NASHVILLE, Tenn. – LP Building Products is planning to expand manufacturing capacity of LP® SmartSide® treated engineered wood siding products to meet increased demand from builders, remodelers, shed fabricators and DIYers.

LP’s plans for major investments in capacity expansions would encompass all LP SmartSide products, which include a full product portfolio and wide offering of lap, panel, trim and soffit. Expansion involves both a planned mill conversion to LP SmartSide production and increasing capacity at two current siding facilities.

“These expansions will enable LP SmartSide Trim & Siding to continue its above-market growth, reach new markets and customers, as well as help improve our service levels,” said Brad Southern, SVP and GM, Siding for LP Building Products.

LP has identified its facility at Swan Valley, Manitoba, Canada, as the best option for a mill conversion to LP SmartSide siding. The project is still in the preliminary planning stages, subject to applicable regulatory approval and the approval of the LP board of directors. If approved, the mill would begin LP SmartSide production by 2016 and at capacity could produce 350 million square feet of LP SmartSide products annually.

Other siding capacity expansion projects include expanding lap capacity at LP’s Hayward, Wis., mill and adding trim capacity at LP’s Newberry, Mich., mill in 2015. In 2014, LP completed an expansion of primarily lap and trim capacity at its Tomahawk, Wis., mill.

Combined, these planned expansions would bring LP’s system capacity for LP SmartSide products to more than 1.5 billion square feet.

"Capacity expansions allow LP to make more LP SmartSide products available in more places to help build better homes and sheds and complete better residing jobs and home improvement projects,” said Ben Skoog, director, business marketing – LP Sidings.

“Increasing numbers of builders, remodelers, shed fabricators and DIYers have been discovering the value of LP SmartSide products, to the point where demand growth exceeded our expectations in 2014. With our current growth trajectory, we need incremental capacity to service demand in 2015 and beyond,” Skoog said.

Installed on builders’ homes

LP SmartSide siding has many proof points, one of which is builders installing LP SmartSide siding on their own homes.

“I’ve used LP SmartSide engineered wood siding as a builder since 2000 and believe in the product so much I installed it on my own home seven years ago. I love its look, durability and easy maintenance,” said Ryan Brown, operations manager for Sea Pac Homes, a premier home builder of the Pacific Northwest.

Steven Dann of Reality Homes Inc., custom home builders in Oregon, Idaho and Washington, said that when he built his first home in 2013, “I went with the highest recommended product in our market, LP SmartSide engineered wood siding. I live in the rainy state of Washington, and my LP SmartSide siding has performed great. I plan on building again in the future, and when I do I will yet again choose LP SmartSide siding.”

Sales of LP SmartSide lap and trim grew an impressive 18 percent from 2013 to 2014 during a slow-growth residential-construction market. That continues a sales-growth trend of steady market share gains for LP SmartSide lap and trim since prior to the 2008 recession.

LP SmartSide products have more than 17 years of successful performance and offer a 5/50-year transferrable limited warranty compared to some 25- to 30-year fiber cement siding warranties. Go to www.LPSmartSide.com for complete warranty details. LP’s proprietary SmartGuard® process provides additional strength to LP SmartSide products and helps them resist moisture, termites and fungal decay. LP SmartSide products also offer ease of installation. For more information about LP SmartSide Trim & Siding, call 888.820.0325 or visit www.LPSmartSide.com.

About LP Building Products

Louisiana-Pacific Corporation is a leading manufacturer of quality engineered wood building materials including OSB, structural framing products, and exterior siding for use in residential, industrial and light commercial construction. From manufacturing facilities in the United States, Canada, Chile and Brazil, LP products are sold to builders and homeowners through building materials distributors and dealers and retail home centers. Founded in 1973, LP is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under LPX. For more information, visit www.LPCorp.com.