Nashville-Based Company Puts Added Emphasis on Manufactured Housing
LP Building Solutions, a Nashville-based provider of engineered wood and wood products, expanded its offerings of trim, siding, and soffit for residential use with an added emphasis on serving the manufactured housing industry.
“Since its introduction last year, we have seen strong customer interest in our LP SmartSide Smooth Trim & Siding,” LP SmartSide Senior Brand Manager Derek Blank, said. “Our Smooth product provides a great look on the side of a house and is able to complement a wide variety of styles and aesthetics.
“To provide even greater variety, we have launched our smooth aesthetic in a new soffit,” he said. “This will allow us to continue our growth and meet the needs for durable siding with a great modern aesthetic.”
LP at the International Builders Show
LP used the International Builders Show in Las Vegas to profile how SmartSide performs in strength, weight, and applicability. The company set up pitching machines and wall-anchored sledgehammers on the showroom floor to do side-by-side comparisons of its product against a competing concrete composite.
Blank said SmartSide is 44 percent lighter than Hardie Board, for instance, and can absorb more force without breaking as well. This makes SmartSide a valuable material in construction, delivery, setup, and for the homeowner in maintenance and repair.
Manufactured Housing A Focus for New Engineered Products
“Manufactured homes and modular homes in transport tend to sustain some degree of damage, particularly on the lower boards,” Blank said. “You’re going to get some stress, some bumping of modular sections, and problems with the lower two boards when setting the home.
“This board is lighter and more durable, which takes away a lot of that potential for damage,” Blank said of the SmartSide and associated products.
SmartSide, trim, and the new soffit come in 16-foot lengths rather than the standard 12-foot sections. And the 16 original colors as well as options for cedar and smooth finishes provide a great amount of variability in the use of the product.
LP SmartSide Smooth Finish Soffit is cut to width and provides a clean, cohesive look to match other LP products. For better workability, the product comes in a 16-inch width that helps to eliminate time spent ripping full sheets. Vented soffits are also are available with precisely cut, bug-resistant vents to provide an alternative to vinyl, MDO, plywood, or hand-installed metal vents to make it easier to meet code requirements while adding architectural beauty.
The material is treated to the core with LP’s SmartGuard® zinc borate-based process and bonded with a water-resistant, resin-saturated overlay, all LP SmartSide soffit provides the same long-term durability and strength against harsh weather as its siding and trim products.
LP Earns Prestigious Awards at Annual Show
The company launched its new SmartSide late in 2019, and used IBS in Las Vegas to show the new offerings.
Customers seemed impressed with the product, and judges took notice too. LP won a series of awards for SmartSide and the associated trim and soffit packages, both for product development and marketing.
“We are thrilled to honor LP Building Solutions as Gold, Platinum and Bronze winners of our Brand Builder Awards,” said Hanley Wood Residential Construction Group President Paul Tourbaf. “Their creative marketing approach combined with the effectiveness of their work distinguished them as a leader in their category and offered great insight into the innovation within their company.”
