LP Decking in the news...

[Jeffrey R. Jonas]

DECKING NEWS

LP Warns of Deteriorating Decking

Louisiana-Pacific Corp. announced in August that some WeatherBest, Veranda, and ABTCo decking and railing products have shown signs of premature deterioration. Only products that were manufactured in Meridian, Idaho, before November 2007 and sold after January 1, 2005, are affected by the company’s advisory.

WeatherBest products manufactured after Fiber Composites acquired the WeatherBest brand and the Meridian manufacturing facility in November 2007 are not subject to the LP advisory. According to a statement by Fiber Composites, it reformulated the composition of WeatherBest decking at the time of the acquisition. An easy way to tell if a WeatherBest board was made by Fiber Composites is it will have either a kerf or a groove cut into the side, whereas the LP board’s profile is smooth.

Affected Veranda and ABTCo products were sold in the western U.S. at The Home Depot, and affected WeatherBest products were sold nationwide through building-product distributors and dealers. LP recommends that customers who have decks made with these products register at the Web site deckingnotice.com or call 888/325-1184, even if they see no signs of cracking or chipping. Builders with a supply of this decking should contact LP to arrange for the return of the material.