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Hardboard siding failures: Abitibi™ (Abitibi-Price) siding was the subject of a class action suit associated with siding product failures. This building siding material is a hardboard siding wood product that deteriorates when exposed to weather, de-laminating and swelling. Repair of other than the most trivial damage of Abatibi hardboard siding is not feasible and siding replacement is generally in order.

Abatibi Price™ hardboard siding is similar to products sold by Masonite Corp., Boise Cascade, and Georgia Pacific Corp,all of which experience failures of delamination, swelling, softening, and general deterioration when exposed to water and weather.

Also see these related hardboard siding articles:

SIDING HARDBOARD
  Abatibi Siding Claims
  Boise Cascade Siding Claims
  JamesHardie HardiPlank Siding
  Masonite Siding Claims
and also our discussion at TRIM, EXTERIOR CHOICES, INSTALLATION

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Common Causes of Abatibi Price and other Hardboard Building Siding Failures

Our own field observations show that the siding material deteriorates fastest and most severely where:

• The Abatibi hardboard siding (and similar products) has not been kept perfectly sealed and coated against water intrusion
• The Abatibi hardboard siding has been damaged by cuts, nicks, or by counter-sunk siding nails that penetrated its top skin and were not kept perfectly sealed
• The Abatibi hardboard siding has been exposed to high amounts of rain (weather side of buildings), or where it is exposed to roof spillage splash-up against siding, for example where building gutters and leaders are not installed or are not properly maintained
• The end butt-joints of the siding were not kept sealed where exposed to weather
• Water penetrates the siding and building wall at poorly-flashed or poorly-installed windows, doors, or other wall penetrations

How to Identify ABITIBI or other Hardboard Siding Products

Watch out: several hardboard siding products look alot alike from their exterior side, especially smooth products without a distinctive embossed pattern. To reliably identify the brand and manufacture date of a siding product you'll need historical data, bills and receipts, or you'll need to examine the reverse side of the siding for identifying markings such as those shown below at ABITIBI Siding Product Identification - Stamps & Markings.

Also see ABITIBI® Siding Back Codes below for help in dating the materials.

Attorney contact information for siding failures class action lawsuit

The law firm handling the case is Ezell & Sharbrough, P.O. 996, Mobile, AL 36601-0996 Phone: (334) 432-5297

If you have additional product failure examples you are welcome to contact us to provide additional field photos or information that may assist others in identifying and repairing siding failures.

ABTCO®/ABITIBI Abiti-Price Hardboard Siding Customer Support Information - Product Identification & Claims Information

Quoting from ABTCO/ABITIBI

Release No. 001-10-2000

ABTco contact
Gerry Soud: 704-948-1453

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 8, 2000

ABTco, Inc. Reaches Preliminary Settlement
On Hardboard Siding Class Action Lawsuit

Charlotte, N.C. - ABTco, Inc. announced today that it has reached a tentative settlement agreement with plaintiffs in a class action suit regarding siding that it sold under the names Abitibi lap or panel siding and/or ABTco lap or panel siding.

ABTco has entered into this agreement with the primary goal of servicing its customers' concerns quickly and appropriately. A key provision of the settlement is a program to allow eligible claimants to recover the costs of repair or replacement of damaged hardboard siding.

"The program reflects the confidence of ABTco that its siding products will perform," said Joe Kastelic, president of ABTco Building Products. "If the product fails to perform, the purchasers will be compensated for repairs or replacement of damaged product, including both labor and materials, subject to agreed upon exclusions and deductions."

The Court has preliminarily approved the settlement; and it will hold a formal hearing on September 21, 2000 to consider whether the settlement should be given final approval as fair, reasonable and adequate. Class members who do not wish to participate in the settlement may opt-out by notifying class counsel and the notice administrator by July 31, 2000.

"Even though the overwhelming majority of product is performing, the settlement represents a statement of confidence that ABTco can and will stand behind all siding products that the company has sold," said Kastelic.

Homeowners, who believe they have damaged Abitibi/ABTco siding, or who have questions concerning the program details, are encouraged to contact the Abitibi/ABTco Customer Support Office at 800-549-4465. Customers can also visit the website at www.abtcoclaims.com.

Final ABITIBI Court Order Text

Readers wishing to read the 25 May 2000 final court order involving this case can see Thomas A. Fostger and Linda E. Foster, et al., v. ABTco, Inc. ABT Building Products Corp., ABITIBI-PRICE, Inc., and ABITIBI-PRICE Corp. Civil Action No. CV95-151-M entered in the Circuit Court of Choctaw County, Alabama - [large slow loading PDF file]

ABITIBI Siding Product Identification - Stamps & Markings

Below are images provided by ABTCO® to assist in identifying ABITBI building siding by noting the stamped or dot-matrix printed markings on the back side of the materials. Also see ABITIBI® Siding Back Codes below for help in dating the materials. Enlarged versions of these images can be seen by clicking on our copies below, or by visiting the ABTCO/ABTIBI website.

