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Winter 2003 |
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Celebrating
CertainTeed’s Centennial
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Our name says it all: Quality Made Certain...
Satisfaction Guaranteed.
To help celebrate 100 years of quality building products,
CertainTeed is offering special gifts with purchases of
Cedar Impressions®, Monogram™, and Vinyl Carpentry™
Soffit and Decorative Trim.
Throughout 2004, contractors and homeowners alike can
take part in the celebration. |
For
Contractors
For
every qualifying job (maximum 12 jobs) where you install Cedar
Impressions Perfection Shingles, Half-Round Shingles, or Random
Hand-Split Shakes; Monogram Siding; or Vinyl Carpentry Soffit
and Accessories, you can receive a $100 Savings Bond. To find
out which jobs qualify, look for the Centennial Edition Promotion
display at your distributor location.
For Homeowners
Homeowners who choose qualifying products will receive a beautiful
artist’s rendering of their newly sided home. To encourage
homeowners to choose these premium products, CertainTeed has
produced a “Centennial Edition” glamour brochure
and portfolio. The oversized format and spectacular four-color
photography of these high impact sales tools are specially
designed for homeowner appeal. They’re sure to set you
apart from the competition and make it easier to complete
the sale. Contact our Sales Support Group (800-233-8990) or
your distributor for copies. |
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To
Finish Right, Start Right
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Question:
“Which is better: installing new siding over the old,
or removing the old siding?”
Answer: “It depends.”
While
this question is frequently asked by remodelers, it rarely produces
a single answer. Buildings differ, and the differences will
determine your installation method. The best approach is to
consider the problem in terms of the desired outcome. In the
end, the siding must be installed on a smooth, solid surface.
Any unevenness in the surface has to be repaired before the
new siding can be hung.
Stripping the Old Siding
If the siding you are replacing has deteriorated or panels are
missing or severely damaged, you should probably strip off the
old siding and level the wall. If the wall is covered with felt
paper, either strip the paper off completely or staple or nail
it to smooth the surface.
If there is no solid sheathing under the old siding, install
a rigid sheathing or an underlayment like wood, wood composition,
rigid foam, or fiber sheathing. Make sure the sheathing is fastened
securely to the studs, and check to make sure it is watertight.
When it is properly installed, vinyl siding sheds water, but
it is not waterproof. So flash around windows, doors, corners,
pipe and utility openings, etc., so they shed water to the exterior.
Siding over Existing
Materials
If
the siding is in good shape, you can leave it on. The old siding
will provide an extra layer of insulation. You will still need
to provide a smooth surface, so nail rigid sheathing securely
to the old siding. To bridge low spots in the existing siding,
nail the sheathing evenly, with consistent pressure.
Alternately, you can apply vertical furring strips to the old
siding. The furring strips will straighten the noticeable surface
unevenness. For the best results, space the strips 12"
on center and use shims to correct any low spots.
Handling Asbestos Siding
The Vinyl Siding Institute has prepared a set of recommendations
for installing vinyl siding over asbestos, but you are strongly
encouraged to contact your local EPA officials and consult local
building codes before you begin to work around asbestos. If
the homeowner wants the asbestos siding removed completely,
consult a professionally trained asbestos removal crew. In some
jurisdictions, all asbestos removal must be performed by a trained
asbestos removal crew.
According to the Vinyl Siding Institute, the preferred method
is to apply sheathing over the existing asbestos siding and
install the vinyl siding over the sheathing. The sheathing will
flatten the wall and retain any breakage of the cement asbestos
siding. Make sure your nails are long enough to penetrate through
the sheathing and siding and into the wall studs. If the walls
still need to be straightened, hang furring strips over the
sheathing.
More detailed instructions for installing CertainTeed vinyl
siding over existing siding are in the CertainTeed Vinyl Siding
Installation Guide, which is available at www.certainteed.com
or from our Sales Support Group, 800-233-8990.
Do you have a special problem you'd like our installation guru
to tackle? Click
here to submit your question to Bob Werner. |
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| The
Award of Excellence salutes our best customers -- builders,
contractors, and remodelers -- who create outstanding
projects using CertainTeed products. This program acknowledges
your creativity, craftsmanship, and professionalism. As
a winner, you will receive recognition that you can use
to market and promote your company and build more business. |
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Click
here to find out how to submit your project for the
Award of Excellence. Send us your entry today. |
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Subscribe Today
Did you just learn about the Trade Talk newsletter? Did a friend
or colleague forward it to you? Click
here for your FREE subscription to Trade Talk, the electronic
newsletter written specifically for siding contractors.
