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Just saved 2 weeks of schedule by ordering prefinished sapele cladding. Why doesn't everyone do this?
Running a tight schedule on a custom home, 11,000 sf total, about 2,400 sf of exterior sapele cladding in a channel profile. Originally planned to field-finish after install like we always do. Then I priced out the scaffolding time + painter labor + weather delays and realized field finishing was going to in labor alone and add 10-14 days to the schedule. Called my supplier and asked if they could apply a 3-coat Sansin system to all 6 sides at their facility before shipping. They said yes, added to the material cost. So x 2,400 sf =, same as my field labor estimate but with ZERO schedule impact. Material arrived 4 weeks after order, shrink-wrapped in labeled bundles by length. My guys just clipped it up. No painter needed on site. No weather holds for finish. Cut ends get a brush coat of matching Sansin and done. The finish quality from a controlled spray environment is also better than what any painter achieves on scaffolding in 85-degree sun. Even coverage, no drips, no dry spots from wind. If you're doing ANY volume of hardwood siding, get it factory finished. The math works out to break-even or cheaper than field application once you factor labor + schedule. Only reason not to is if you're using a species/profile combo that no one stocks, but my supplier mills custom profiles so that basically eliminates that constraint too.