Bob meets Lance Olson of Louisiana Pacific as LP's Smartside lap siding is installed on a Mashpee house. SmartSide is a treated engineered wood siding made of medium density oriented strand board (MDO) with a textured face that is embossed during manufacture. It's rough, cedar-look texture is intended to mirror recent cladding trends as homebuilders have started to turn boards rough side out to give texture to the facade and also provide a better surface for paint. SmartSide is very affordable and cost effective at about one-half the cost of traditional wood siding. It is engineered for its look and durability, is treated with zinc borate to resist fungal growth and termites, and resin bonded for stability. The manufacturing essentially takes the wood, removes its defects such as knots and splits, then reassembles it as a stronger, more stable product. It is a uniform thickness throughout and comes in 16-foot lengths for quick installation. SmartSide comes with a seven-year total warranty and a 30-year transferable warranty for material and labor. It comes pre-primed from the factory for additional labor savings and has a full line of trim to complete the installation. This New England home is using classic trim designs for corners and windows, with a frieze that extends from the roof line to the window, and window casing on the sides that meet the frieze at the top.

Bob meets painting contractor Brian Giblin at the Florida cottage and discusses prep options on the badly weathered exterior wood siding.

Bob visits Two Harbors, MN where Charles Bradford, VP of manufacturing, takes him on a tour of the plant where Louisiana Pacific manufactures their Smart System brand of exterior trim products.