ABITIBI® Siding Back Codes

Old Code
Letter to represent the month -2 digit for the day -(in 70's, 1 digit for the year) -1 digit for shift -R
(in 80's, 2 digits for the year)
Example #1: A 01 51R -represents January 1, 1975 1st shift at Roaring River
Example #2: B 02 62R -represents February 2, 1976 2nd shift at Roaring River
Example #3: C 03 87 3 R -represents March 3, 1987 3rd shift at Roaring River

Dot Matrix Code
2 digit for month -2 digit for day -2 digit for year -1 digit for shift -R
Example: 05 20 971 R -represents May 20, 19971 st shift at Roaring River

BACK CODE CONVERSION INFORMATION
A B C D E F G H I J  K  L
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1

Questions & Answers regarding this article

Questions & answers about hardboard siding failures, deterioration, warranties, and class action settlements: Abatibi

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Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

SIDING HARDBOARD
  Abatibi Siding Claims
  Boise Cascade Siding Claims
  JamesHardie HardiPlank Siding
  Masonite Siding Claims

• ABTCO®/ABITIBI Abiti-Price Hardboard Siding Customer Support Information, web search 09/14/2010, original source: http://www.abtcoclaims.com/
• ABTCO®/ABITIBI Abiti-Price Hardboard Siding Final Court Order, web search 09/14/2010, original source: http://www.abtcoclaims.com/images/abtcoorder.pdf

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

• Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
• Allen, Edward and Joseph Iano. Fundamentals of Building Construction: Fourth Edition. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2004. pg. 91 [LVL lumber]
• Analysis of Modern Paints, Thomas J.S. Learner, Research in Conservation, 2004 ISBN 0-89236-779-2 [Chemistry of modern paints, overview of analytical methods, pyrolysis-gas chromatography signatures of basic modern paints and their constituents, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for paint analysis, direct temperature-resolved mass spectrometry, and analysis in practice - technical reference useful for forensic paint science, focused on art works -DF]
• APA - The Engineered Wood Association, 7011 So. 19th St., PO Box 11700, Tacoma WA 98411-0700, Tel: 253-565-7265. APA provides an HDO/MDO Plywood Product Guide that offers details about these products., provides an HDO/MDO Plywood Product Guide that offers details about these products. Product support help desk: 253-620-7400. Email the APA at help@apawood.org. Web search 09/13/2010, original source: http://www.pacificwoodlaminates.com/img/PDFs/PlywoodGuide.pdf
• Art, Biology, and Conservation: Biodeterioration in Works of Art, Robert J. Koestler et als. Eds., Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2003, ISBN 1-58839-107-8
• Building Pathology, Deterioration, Diagnostics, and Intervention, Samuel Y. Harris, P.E., AIA, Esq., ISBN 0-471-33172-4, John Wiley & Sons, 2001 [General building science-DF - ** Particularly useful text **
• Certainteed Weatherboard fiber cement siding and trim products - see certainteed.com/ or see certainteed.com/resources/sidingandtrimspecsheet.pdf
• Dream Porches and Sunrooms, Designing the Perfect Retreat [purchase at Amazon.com], Michael Snow, Collings Design, 2006, 176pp. ISBN 0-06-084728-x $35.00 U.S. or $46.50 Canada.
• Understanding Ventilation, John Bower, The Healthy House Institute, ISBN 0-9637156-5-8, 1995 [General building science-DF - ** Particularly useful text. Mr. Bower has retired from the field but his book continues to be important]
• Dampness in buildings, Diagnosis, Treatment, Instruments, T.A. Oxley & E.G. Gobert, ISBN 0-408-01463-6, Butterworths, 1983-1987 [General building science-DF]

