[MRM]

Yes, Smart Side had a class action several years ago that severely degraded their brand value. That's probably why Hardi has such market share. The current LP Smartside product is completely different than the product that was subject to the class action lawsuit and is an improvement in part as a response to that class action claim. The current LP Smartside product is as solid of a building material as I know of on the market today. No affiliation, just associated with other building products whose performance is affected by the exterior cladding. My field guys swear by LP Smartside and convinced me.

But who am I to say? 20 years ago I met a distant relative at a family reunion who was a successful builder. I asked him what the best product was for a new house, since I was looking to buy my first one. He told me with deadly certainty that stucco was the best home construction because the stucco was integrated into a structural part of the home. Ten years after that conversation I was making my living in construction litigation over water infiltration that came from stucco houses. That's still the main focus of my practice. But I do really believe in the LP Smartside product.