THESE ARE THE MOST COMMON TYPES OF SIDING IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.
NOT SHOWN ARE: GEORGIA PACIFIC, BOISE CASCADE, CEDAR OR VINYL.

LOUISIANA PACIFIC INNER SEAL SIDING
Homeowners who have Louisiana Pacific Inner Seal Siding which was installed prior to January 1, 1996 can file a claim by calling 1-800-245-2722.

The material used to construct Louisiana Pacific's Inner Seal Siding is very much like the Omni-Board material except the wood chips are larger. In addition, you can easily determine if you have Louisiana Pacific Inner Seal Siding by the special Louisiana Pacific "knot" that can be found on the product.
Louisiana Pacific put out two products that were used throughout the Pacific NW, LP Lap and LP Panel.

T1-11 PLYWOOD SIDING

Many people refer to the Omni-Board and Louisiana Pacific Panels as T1-11. This is not correct. All of the panels named earlier are made of either wood fibers or wood chips. Each of the products has its own warranty and each of the product's face is fairly smooth to the touch.

T1-11 plywood siding is usually rough to the touch and can be distinguished from the other types of siding by looking at the bottom edge (use a mirror). On T1-11 plywood you should notice the distinct plywood layers common with plywood siding.
On older Plywood siding you might be able to see the "football" shaped repair marks.

Most older plywood siding did not have any warranty and the manufacturer of the product is very hard to determine.

The newer plywood siding usually comes with a warranty and the manufacture can usually be determined but only by viewing the back of the product which means you have to take a piece of material off the house to determine the manufacture.

OMNI-BOARD
The Masonite Company put out Omni-Board. There are two types of Omni-Board siding.

You will notice the Omni-Panels have grooved channels which run from the top of the board to the bottom of the board. They differ from the Louisiana Pacific (LP) channels in that they are angled and sealed. The LP grooves run at 90 degrees to the face of the board. Omni-Panel grooves run at a 45 degree angle.

If you were to pull off a piece of the Omni-Board Panel Siding you would notice that the wood chips are smaller than the wood chips used by Louisiana Pacific siding and there are ridges that run along the product. Omni-Panel siding in the back ground ­ Omni-Lap siding on the right side of the picture with the ridges and smaller wood chips. Louisiana Pacific Siding on the left with the larger wood chips. The surface of the Omni-board product is relatively smooth and you can run your hand over the product and not get slivers.

The Omni-Board (Masonite non-hard board) siding products do not have any class action suits in progress that we know of at this time. The product(s) react to moisture and cold very much like the Louisiana Pacific products. The company has honored its warranty of the product and if you have a problem you may call the Masonite Company at 1-800-323-4591.

Many people refer to the Omni-Board and Louisiana Pacific panels as T1-11. This is not correct T1-11 panels are made out of plywood and are not the same as either of the panel products.

MASONITE HARDBOARD
There has been a class action suit for the Masonite Hard Board siding. This material is not related to the Omni-Board or Omni-Panels. It applies to Masonite hardboard siding installed between January 1, 1980 and January 15th, 1998. You can learn more about the class action suit on the Internet or you can call the Masonite Claims people at 1-800-330-2722.

Since so many products were put out during this time frame the best way to determine whether you have Masonite Hardboard Siding is to talk to your builder or contractor. If you are unsure you can look at the back of the product. The product can be identified by the "waffle iron" type pattern found on the back. Again, if you think you have this product we suggest you call the Masonite Claim Line for a brochure.

STIMSON FORESTEX
Stimson Forestex does not crack on the bottom edges, like Louisiana Pacific Siding or Omni-Board. As moisture is absorbed into the product, it swells causing a "ripple" on the wall. In other words, it tends to bow out between the nails.

You can see what the material is made out of in the next picture. It has a feel to it like cardboard.

Stimson Forestex can be identified by the type of material that is made out of and the wood patterns in the product repeat themselves every 41 inches.
 

WEYERHAEUSER

Weyerhaeuser siding comes in several forms; Lap, Over-sized Lap and Panel. When looked at from the back, the product appears to be made up of small wood fibers (unlike the larger wood chips like Omni-board and Louisiana Pacific). Many people say the product looks like a "cardboard-type" material. Weyerhaeuser siding also can be identified by its repeating pattern. Weyerhaeuser siding tends to repeat its pattern every 61 inches.

Claims on Weyerhaeuser siding are handled through their Performance Center at 1-253-924-2655.