Woodruf Masonite Roof Panel (C) Daniel Friedman

Masonite™ Woodruf™ Fiberboard Roof Shingles
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Masonite Fiberboard Roofing Shingles
Masonite Woodruf Shingle Life Expectancy & Wear Factors
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List of fiber cement & hardboard roof shingle failures, warranty claims, manufacturers
Questions & answers about Masonite & Woodruf fiberboard roof shingles, failures, warranties, class actions, inspection, maintenance, repair, or replacement

Masonite shingles: this website provides information about Masonite™ Woodruf™ fiberboard roof shingles and includes advice for home inspectors, home buyers, and homeowners where these roofing products are used

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Several hardboard-based and fiber cement based roofing products have not performed as well as originally anticipated, experienced early failure, and were the subject of roof warranty claims. Masonite Woodruff, Cemwood, Hardishake/Hardislate, CalShake and Fire Free are examples of product names that have suffered these problems. This article explains Masonite Woodruf fiberboard shingle life, failures, and warranty claims.

See WARRANTIES for ROOF SHINGLES for our complete list of roofing maufacturer contact information and various roofing claims, settlements, and warranty information. Also see AMERICAN CEMWOOD ROOFING and for similar building siding products see SIDING HARDBOARD for hardboard siding product failures and warranty claims. For information about fiber cement roofing inspection, diagnosis, repair, and repalcement, see ASBESTOS CEMENT & FIBER CEMENT ROOFING.

Reader warning: plagiarist alert: beware of Infinity Roofing & Restoration who have copied our original InspectAPedia.com ^® article below. Infinity's page http://www.infinityrooferblog.com/expired-roofing-alert-masonite%E2%84%A2-woodruf%E2%84%A2-fiberboard-roof-shingles/ (October 2010) has reprinted text from this website without permission. Notice sent 2x 10/27/2010. Only the claims lawsuit text at the very end of this document is public domain.

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Inspection of Masonite Woodruf™ Fiberboard Roofs

Woodruf™ roof shingles, a fiberboard roofing product, were a Masonite™ roofing product consisting of "pressure bonded fibers designed to resemble natural cedar roofing" sold in the United States into the 1990's and have also been found installed on homes in Canada.

Masonite Woodruf shingles were the subject of a class action lawsuit and settlement concerning the durability of this roofing product - we discuss the Woodruf roofing class action settlement below. However the Woodruf shingle claims period expired on January 6, 2009.

Our photo (left) shows how easily a Woodruf roof shingle panel can be identified if you have access to its under-side.

The roofing shingle product was produced in four-foot sections that were 12" wide and with a nominal thickness of 7/16". The actual thickness varies due to raised ridges that give Woodruf shingles the appearance of a wood shake or shingle.

Original Life Expectancy of Woodruf Shingles

While we have observed statements that the original life expectancy of Woodruf shingles was 30 years, 40 years, and even 50 years, (including some original Woodruf shingle brochures), our sources principally indicate that Woodruf shingles were marketed with a 30 year life expectancy. As of this artcle's last update (October 2010) there is no warranty service remaining on this roofing product.

Composition of Woodruf Fiberboard Shingles

The Woodruf™ shingle fiberboard was treated with a water repellant and a bonding agent to permit outdoor exposure. This product is softer than Masonite's hardboard products and to remain durable required an installation that permitted good roof drying (similar to the requirement for wood shingles or shakes). This is particularly true because the factory edges as well as any cut edges made during installation were not sealed.

Intended Use of Woodruf Fiberboard Roof Shingles

Masonite Woodruf roofing was intended for steep slope roofs and should not be installed on slopes lower than 4" of rise in 12" of run (a 4/12 roof). The shingles were to be installed over roofing felt on a sound roof deck, with a 9" shingle exposure and requiring eight nails per roofing panel.

Special Flashing Required for Woodruf Roofing Shingles

Between every Woodruf roofing panel and its abutting neighbor an alumium flashing strip was installed under the butt joint.

