For the purposes of this site, Composition siding is considered all exterior siding materials except natural wood products, brick, stone, or concrete. Thus, vinyl is included and when you read the introduction to that section, you will better understand the concerns relative to vinyl siding.
Over the past several years, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) and Washington State Pest Control Association (WSPCA) have been involved in assessing damage associated with or appearing to be caused by the poor installation of composition sidings. The primary culprit involved in all of the instances investigated is, of course, moisture or water intrusion under the siding material. Even where there is public outcry and litigation against companies who produce the various siding materials, the culprit is always moisture.
It becomes important to be able to identify not only the product (because different products have different problems); but also to recognize the SYMPTOMS that may lead to conditions conducive to damage or actual damage from wood destroying organisms. We know from our personal experiences that structural damage is not uncommon. Knowledge, therefore, becomes of paramount importance.
There is no attempt to try and cover every single product in the market place. We fully expect that new products will come into being and that this material may well have to be updated as early as next year. The attempt here is to provide a tool. Installation information is provided because there are specific steps and guidelines provided relative to preventing damage from moisture.
Homeowner maintenance information tells of things that should be addressed to reduce conditions conducive to damage. The litigation paperwork provides insight as to how damage occurred that resulted in the various class action suits.
