The Secret Is Out: What Homeowners Need To Know About Trim (NAPSA)—Here’s a fact often overlooked. A paint job is only as good as the material it is painted on. So, when deciding what materials to use on your home’s exterior trim, you may want to consider a product that’s getting noticed by more builders, millworkers and painters. Using exterior composite trim can make a paint job last muchlonger. “A paint job on composite trim will last as long as the quality of the paint you choose—usually about 15 years,” said David Boone, owner of Dave’s Moulding, Millwork and Cabinets in Chesapeake, Virginia. “On the other hand, solid wood trim needs to be repainted every three years.” Because composite wood ex- pands andcontracts less than natural grain wood (five percent less by Boone’s estimate), paint doesn’t fracture and allow moisture to penetrate the trim’s surface. This prevents peeling and splitting common to lumber trim. A homogenous form free of knots and splits allows composite trim to be shaped and routed into many forms without diminishing its integrity and stability. Exterior composite wood is moisture resistant throughout, not just on the surface. No matter what cuts or shapes are made, new edges are just as moisture resistant. Builders often expect to find exterior composite trim products to be similarly priced to solid lumber trim “It costs about the same as cypress and half as much as west- For more curb appeal, headachesand costly paint jobs, many homeowners consider environmentally friendly trim. ern red cedar, but it performs 10 times better,” noted Boone. With trim packages averaging as high as $6,000 per home, Boone sold about $5 million of exterior architectural millwork last year. In eight years, he has never had a performance problem with exterior composite trim. Given the cost and performance advantages of this product, experts are surprisedit’s not used morefrequently. Aesthetics are not the issue since homeowners like the curb appeal composite trim adds to a home, and it’s available in both smooth and wood grain textured surfaces. The only explanation is that a lot of homeowners don’t know about it. Whatever the reason, exterior composite trim is not likely to stay a secret for long. For more information, contact the Composite Panel Association at info@pbmdf.com orcall toll-free (866) 4Composites (426-6767).
