LP Smartside engineered wood siding.
Matt_hofer
| Posted in General Questions on
Would there be any advantage to putting a primer or water resistant sealer on the back side of LP Smartside siding?
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Replies
Matthew,
You might want to direct your question to an LP rep.
I did some online research -- LP claims, "LP SmartSide products are engineered using advanced siding technology that includes the proprietary SmartGuard process. ... SmartGuard uses zinc borate to resist termites and fungal decay. This treatment is applied throughout the substrate of all products, which are then factory primed to add yet another level of protection against moisture."
I'm not sure whether that means that the factory primer is installed on both sides of the siding, or only to one side. Do you know the answer to that question?
There is no factory primer on the back side. I spoke with LP about this, they said it was not necessary. I'm just wondering if it would help in keeping the siding from absorbing moisture?
Mathew,
I have LP SmartSide on my home. Often back priming is used for a different reason. It keeps absorption of moisture more equal on both side of a wood product and helps eliminate cupping and warping. That doesn't apply to an engineered wood product as it has no oriented grain structure.
Eric how long have you had your LP Smartside on? Any problems with it? Do you like the product?
The back side looks like OSB but it has a different texture as if it was pressed at a higher PSI. It also has a glossy look from the binders. I have heard of scrapes being left to soak in water and not having a noticeable change after months in water. I dont think it would be necessary to prime the back.
I used some on a garage and it was easy to work with. I did prime all the cuts. It is much lighter than cement based siding and I think it is more dimensional stable.
I would recommend a crinkled house wrap behind it or another wrap that is designed to promote drainage,
Robert, I was planning on using Benjamin Obdyke's HydroGap drainable housewrap.
Mathew,
I really like it for the reasons Robert mentions. It takes paint like crazy. I haven't seen one point of blistering or paint separation in many years of observation. That is a total deviation from what I observed from my previous home with a natural wood siding. I also like the look of it with the fairly narrow horizontal simulated boards. It has a very old fashioned and believably genuine look to it. At least to these eyes.
Matthew,
My salesmen recommended back priming only the bottom few courses of LP Smartside, that are either close to the ground, or that run along dormers. You are supposed to finish cut ends anyways. Very little waste too, because of the fact that it is dimensionally symmetrical (you can flip it 180, rather than like typical lap siding. EcoSide-Bold is the same too.
(Eric even if it is a engineered wood product, it can warp, delaminate, etc. - for instance OSB is known to do all these).
Brad, I perhaps shouldn't have lumped all engineered wood products together. I still believe SmartSide isn't subject to warping. I've had some lengths stored under my porch and placed right on the dirt for years that haven't noticeably warped or cupped.
Any woodpeckers take a bite out of it that any of your u know?
In another discussion thread Dan Kolbert posted that SmartSide has displaced Hardi siding among the builders he knows. I haven't used SmartSide. What are the advantages?