PRESS RELEASES

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Unlike other exterior cladding materials, shake and shingle provides beautiful architectural details that add dimension and dramatic contrast to stone or clapboard siding. By popular demand, Exterior Portfolio® by Crane is adding to its extensive Portsmouth Shake® line up with the new Portsmouth Perfection Shake. This premium cladding features a deep wood grain texture for bold shadow lines and provides homeowners, builders and remodelers with another low-maintenance shake cladding option.

Homeowners across the country are discovering the rugged texture and beauty of shake cladding. Made popular in seaside communities along the East coast, shake siding is now becoming popular across the country as architects and builders alike use it as an accent to add dimension, tie gables and other exterior elements to the overall home design. Shake creates a stunning exterior that differentiates homes, while adding charm and lasting beauty.

Portsmouth Perfection Shake is the fourth addition to the popular shake family from Exterior Portfolio by Crane, which includes a variety of looks and accessories. Prior to developing the new Perfection Shake cladding, exterior design experts at Crane interviewed builders, remodelers and homeowners and found that individual shake preferences vary greatly and differ on texture. Some wanted more of a classic cedar shake appearance found in Portsmouth Shake® Cedar Shake. Others were looking for the rough-hewn texture and intense shadowing of Hand-Split Portsmouth Shake® or the scalloped straight-line shingles of Portsmouth Shake® Half Rounds.

Portsmouth Perfection Shake fills the void with a deep, wood grain texture, but with a cleaner, smoother appearance. Its seamless design with matching corners offers a very authentic appearance without the maintenance associated with wood shake siding. Each siding panel features a reinforced nail slot and perimeter locks to ensure a strong surface without unsightly seams. Portsmouth Perfection Shake has a wind load rating of up to 160 mph and is available in 13 beautiful shades. It has a lifetime-limited warranty.

This new cladding is part of the Smart Styles™ by Exterior Portfolio®, an inspiring collection of beautiful exterior design palettes, developed to ensure design accuracy, architectural detail and rich, lasting beauty. Portsmouth Perfection Shake will be available in Spring 2008. For more information about Portsmouth Perfection Shake or other Exterior Portfolio by Crane products, call 800-366-8472 or visit www.exteriorportfolio.com.



Exterior Portfolio by Crane:

Beginning in 2009, Crane Performance Siding® is changing to Exterior Portfolio® by Crane. Built upon more than 60 years of manufacturing experience and new product innovation from the Crane family, Exterior Portfolio by Crane is now the recognized leader in exterior design products and tools for architects, builders, contractors, and homeowners. Offering an extensive collection of cladding products and accents including BellaStone®, CraneBoard®, Portsmouth Shake®, and Architectural Essentials™ , to demonstrate textures, colors and styles, Exterior Portfolio by Crane is the first of its kind in the building products industry. Exterior Portfolio is committed to offering products and tools to make great exterior design a reality for all. Exterior Portfolio by Crane is located in Columbus, Ohio.

Sustainability Statement:

Exterior Portfolio by Crane is more than beautiful, long lasting exterior products for your home. We believe in a sustainable future for everyone. For you, this means a home made from environmentally preferred materials. For us, it means cladding products offering benefits such as durability and low maintenance. All of our products provide a long service life that requires no harmful finishes. Because our commitment to the environment stretches from our home to yours, we engineer sustainable benefits into our product development process through innovations such as our SmartTrack™ moisture management system and our energy-saving, Solid CORE™ insulation. To learn more, please visit www.exteriorportfolio.com.