What brand was it?

That sounds like HardiPlank siding (www.jameshardie.com). It is a fantastic product, in all of its shapes, sizes and colours.

It made by Cerber. I couldn't find any information on the company other than the fact that it is sold by Build Direct.
When you order the siding from Build Direct it is sent to Weiss for painting. The difference is the process they use to paint the siding. It is a two part process that makes a really beautiful finish that looks like wood. Check out their website. Also their prices are good. Much cheaper than other prepainted. You have to order a whole pallet. It is 230 pieces.
Janet

I spoke to a guy at Weiss who says Build Direct's Cerber is actually Maxiplank.

If Cerber is actually Maxiplank, you all might want check out this website re a Class Action related to Maxiplank siding. It says that plaintiffs have 'suffered some or all of the following deficiencies: buckling, cracking, rotting, discoloration, delaminating, and deterioration and failure to repel water absorption ... believed to be caused by defects in the formula and manufacturing process of MAXIPLANK.'

Further, Maxiplank apparently went into bankruptcy back in 2004.

So, unlike Certainteed's 25 year warranty on its prepainted cement siding, there is probably no warranty whatsoever on the Ceber/Maxiplank and nobody to hold to account if it turns out to be deficient. In my book, saving $1000 isn't worth that. Think I'll stick with Hardi or Certainteed.

Here is a link that might be useful: Maxiplank lawsuit

Okay, just had a very amusing conversation with the fiber cement rep at BuildDirect. He didn't want to admit that Cerber is made by someone else, but when I pointed out that there aren't that many fiber cement plants in the US, he said that it was actually produced by another corporation.

"Okay, who?"
"I can't disclose that."
"Is it Hardie?"
"I don't want to do this."

Very professional. He also said Cerber has a 50-year structural guarantee. My question would be is who is the guarantee with? BuildDirect or Mystery Corp? (Who is most likely Maxiplank of the bankruptcy and class-action lawsuit.) If the siding starts to deteriorate in 25 years who upholds the guarantee? Hardie, Nichiha, and Certainteed will probably be there. Not so sure about Maxiplank and BuildDirect.

This is distressing. Haven't noticed anything yet, but will keep a close eye on it. I did register with the attorney.
Thanks for the heads up. Maybe I will get lucky and won't have any problems.
Janet

Good luck Janet. Building can be a "distressing" process, especially when you post exciting about your progress and learn something negative. I hope you have no issues with the siding. Jaymie

Late addendum: Wimsatt Building Materials (see link) is selling prefinished Maxitile (Maxiplank) from Weiss in the same colors as BuildDirect. So it's probably the same stuff.

Janet: So sorry for the somewhat negative news. But your siding will probably be fine. Like you said, just keep a close eye on it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wimsatt Building Materials

Gosh, the Maxiplank Rustic looks far superior visually than Certainteed pr-stained. Why is Wimsatt still selling it if there's problem with it?

Just spoke with Weiss. He said they buy siding, stain it, and we as consumers buy it from BuildDirect. I asked him about the Maxiplank issues and he said they are switching to Certainteed. I've put in a call to BuildDirect for samples. I wonder which siding they have in stock.

Hey guys,

My name's Rob, and I work in the marketing department at BuildDirect. I've got no direct involvement in procuring the Cerber brand, but a colleague of mine Campbell does - he's the head of decking and siding around here. Since I'm savvy to message boards, Campbell's asked me to post a response from him about the Cerber brand, after I let him know that you guys had some concerns. Here's the response:

Thanks all for the interest in BuildDirect products and our Cerber Fibre Cement. To be clear, Cerber currently uses Certainteed Fibre Cement board for its rustic series. Previously we had used Maxitile, but we had feedback from customers indicating less brand awareness and confidence in Maxitile and a preference for Certainteed.

Our sample stock reflects this so when you order a sample of Cerber you will receive a Certainteed board. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us toll-free at 877-631-2845.

Regards,

Campbell Macdonald

Anyway, guys I hope this begins to address some of your concerns. If not, reply to this post of mine, and I'll try and get some details if you need them. Additionally, you can call Campbell directly.

Cheers, guys!
Rob.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cerber Fiber Cement Siding

Excellent discussion. Never descended into name-calling or ranting. Overall really useful. The reply from Build Direct was good, too. Manufacturers and distributors should do that more often.
Every product has these kinds of issues from time to time. A good bulletin board can get the information out fast. Thumbs up to everyone!

I was just looking around for info on stained siding and ran across this thread.

To get more information I tried to call Weiss and got "this number is no longer connected" - from both the direct and toll-free numbers listed on their web site.

Is there some issue here?

I left a message for someone at Build Direct to contact me. (apparently Campbell McDonald no longer works there)

Earlier today I was talking to the local Hardi sales rep and he told me that Hardi does not warranty their product if it is stained. So, that's leaving Certainteed and possibly Nichiha.

We have just started framing/etc. and just found out that we're going to have to pick siding sooner than we expected. So, I'm trying to get as much information on stained fiber cement siding as I can get.

skinny ,

When I received my bid for framing lumber - I also got a bid for the Hardie siding from HD . I have a Hardie factory about 20 miles from my home but theydo not sell direct . I negotiated a great price with HD but had to put the siding on the same order as the lumber - so the siding was delivered earlier than I needed it . I did not anticipate a problem because I have plenty of outdoor space and did not think it would be a problem for siding being exposed to the elements for a few months because it's siding .
I bought the colorplus siding that was pre painted . A few months later
when we went to install the siding - I saw the problem . The paint flaked
off the siding as we pulled the boards off the pallet . At the time - they did
have a warrenty on the colorplus but people were reporting problems and
filing claims . After doing further research - I decided not to file a claim .
I just didn't want to go through the hassle . I am just going to match the
color at Sherwin Williams and spray another coat of paint over the siding this
summer . There doesn't seem to be any problems with the integrity of the
siding and I love the look . I got a great deal on the siding so I'm not too
upset about having to touch up the paint . I'm sure that's why Hardie pulled
the warranty on the colorplus . Unless you go with vinyl , brick or stone -
you probably will have some maintenance on your siding no matter which
company you go with .