Win
a Personal
Media Center
Got a selling
tip or installation shortcut to share? Click
here and tell us about it, and you could win a 13-inch Toshiba®
TV/DVD combination. Equipped with stereo TV; DVD-video and CD-audio
functions; CD-R, CD-RW, and video-CD playback; sleep/wake timer;
and digital picture zoom, this portable player is small enough to
travel, yet powerful enough to become your personal media center.
Watch
This Space
Every quarter you’ll have an opportunity to win a different
award for sharing your tip or shortcut.
Rewarding
Outstanding Work
Is there a job you're particularly proud of? Share it with us, and
you can earn a CertainTeed
Award of Excellence. This program recognizes builders, contractors,
and remodelers who create outstanding projects using CertainTeed
products. Click
here to learn how to enter to win our special Recognition Package.
Click
here to find out how to become a CertainTeed Master Craftsman
Sell
with the Winner
CertainTeed Siding Rated #1
For the sixth year in a row, building professionals like you have
rated CertainTeed Vinyl Siding their #1 choice in brand surveys
conducted by every major trade magazine. Brand recognition is a
critical decision-making factor for homeowners. Recommending America's
#1 rated siding can give you a big selling advantage and help gain
your customers' confidence and trust.
Change
Your Subscription
If you’d prefer not to receive future editions of this newsletter,
click here to unsubscribe.
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Insulated
Cornerpost Improves
Thermal Envelope |
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new TrueComfort Insulated cornerpost helps keep out the cold and
comes in all 12 TrueComfort colors.
Complete Comfort in One Piece
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Our
new cornerpost for TrueComfort Insulated Siding can keep out
the cold and speed installation. As you know, TrueComfort siding
can improve the R-Value of a house wall by as much as 22 percent.
The new 1-1/4" pocket insulated cornerpost completes this
envelope of insulation and contributes to improved R-value and
comfort. Also, the custom contoured foam resists damage from
impact better than hollow vinyl cornerposts.
Insulated cornerpost can also reduce your installation time.
Because the foam is contoured to fit the 1-1/4" pocket,
it eliminates the need to cut foam pieces to shim out standard
cornerposts. |
The 3-1/2" wide cornerpost has the same select cedar finish
as True Comfort siding and is available to match all 12 TrueComfort
colors, including the newly added Cyprus and Granite Gray.
Ask your distributor for more information about the TrueComfort
insulated cornerpost or call CertainTeed Sales Support at 800-233-8990.
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Making
Your Good Deeds Work for You |
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You read it all the time: “Homeowners Complain about Shoddy
Work.” “Unethical Remodeler Bilks Elderly.” “Public
Outcry against Zoning Application.”
Every day, hundreds of thousands of contractors like you deliver
good work, in a timely fashion, and at a fair price, yet their reputations
are tarnished by a small number of unethical, unskilled people masquerading
as skilled contractors. Rather than endure the unfair negative publicity,
generate some positive publicity of your own.
The Best Defense . . .
Your best defense against the negative perception is a strong offense.
Before you build a ball field for your community, negotiate. Tell
the county supervisors you’ll be happy to help as long as
there’s a sign that says “Superior Siding Field.”
Just building the bleachers? Invest in small plaques or labels that
proclaim, “Bleachers Compliments of Two Guys Siding,”
and don’t forget to include your phone number. Clean a few
miles of roadway every month, and put your name on a highway marker.
You get the picture. No good deed should go unpublicized. And while
favorable publicity is certainly not what motivates your contributions,
capitalizing on the opportunity makes good business sense.
But I’ll Be Besieged
for Hand-Outs
Some contractors are reluctant to publicize their charity because
they want to avoid being asked by every school, church, and civic
group to help build the next new building, playground, ball field,
etc. To avoid the time consuming and sometimes embarrassing problem
of having to explain why you can’t help, do what the big corporations
do: Prepare a policy, write short statement explaining your policy,
and stick to it.
For example, here’s a sample of a standard letter you can
adapt for your company.
Thank you for the confidence you have demonstrated in our company
by asking us to [fill in the request]. At [your company name],
we take our responsibility to the community very seriously, and
that is why we often donate our services to community projects.
As a matter of fact, every year we contribute our labor and materials
to several [or give the number] of charitable endeavors.
Your request
certainly has much merit, but we cannot honor it. I’m sure
you understand that, like yours, our resources are limited. Deciding
which projects to participate in is difficult, and we regret that
we often have to turn down worthwhile projects like yours.
I wish you
the best of luck in your endeavors.
Sincerely,
It’s never
easy to say no to people, but if you respond to these requests immediately
and sincerely, your professionalism and the obvious concern expressed
in a letter like this will certainly make the “no” easier
to accept. |
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