In the 20 years between 1980 and 2000, the NOAA reports there were 95 weather events that exceeded $1 billion in damages (CPI-adjusted). And in the last 10 years? That number nearly doubled to 184, along with increasing event ferocity.
It’s understandable why more and more emphasis is placed on home durability and resiliency. How does a building material stand up to extreme moisture? Extreme heat? Extreme cold? Repeated cycles of all three?
Take the weatherability of exterior trim, for example. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) uses performance test ANSI A135.6 to determine trim weatherability: six back-and-forth cycles of water immersion, high heat and freezing cold. It’s a brutal process used to forecast long-term exterior trim durability.
Builder Experience
Asheville, N.C., homebuilder Jody Guokas has a less formal but no less certain way to judge weatherability: 20 years of hands-on building experience. His decades-long observations agree with ANSI exterior trim testing as well as ICC-ES, ASTM, AWPA, and other third-party findings.
Guokas owns and operates JAG Construction, a sustainability-focused home builder that delivers about 35 homes a year across price points of $700,000 to $2 million and more. “Building a home is all about thousands of little choices,” Guokas says. “It’s about longevity, durability, resilience, recycling, and sustainability. Yes, we try new products from time to time. But we mostly rely on products that have stood the test of time for efficiency, durability, and cost.”
“We Know What Works”
He and a team of 35 project managers, carpenters, and installers have tried all the major exterior trim brands, including the big names in PVC and fiber cement. “Each brand has pros and cons,” Guokas says. “Is it easy to install? How does it cut? Does it perform as advertised? We’ve found most don’t, especially for the cost.”
The subject of trim durability and resilience sometimes comes up in discussions with architects. “The architect might specify a brand we don’t recommend,” Guokas says “We’re in the field. We know what works. We’ll gently suggest our go-to trim board.”
Top Brand
For that, the custom builder singles out a brand that earns top marks from independent, third-party weatherization and performance tests, MiraTEC trim. Guokas shres, “I like to drive around homes we built 20 years ago. The trim looks great. It’s definitely proven itself to us.”
Long-term weatherability should be a key consideration for any building product choice, especially exterior trim. “Weatherability testing from independent labs is critical for MiraTEC and other trim brands,” notes Peggie Bolan, vice president and general manager of JELD-WEN Building Products. “Weatherability testing tells us about the long-term durability of trim once it’s installed. For the ANSI A135.6 test, a blind comparison test of top brands revealed MiraTEC performed better than other wood-based trims tested, including eight times better than MDF trim.”
That performance is recognized with a 50-year limited warranty against hail damage, splitting, cracking, buckling, excessive warping, and swelling, among other hazards.
The weight gained by some building materials from moisture exposure can also put additional stress on a home. ASTM International provides a standardized test to evaluate exactly that: 24-Hour Thickness Swell and Water Absorption per ASTM D 1037. Here again, independent lab testing reports prove MiraTEC is prepared. “Fiber cement trim absorbed up to seven times more water than MiraTEC,” Bolan reports. She then provided more detail on exactly what that means for the home to which the trim is applied. “The fiber cement trim brands tested had weight gains from over 27% to more than 34% of their original weight. MiraTEC only gained 5% – that’s significantly less additional strain on the structure.”
As you weigh your durability and resilience options, keep weatherability in mind. Today no wood-based exterior trim upholds your reputation for construction quality and value better than MiraTEC.
Learn more about the exterior trim engineered and tested for superior weatherability.