I had Hardie siding installed 13 years ago. Not only has it not deteriorated at all, the original paint bonded so well it all looks like the day it was painted.

[IMG]http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f88/srercrcr/HouseBFrontFinal.jpg[/IMG]

link...

Here is a link that might be useful:

We just ordered River Rock Rustic from Finatec in LaPorte, Indiana. They were previously Weiss. They are currently using Certainteed for their fibercement siding.

glnjn, I'm wondering how the siding turned out?

it's great to get an answer from build direct but i wonder why the person the above poster, "eating in" dealt with was so evasive? if a customer calls a company with questions why does it take a (somewhat negative) discussion on a message board to get some answers?

to the OP: how is your siding? i hope everything is working out.

So wow! I'm flabbergasted. I'm in my planning stages of building and really thought Cerber was the way to go. So glad to read all these insights. Is there any really up to date recommendations on fiber cement siding brands that is a good value for the money? Pre stained or painted? Should I just bite the money bullet and get Hardie? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

Hello pujah3 or anyone else with more current dealings on fiber cement rustic series. I have samples coming from Build Direct and Woodtone which have not arrived yet. Have noticed they use the same names and would like to hear more from users of either product so would like to bring this thread back to life. Are they the same?

pujah3 What did you end up doing with your building project?

Janet from 2007 if you are around How has your Build Direct Rustic Series held up? Do you have any pics?

Would like anymore input also as since it is going in Northern Minnesota is looks like it will be a spring project so I have some time.

Hi Janet,

I'm also curious after about 8 years how is your Cerber cement plank siding holding up? I'm just about to order siding and I can't resist the look of the Cerber wood textured black product. It also comes in 8.25" width which looks great. Unfortunately Nichiha doesn't sell in my area (Ellicottville, NY), and the Hardie product doesn't look as nice and is not available in the color I'm looking for... let us know!

http://www.builddirect.com/Fiber-Cement-Siding/Black/ProductDisplay_6899_p1_10098878.aspx

Why do people want an imitative material that doesn't look like the original material? Properly milled wood lap siding is perfectly smooth without a visible grain. Rough sawn siding has a visible grain but must be stained rather than painted.

The cost of replacing defective composite house siding can be extremely high since warranties rarely cover labor and always decrease in value with time. Your best protection against potential loss is to stop shopping for bargains and buy the most reputable materials from the most reputable suppliers.

Shawn-

Did you end up using the Cerber wood textured black product? If so, do you have any words of wisdom as we are looking at using the same (i.e. product, installation, warranty, customer service issues??). Thanks so much for the reply if you read this!

B&H

Hi, yes I did end up using the Cerber black fiber cement siding. I had some minor delivery problems, but the vendor (Build Direct) was quick to sort them out. Otherwise no issues. The house is still a work in progress (photo attached)

Shawn - I ordered the same stock material from BuildDirect/very happy with whats been delivered. What did your contractor use for cut edges? Regular Black exterior paint? Know James Hardie sells "touch-up kits" but havent seen anything for the Cerber stuff from Build Direct? My contractror is asking for it.....thanks!

PS - Your place looks great!

Hi Ryan. The contractor sealed all the joints with black solar seal (my siding is black). It is a caulk more than a paint. we didn't have any painting to do. Best, Shawn

Thanks!

I too am looking at the Builddirect product and (not that people tend to haunt their old posts) if anyone has info on how the finish holds up, it would be great. As to JDS's comment about using an 'imitation' as opposed to wood, two words, Fire and Termites.

Also looking to order fiber cement siding planks. Seems like everyone goes with either CertainTeed or Hardie planks. Is Cerber a reputable brand (it seems they're manufactured by Certainteed per quote above: "Cerber currently uses Certainteed Fibre Cement board for its rustic series. Previously we had used Maxitile, but we had feedback from customers indicating less brand awareness and confidence in Maxitile and a preference for Certainteed.") My GC is letting us order as much of the material as we want ourselves vs. him ordering for us to price compare (he doesn't have time to do all that quoting back and forth), but I've not bought anything online directly and not from Build Direct. I've only made purchases from local distributors, HD/Lowe's and other local building suppliers. Is it safe to buy from Build Direct? I'm in northern CA and to cover 3000 sq ft (that's how large the house is, not the needed siding) one-story home, I've calculated that it'll take about 2340 sq ft + 10%

Thank you in advance for any advice!

I am looking for cement fiber siding, and probably wanting black. I was previously considering just Nichiha Sierra Premium Shake, but am now interested in Cerber, as they have a factory black finish. I called today to request samples (5 are being sent, free of charge, overnight [if ordered Mon-Thurs]). While on the line with a cust. rep from BuildDirect, I clarified the current “pedigree” of the Cerber brand with her. According to her, Cerber is an Allura (formerly CertainTeed) product specifically produced as an exclusive BuildDirect product. That is why no other retailers carry these products. Would love to hear from others if they have factory finish Cerber installed, for how long, and what the opinions are.