iding

in l9l7 and now has factories around the world, including four in Mexico.

Manufacturers mostly attribute the suddenness of their products' popularity to failures of Louisiana-Pacific's OSB siding and Masonite's hardboard siding. Tens of thousands of homes in wet, humid climates had to be resided, and fiber cement's biggest selling feature is its moisture resistance.

"Composite wood products are made of sawdust, chips, bits of wood glued together, and when it's humid, wood expands," Kerr explains. "True fiber cement includes about 7Vo cellulose fiber, so it's totally immune to moisture."

According to John Dybsky, marketing manager for fiber cement siding at James Hardie, especially strong markets have been the Pacific Northwest, Houston, Tx.; Atlanta, Ga., and Northern Florida. In Houston, for example, 24 out of the top 28 builders reportedly are using fiber cement siding.

Sales of fiber cement siding are also pushing into the chillier Northeast and Midwest. The 102-year-old Etex Group of Belgium has been marketing fiber cement roofing slate in the freeze-thaw regions of the U.S. for more than 10 years.

Cemplank, manufactured since 1994 by Etex division F.C.P., Inc., Blandon, Pa., offers a full 50-year non-prorated warranty, while manufacturers' guarantees reportedly are prorated after the first 12 months to five years. "With the spurt of demand for fiber cement coming from failures of hardboard and OSB, builders and developers are looking for future insurance with fiber cement siding," says Mahesh Dayal, v.p.-sales & marketing. "While fiber cement is generically moisture resistant, non-combustible and termite resistant, the technology for freeze-thaw performance is critical."

But whereas established manufacturers have been intent on converting fiber cement from specialty item to commodity. ABTco is pursuing a higher end market. The nation's top hardboard maker and a leading vinyl siding producer, ABTco in June began shipping fiber cement siding from its new Roaring River, N.C., plant. They have slightly altered the manufacturing process reportedly to produce better looking, less porous surfaces.

"We're marketing that difference," says Tom Roe, product manager-hardboard and fiber cement. "We're marketing our process, our added value."

During ABTco's Durapress system, pressing together layers of resin molds

Story at a Glance

Use of fiber cement siding in U.S. snowballing after slow introduction ... new plants, new players.

Fiber Cement Siding Market Growth

produces embossed grains that reportedly look more like cedar or brushed redwood. Since uneven curing can lead to mudcracking, the panels are pre-cured, making the surface less porous, which reduces strike-in during priming and painting. ing its OSB siding from ground zero. They chang, binder, the glue line, even the size and shape$j;i flakes that make up the boards. After treatin Composibor zinc borate, coating tle.edges, pr curing it, embossing a wood texrure.in&o the rcsir rated overlay and rigorous testing by APA

Roe says initial capacity of 70 million sq. ft. will be increased when a second line is added.

"It's an exciting market," he smiles, "and we see a lot of growth."

Engineered Woqd Association, L-P had a very engineered wood siding.