Polymer siding makers continue to innovate, with major suppliers announcing new lines of composite, plank, PVC shake and insulated vinyl siding as well as expanded capacity for a cladding dubbed the most innovative building material in 2021.
Westlake Royal Building Products is expanding its offering of composite siding, PVC shake and insulated vinyl siding.
For larger homes, the Houston-based company added an 11-inch board and batten profile to the Celect Cellular Composite Siding line.
The new profile will add visual interest to home exteriors with a vertical pattern to accentuate different sections of the house, like full walls, gables and bump outs, according to Steve Booz, vice president of marketing at Westlake Royal Building Products.
The board and batten comes in 15 fade-resistant colors or ready-to-paint. It resists winds exceeding 210 mph and has a Kynar Aquatec brand coating for ultraviolet protection that the company says also reduces energy demands.
"The Celect 11-inch board and batten has been a highly-anticipated and requested addition to our portfolio of innovative exterior products and we are expecting a great response from designers, architects, builders and remodelers," Booz said.
Westlake also started offering PVC shake following the 2021 acquisition of Boral Industries Inc. In addition to more siding, the $2.15 billion all-cash deal brought roofing, trim, shutters, decorative stone and windows to the product lineup.
For siding, Westlake added FoundryFPX-brand cedarlike PVC shake and shingles, which have a Class A fire rating and can be installed by pro builders or homeowners.
During production, the panel is extruded and then a metal stamping process is used to create the shake look before it gets painted.
For 2023, Westlake updated the color palette with four darker hues available in 7-inch split shake and staggered shake.
The company also is now offering Grayne brand siding profiles in nine colors, which were designed to emulate white cedar shake and red cedar shake.
"More than ever, homeowners are craving wood-look exteriors without the associated maintenance, especially darker grays and rustic looks," Booz said. "The nine new hues, part of our approach to continually refresh options to meet the ever-changing needs of our customers, reflect these growing preferences while delivering the rich authenticity of beloved cedar."
Westlake Royal also added three new colors each to its Royal Haven brand insulated siding and the CraneBoard brand solid core siding. Both lines feature Chromatix brand technology color protection to resist fading so dark colors stay true.
The six new vinyl siding colors came out in February.
For insulation, the Haven line uses graphite-enhanced EPS made with Neopor from BASF SE. The material helps absorb and reflect radiant heat, which Westlake says makes Haven's R-value up to 19 percent higher than traditional insulated siding.
With $2.5 billion in annual pipe and profile sales, Westlake ranks third among North American extruders, according to Plastics News' latest ranking.