Nichiha Fiber Cement Siding
When building a green home, it's important to partner with companies and suppliers that share your commitment to sustainability and lowering the environmental impacts of construction.
One company whose mission is to provide high-quality products with minimal impact is Nichiha, a worldwide leader in fiber cement siding.
Nichiha: A Very Brief History
The Nichiha company was founded in 1956 in Japan, and soon after developed fiber cement products for building exteriors.
Today, Nichiha has its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, and a fiber cement manufacturing facility in Macon, GA. The company offers over 800 products in a huge variety of styles, textures and colors for residential and commercial usage.
Nichiha Fiber Cement Exteriors For the Ultimate Green Home:
When considering a product for your green home's exterior, the main green criteria is durability. How long will it last? A siding product that will need to be replaced or require heavy maintenance takes a much larger environmental toll than a product that is built to last.
Fiber cement siding is a natural product made from sand, wood pulp, and cement. It is a highly durable, long-lasting product designed and built to last for generations with minimal maintenance. As a siding product for the home, its durability is unmatched.
Green Attributes of Nichiha Fiber Cement Siding
Along with its durability, Nichiha fiber cement siding has other environmental benefits, starting at the manufacturing plant. Let's examine some of these qualities...
- Nichiha has been evolving its products for 50 years to continually minimize the environmental impact of the manufacturing process and the finished product.
- Nichiha fiber cement product contains a combination of recycled wood pulp fiber, fly ash, and recycled fiber cement products. Nichiha products contain from 20% to 50% recycled fly ash, which is a leftover byproduct of coal-burning power plants. Normally sent to landfills, Nichiha utilizes it, keeping tons of fly ash out of landfills every year.
- Nichiha uses advanced technology to incorporate 100% of its pre-cured fiber cement scrap product into its finished products.
- The Nichiha manufacturing facility in Macon uses an on-site water treatment plant to recycle 95% of the water used during manufacturing. The remaining 5% is completely treated before being returned to the municipal water system.
- Nichiha uses local materials (90% sourced within 200 miles of the Macon facility), further reducing the environmental impact and CO2 emissions associated with transporting materials over long distances.
- The recycled content and regional materials in Nichiha fiber cement siding qualifies it for up to 2 LEED credits for your green home.
- The use of recycled and regional materials in Nichiha products can contribute up to 2 LEED credits for your green home. Nichiha products also earn points by meeting several NAHB Green Home Building Guideline criteria.
Nichiha Fiber Cement Siding: A Green Finished Product
Once the product is finished and at the home site, its green qualities continue. Since the siding is pre-stained or pre-painted, on-site finishing resources and VOC's are greatly reduced.
Nichiha products are termite and insect resistant, contributing to the long-term sustainability of the home. By reducing the need to replace damaged materials, the impact to resources is reduced. The siding is also rated as fire resistant, and can stand up to high winds (up to 150 mph) and wind-related debris. Fiber cement siding is ideal for homes in hurricane, tornado, or wildfire prone areas.
Nichiha Fiber Cement Siding: Durable AND Beautiful
The fiber cement siding from Nichiha is available in many options to beautify and transform a home's exterior while adding to its value. The timeless look of Nichiha siding comes from styles ranging from shake, brick, stone, block, and smooth textures. There is a style and color to match any of today's most popular home styles, or the creative vision of even the most discerning homeowner.
Nichiha fiber cement exteriors are built to last. They won't crack, split, or rot. Fiber cement siding is completely impervious to fungus and insects; it can withstand the most extreme conditions Mother Nature can throw at it: snow, ice, cold, hail, rain, and UV rays from the sun. Nichiha sidings will hold their rich colors several times longer than traditional wood siding, and won't fade nearly as quickly as vinyl.
Nichiha backs its products up with extended limited lifetime warranties ranging from 15 to 50 years, depending on the product line chosen. To learn more about Nichiha fiber cement siding, visit their website by clicking HERE.
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