About Prefinishing

Factory prefinishing is a value added process for Architects, Home Designers, Interior Decorators, Custom Home Builders, Contractors and Home Owners where paintable or stainable materials are coated in a factory controlled environment prior to installation, which enables benefits such as:

• Increased application quality - No color variation, consistent finish throughout the entire batch.
• Reduced weather delays - extends the building season.
• Reduced labor costs
• Improved environmental controls - No overspray or on-site clean up issues.
• Situational benefits - where field painting is not safe or feasible.
• Instant Curb Appeal - job site is neat and the house looks finished immediately.
• Immediately protected from the weather and damaging UV rays which can cause paint adhesion issues.

What is Machine Factory Finishing?

Legacy Pre-Finishing, Inc. uses hydraulic brush flow-coat machines to flood stain onto siding and trim products, then continuously brush siding on all sides for a consistent application from the start of the first piece of siding to the end of the last one. There are no lap marks, shrink lines, runs, or drips. Many quality coating companies promote factory prefinishing and ultimately extend increased warranty options when at least one coat is factory applied on all sides. There is no way to field apply any coating to siding or trim with the same quality finish for even close to the factory prefinished cost.

What are the benefits to Pre-Finishing?

Prefinished siding and trim gives instant curb appeal to any new construction project. The house exterior looks finished as soon as it is installed. Forget waiting all winter for suitable weather to paint. Prefinishing is an environmentally responsible option as well, as the equipment used at Legacy Pre-Finishing, Inc. has close to 100% transfer efficiency. Any coating not applied to the siding and trim is returned to the can and re-used. Only minimal residue is rinsed from the machine, and then recycled by an outside environmental handling company. There is no overspray anywhere on your house or the surrounding environment. Traditional spray application methods achieve 50-60% transfer efficiency, wasting paint and polluting the surrounding environment.

Why should you consider Pre-Finishing?

The ability to back-prime, or apply water repellent coatings to all surfaces of wood building products, has been shown to have significant impact on the life of coatings as well as wood itself. For this reason, factory prefinishing is recommended by most wood industry associations, such as the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Products Laboratory, and the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association (WRCLA). Many studies by these groups’ wood experts have shown that the life of a coating is directly and inversely proportional to the amount of UV exposure of surfaces prior to painting. A week of UV exposure on cedar siding prior to field priming and painting will make the coating break down and subsequently peel years earlier than cedar siding which was factory prefinished with zero exposure. Sealing the backs of the boards also extends the life of wood siding by reducing cupping and movement of wood due to moisture absorption.

Prefinished materials require a little more attention during handling and installation, but add huge value in both finish quality and construction cost savings. Wood siding has been known to last for centuries when properly maintained. There is no better way to start with new wood than pre-finished by Legacy Pre-Finishing, Inc.

How to Buy Prefinished Siding

Prefinished siding materials are available through any lumber yard, but require some special attention and careful planning. You can ask your local lumber salesman for Legacy Pre-Finished Siding, or call Legacy Pre-Finishing, Inc. for help with color selection and planning. Legacy Pre-Finishing, Inc. partners with most local wholesale and retail lumber yards with this value added process, so you don’t have to buy prefinished materials from someone you don’t know or trust. You will want to start talking to your supplier about prefinished materials as soon as you order framing materials (or sooner). Sometimes, material has to be milled or air dried before it can be prefinished, so you need to allow the proper amount of time in your schedule. Air drying green cedar usually takes from two to four weeks. Steps:

• Request a quote and samples applied to material similar to what you will be using.
• Once satisfied with the products, place an order with your local lumber yard salesman.
• Material will be shipped to Legacy Pre-Finishing, Inc. in Troutman, NC to be prefinished.
• If material is dry and ready to coat, the process should take approximately two weeks.
• Your supplier will be called as soon as the finish is dry and siding packaged for delivery.
• Prefinished material will be wrapped in a UV resistant poly cover, and will arrive with an appropriate amount of touchup paint for sealing saw-cut ends and covering nail-heads and caulk.
• Your supplier will deliver it to your jobsite, and you will be billed for the siding and trim products including prefinishing.
• Educate your installer on handling prefinished materials (if inexperienced), and follow proper handling instructions and storage guidelines.
• Nails can be prefinished to match the siding and trim colors. Most industry professionals recommend double hot-dip galvanized or stainless steel nails – consult building codes.