Fake shakes

I typically steer clients away from products that are man-made reproductions because they mostly don’t come close to measuring up to the original. I find this to be true for almost all porcelain tiles attempting to be stone (with the exception of Porcelanosa). And while artificial stone veneers are often a cost effective option, I think they don’t hold a candle to natural stone, especially now that there are so many thin cut veneer stones available (Thompson’s Building Materials has my favorite selection for natural stone veneers).

So when I find a man-made product that I can’t tell is fake, I think it is worth noting. The fiber cement shingles by Nichiha are one of these products. Natural cedar shake is expensive and requires a lot of upkeep. Nichiha’s option gives the same look without repainting or restaining. They designed them to have a lot of variation so they look hand-stained, and the colors are fantastic. Dixiline is supposed to start carrying their brand locally.