Laura daily

Laura daily — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 21:56:40 +0000

Are you aware that Certainteed is currently involved in a multimillion dollar class action lawsuit regarding its fiber cement siding? A huge percentage of the boards are defective. They crack, warp and separate within a couple of years of being installed. Their so-called “warranty”, should they choose to honor it, only provides replacement boards. They do NOT pay any labor costs associated with changing out the bad siding. I paid over $10,000 3 years ago to have my home resided and painted. Now I have cracked boards. The repair estimate is $9000. CertainTeed offered me an $1800 settlement. Please do not consider using CertainTeed as they do not stand behind their product. This is not just my issue. There are thousands of their customers in the same situation.

Comment on EXOVATIONS Inside The Project: Steel Deck Framing by Ken Torrino

Ken Torrino — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 16:46:08 +0000

Hi Candice,

I have a quick question about your blog. If you could, please email me back when you get a chance.

Thanks
Ken