Boral TruExterior

[tjbnwi]

I've never used Boral before.  I did see this video not all that long ago.  This guy doesn't seem real impressed.  I use PVC, I'll probably stick with that.

Three things I don't like about PVC trim;

1) Expansion and contrition with temp change. I've seen it split at the fasteners which have to be spaced much closer than the Boral.

2) I find it much harder to control the dust/shards. It clings to everything, even after spraying tools and self with Static Guard.

3) It holds paint nowhere near as well as Boral and cannot be painted a dark color. Dark colors have no affect on Boral.

The windows I did are in Highlands Ranch CO. They have a lot of hail storms, we'll see how it holds up after a few. I have a feeling if the hail damages the Boral, the vinyl windows will be damaged also. I have a friend who lives near me who had their fiber cement siding destroyed by a hail storm last year.

Tom

 

[Michael Kellough]

Watched the video that Brice posted. Those holes in the surface are in the back of the plank. Her didn't show a clear image of the face of the plank. Does that side have all those holes too?

Does the Colorado climate make PVC dust worse than other locals?

 

[Naildrivingman]

Watched the video that Brice posted. Those holes in the surface are in the back of the plank. Her didn't show a clear image of the face of the plank. Does that side have all those holes too?

Does the Colorado climate make PVC dust worse than other locals?

This particular product can be exposed on either side.  I don't believe this profile is offered in wood grain at all. The 4/4, 5/4, 6/4 and lap siding are offered as a reversible product (smooth one side/wood grain the other).  I forgot to mention that one of the whole house siding project I did was with a ship lap profile and man were the mill marks obvious!  Also, the architect had called out GRK trim screws for fastening. When the painter prepped the heads, ALL the filler flashed because even on the "smooth" side there is still a slight grain or texture.

Bottom line is this...the benefits of the product do not exceed the drawbacks in my opinion and based on my experience.  I think the narrator of the video that [member=1146]Brice Burrell[/member] posted is on to why this material has gained popularity.  The suppliers are pushing it really hard.  The particular supplier I deal with sells more of this product than anything else combined. 

 

[tjbnwi]

Watched the video that Brice posted. Those holes in the surface are in the back of the plank. Her didn't show a clear image of the face of the plank. Does that side have all those holes too?

Does the Colorado climate make PVC dust worse than other locals?

I cant answer the CO climate question. I've never installed PVC trim there (I don't live in CO.).

I use the 1x, 5/4 and 2x. Holes were more prominent on the smooth side. There is a wood grain side.

I'ver never had a problem fastener flashing, I prime material prior to paint. The pictures I posted have fasteners holding the trim on, filled sanded and primed. Same process I'd have used on any other trim, interior or exterior. Can't blame a product for poor craftsmanship.

Tom

 

[Naildrivingman]

I use the 1x, 5/4 and 2x. Holes were more prominent on the smooth side. There is a wood grain side.

I'ver never had a problem fastener flashing, I prime material prior to paint. The pictures I posted have fasteners holding the trim on, filled sanded and primed. Same process I'd have used on any other trim, interior or exterior. Can't blame a product for poor craftsmanship.

Tom

Just exactly who's craftsmanship are you calling into question?

 

[tjbnwi]

I use the 1x, 5/4 and 2x. Holes were more prominent on the smooth side. There is a wood grain side.

I'ver never had a problem fastener flashing, I prime material prior to paint. The pictures I posted have fasteners holding the trim on, filled sanded and primed. Same process I'd have used on any other trim, interior or exterior. Can't blame a product for poor craftsmanship.

Tom

Just exactly who's craftsmanship are you calling in to question?
[/quote]

Your statement answers the question you ask (copied and pasted from your post);

"When the painter prepped the heads, ALL the filler flashed because even on the "smooth" side there is still a slight grain or texture."

I view this the same way I view a painter saying drywall patches will always show because of surface changes. No reason with proper prep the screw areas in the trim or a drywall patch should ever be visible.

From your post, you installed as spec'd.

Tom

 

[Naildrivingman]

There are situations in surface prep that will allow substrate to telegraph through finish treatments.  This is why a Level 5 drywall finish is generally recommended in certain situations that have direct lighting and/or dark colors.

In the situation I referenced, there is texture on the "smooth" side.  It is a very fine straight grain texture.  When filler is applied to fastener holes and troweled off, the filler gets into this fine grain and changes the surface appearance.  Even with a solvent scrub, the filler still Remains to some degree. If the fasteners hadn't been located in a regular pattern (16" OC), they probably wouldn't have been as noticeable, but since they were regular and the finish paint was a slate gray, the prepped areas showed through.  The only way to fix this was to go over each prepped head with a wire brush and lightly scuff the prep mark.  This process essentially recreated the light texture that is on the "smooth" side.

If this product is applied with face fasteners on the smooth side, the fastener prep areas will telegraph through if simply filled, troweled and wiped.  There is no way to avoid this.

 

[tjbnwi]

There are situations in surface prep that will allow substrate to telegraph through finish treatments.  This is why a Level 5 drywall finish is generally recommended in certain situations that have direct lighting and/or dark colors.

In the situation I referenced, there is texture on the "smooth" side.  It is a very fine straight grain texture.  When filler is applied to fastener holes and troweled off, the filler gets into this fine grain and changes the surface appearance.  Even with a solvent scrub, the filler still Remains to some degree. If the fasteners hadn't been located in a regular pattern (16" OC), they probably wouldn't have been as noticeable, but since they were regular and the finish paint was a slate gray, the prepped areas showed through.  The only way to fix this was to go over each prepped head with a wire brush and lightly scuff the prep mark.  This process essentially recreated the light texture that is on the "smooth" side.

If this product is applied with face fasteners on the smooth side, the fastener prep areas will telegraph through if simply filled, troweled and wiped.  There is no way to avoid this.

I don't agree with any of your post.

Any halfway decent painter would know if you sand an area of a surface you have to make that match with the area around it. I know exactly what the surface textures are on Boral, either side. The painter had a choice to sand the entire piece or prep the sanded area to match the adjacent texture. A simple coat of primer brushed on with a polyester brush to the sanded area most likely would have solved the flashing issue.

I'm not talking about L5 finishes (I can achieve compound applied or sprayed L5), I'm talking about matching an existing surface texture when a repair/patch is made. No reason the patch/repair should ever be visible.

There is no surface that cannot be matched to make a repair disappear. Look at all the repairs on automobiles that cannot be seen under any light.

Would you accept nail holes flashing/visible on interior trim?

Tom

 

[Naildrivingman]

I've realized that I cannot adequately describe my dissatisfied experience with this product.  So, I'm not going to respond to any more posts in this particular thread.

I think that it is important to note that we are both right about our own personal experiences because each of us had them and we are both wrong about the experiences of others because neither of us were there to see the other's results.

Any further attempt to persuade or dissuade is simply a waste of time and effort.

 

[tjbnwi]

I've realized that I cannot adequately describe my dissatisfied experience with this product.  So, I'm not going to respond to any more posts in this particular thread.

I think that it is important to note that we are both right about our own personal experiences because each of us had them and we are both wrong about the experiences of others because neither of us were there to see the other's results.

Any further attempt to persuade or dissuade is simply a waste of time and effort.

Thanks for weighing in with your experience with the product. As I said before, discussions like this are a good for getting info to other members of the forum incase they may someday have to deal with rotten items on their own properties. 

Understand that I never intended to try and persuade you.

Tom