While horses and other livestock tolerate heat and cold much better than their owners, ideally they should have some form of shelter available when the summer sun gets unbearable or inclement weather blows in. A loafing shed can be an excellent option to protect your animals from rain, sun, snow and wind. Loafing sheds can ease your mind too, since you won't have to rush home to put your horse in a stall if the weather becomes severe.
Loafing sheds can be built from the same materials used for horse barns, which means you can utilize wood or metal. Remember that livestock will have access to both the interior and exterior of every wall, therefore the building must be sturdy enough to withstand the occasional kick and have no sharp edges on which a horse or cow could cut or scrape itself. Although metal is a less-expensive option to construct a loafing shed, the interior of a metal building should be lined with a wood product to prevent an animal from kicking through the wall and sustaining a serious injury.
In summer, your livestock will look to the loafing shed as an escape from the hot afternoon sun. To increase its effectiveness, construct shed walls using LP® SmartSide® Panels with SilverTech®. These innovative engineered wood panels feature a radiant barrier that helps reduce the sun’s radiant energy to keep your structure cooler. Features of LP SmartSide Panels with SilverTech include:
In addition to cooling a storage shed, LP SmartSide Panels with SilverTech also feature outstanding durability and resist termites and fungal decay. They are also backed by a 5/50-year limited warranty.
For your shed roof, LP also offers LP ProStruct® Roof Sheathing with SilverTech® backed by a 20-year limited warranty.
This summer, keep your horse cooler in the heat with a quality shed built with innovative LP® Outdoor Building Solutions® products. LP shed products make your loafing shed or other outdoor structure a cut above the rest. Find LP products at a shed dealer near you.
*LP® ProStruct® Floor with SmartFinish® is not warranted for garage or barn floor applications.
Planning to refresh your home's trim and fascia? Hoping to change the exterior entirely with a full re-side project? No matter your plans, choosing siding and trim colors can be difficult. Mentally visualizing how your home will look with a new product is a challenge-and it's even tougher to imagine the amount of change even just updating trim will bring. That's where the LP® SmartSide® Home Visualizer, a siding visualizer tool, comes in. This free tool can help you explore home siding ideas to find the best siding color combinations for your home. Read more to find out how to use the tool-and why LP® SmartSide® Trim & Siding can make all the difference for your home.
Continue ReadingRe-siding your home is a significant investment and a long-term decision on your home's look. One of the first steps to siding a house is choosing a siding material that fits your needs. Being involved as you review types of siding and cost can give you confidence in your plans and peace of mind that the materials you choose are built to last. Liz Marie Galvan of the Liz Marie Blog shares her journey toward choosing LP® SmartSide® ExpertFinish® Trim & Siding for her upcoming home re-siding project.
In this hiring a contractor checklist you’ll find expert guidance in connecting with the right contractor for your re-side project, including questions to ask and quick tips.
Let’s break down the limited warranty for LP® SmartSide® Trim & Siding so you can be one step closer to choosing one of the most durable siding solutions on the market.