• Carson Dunlop's Home Study Course for Home Inspectors can be examined online at that company's website. More about home inspector education and other educational materials is organized at InspectAPedia.com at Home Inspector Education.
• Certainteed Weatherboard fiber cement siding and trim products - see certainteed.com/ or see certainteed.com/resources/sidingandtrimspecsheet.pdf
• "Flashing: the plain solution to leaky walls", Thomas E. Remmele, Manager, Technical Services, Sto Corporation, Building Standards, November/December 1999 p. 21-25.
• Laminated Veneer Lumber, Overview of the Product, Manufacturing, Market, Department of Forest Products Marketing, wood-Based Panels Technology, Finland [PDF] web search 09/14/2010, original source: http://www.hochstrate.de/micha/finnland/reports/replvl.html
• "Moisture Control in buildings: Putting Building Science in Green Building," Alex Wilson, Environmental Building News, Vol. 12. No. 5. [Good tutorial, "Moisture 101" outlining the physics of moisture movement in buildings and a good but incomplete list of general suggestions for moisture control - inadequate attention given to exterior conditions such as roof and surface drainage defects which are among the most-common sources of building moisture and water entry.--DJF]
• Masonite Woodruf® Roofing or Masonite OmniWood® Siding Lawsuit Settlement Notice - PDF file
• Paint Handbook: testing, selection, application, troubleshooting, surface preparation, etc., Guy E. Weismantel, Ed., McGraw Hill Book Company, 1981, ISBN-10: 0070690618, ISBN-13: 978-0070690615, [Excellent but a bit obsolete paint theory and practice, also a bit light on field investigation methods, out of print, available used-DF]
  How to select and apply the right paint or coating for any surface. The first major reference to help you choose the correct paint or other finish to do the job best on a particular surface exposed to a particular environment. Experts in the field give full advice on testing surface preparation, application, corrosion prevention, and troubleshooting. The handbook covers wood, metal, composites, and masonry, as well as marine applications and roof coatings. A ``must'' working tool for contractors, architects, engineers, specification writers, and paint dealers.
• Paint and Surface Coatings, Theory and Practice, R. Lambourne & T.A. Strivens, Ed., Woodhead Publishing Ltd., William Andrew Publishing, 1999 ISBN 1-85573-348 X & 1-884207-73-1 [This is perhaps the leading reference on modern paints and coatings, but is a difficult text to obtain, and is a bit short on field investigation methods - DF]
  Provides a comprehensive reference source for all those in the paint industry, paint manufacturers and raw materials suppliers, undergraduate and postgraduate students, and industrial paint users. R. Lambourne was in the Research Department at ICI Paints Division and the Industrial Colloid Advisory Group, Birstol University, UK.
• Sealants, Durability of Building Sealants (RILEM Proceedings), J.C. Beech, A.T. Wolf, Spon Press; illustrated edition (1995), ISBN-10: 0419210709, ISBN-13: 978-0419210702
  This book presents the papers given at the RILEM Seminar held at the Building Research Establishment, Garston, UK in October 1994. The book provides an opportunity for researchers to review up-to-date progress towards the achievement of the objectives of the standardisation of laboratory techniques of sealants in the variety of service conditions to which they are exposed.
• Soiling and Cleaning of Building Facades (RILEM Report), L.G.W. Verhoef (Editor), Routledge; 1 edition (November 3, 1988), ISBN-10: 0412306700, USBN-13: 978-0412306709
  The report of a comprehensive investigation by RILEM which examines all aspects of the cleaning of facades, subject to soiling by both biological and non-biological agencies. The contributors are international authorities working in this field giving essential advice to all those who need to know how to approach the problems connected with the soiling and cleaning of building facades.
• Staining, Prevention of Premature Staining in New buildings, Phil Parnham, Taylor & Francis; 1996, ISBN-10: 0419171304, ISBN-13: 978-0419171300
  The appearance of ugly staining early in a buildings life, ruins an otherwise pleasing appearance, tarnishes the image of the owners and gives rise to costly refurbishment works. In this book Phil Parnham raises a number of questions that should be considered whenever a new building is being designed or built. These are: * why has staining become so prominent; * what causes premature staining; which parts of new buildings are likely to be affected; * how can it be avoided? By using a number of highly illustrated case studies, the author answers these questions and ends by suggesting measures that should be taken by all design and construction professionals to prevent premature staining.
• Sealants, Durability of Building Sealants (RILEM Proceedings), J.C. Beech, A.T. Wolf, Spon Press; illustrated edition (1995), ISBN-10: 0419210709, ISBN-13: 978-0419210702
  This book presents the papers given at the RILEM Seminar held at the Building Research Establishment, Garston, UK in October 1994. The book provides an opportunity for researchers to review up-to-date progress towards the achievement of the objectives of the standardisation of laboratory techniques of sealants in the variety of service conditions to which they are exposed.
• Soiling and Cleaning of Building Facades (RILEM Report), L.G.W. Verhoef (Editor), Routledge; 1 edition (November 3, 1988), ISBN-10: 0412306700, USBN-13: 978-0412306709
  The report of a comprehensive investigation by RILEM which examines all aspects of the cleaning of facades, subject to soiling by both biological and non-biological agencies. The contributors are international authorities working in this field giving essential advice to all those who need to know how to approach the problems connected with the soiling and cleaning of building facades.
• Staining, Prevention of Premature Staining in New buildings, Phil Parnham, Taylor & Francis; 1996, ISBN-10: 0419171304, ISBN-13: 978-0419171300
  The appearance of ugly staining early in a buildings life, ruins an otherwise pleasing appearance, tarnishes the image of the owners and gives rise to costly refurbishment works. In this book Phil Parnham raises a number of questions that should be considered whenever a new building is being designed or built. These are: * why has staining become so prominent; * what causes premature staining; which parts of new buildings are likely to be affected; * how can it be avoided? By using a number of highly illustrated case studies, the author answers these questions and ends by suggesting measures that should be taken by all design and construction professionals to prevent premature staining.
• "Weather-Resistive Barriers [copy on file as /interiors/Weather_Resistant_Barriers_DOE.pdf ] - ", how to select and install housewrap and other types of weather resistive barriers, U.S. DOE
• ...