You can see this special Woodruf flashing strip at the bottom of the butt joint in the lower center of our photograph (left).

This strip should be 12" in length and should extend to the head or upper edge of the shingle. Flashing for shingle butt joints provided by the manufacturer included a lip at the upper edge to keep the strip from sliding out of place.

A raised ridge in the center of each flashing section acts as a spacer and allows for thermal expansion of the shingles without buckling the roof.

Common Defects and Signs of Deterioration found on Masonite Woodruf Roofs

Woodruf shingle edge delamination (C) Daniel Friedman

Buckling Woodruf shingle panels may occur if the proper aluminum flashing strips were not used at the butt joints
Cut edges in the Woodruf shingles, made to fit to rake edges, valleys, and around chimneys or roof penetrations are more likely to be deteriorated from weather exposure and water.

Swollen, delaminating Woodruf shingle material becomes soft and easily crumbles, suggesting that an on-roof inspection may further damage already-fragile or worn materials.

Our photo (left) shows typical softening and aging at the edge of a Woodruf shingle panel.
Thick, swelling Woodruf shingles may be found anywhere in the roof area, indicating material that is at the end of its life.

Woodruf shingle moss and lichens (C) Daniel Friedman

Moss, lichens, and deterioration caused by shading from overhanging trees and tree debris can substantially reduce the life of any roofing product, particularly one that may absorb moisture, swell, and delaminate when wet

Our photo (left) shows moss and lichens growing in a butt joint between two Woodruf roof shingle panels.

It appears that the desired special flashing strip may have been omitted at this location as well.

Replacements for Masonite™ Woodruf Shingles?

Question: what is an appropriate replacement for Woodruf shingle roofs?

I own a roofing company, have an insurance adjuster background, and also do roof inspections for insurance companies. My opinion on the Woodruf product is to replace it with a 30 year laminate shingle. I have another roofing company stating the Woodruf product was marketed as high quality and that it was expensive. Thus a higher quality shingle should serve as a replacement. They do not agree with my replacement with the 30 year laminate. This particular Woodruf roof is in considerably good shape considering the product, but replacement hinges on one shingle found missing during my inspection. Do you know of any Woodruf shingle replacements available, like say one shingle?

Lastly, what supportive document do you have regarding the marketing of Woodruf shingles as a 30 year product that you can share with me? - Anon.

Reply: High quality laminate asphalt shingles or cedar wood roofing?

To replace a single roof shingle for the case you mention, you might try

Removing a shingle in good condition from an area on the roof that is not visible from the ground, repairing the spot of removal using another durable roofing product.
Using a slate of similar color and thickness. You may be able to install the replacement in either case using slate hooks to minimize the disturbance to surrounding roofing.

A more general question has been brought by several readers about the appropriate roofing material to use when the entire Woodruf shingle roof is ready for replacement.

Our OPINION is that a high quality laminate roofing shingle would be an appropriate replacement for Woodruf in that case.

It may be a difficult argument to claim that the original Woodruf roof met the quality and durability expected by the building owner and that therefore its replacement should be a product of the same original cost. The durability and quality of Woodruf roofing that was anticipated by the manufacturer, roofers, and consumers was unfortunately not met, and is brought into question by the early failure issues that are well documented.

We would welcome suggestions about top-end in appearance and durability roofing products that meet the original life-expectancy claimed for the Woodruf product (and that deliver that performance).

Slate? Not likely to be technically possible due to weight and structure issues.

Wood? A close cosmetically similar roof would be red cedar shingles but there may be local fire and code issues, maintenance costs, etc. that won't appeal to some building owners, not to mention the short roof life if you install wood shingles over solid plywood decking - so is it cost justified to redesign the roof deck or add venting?.

Perhaps cement roofing tiles? Weight and appeaarnce issues. Do you know what product the other roofer wants to install?

All of the Woodruf roofing material information we have readily found is published at this website.

We are looking for early Woodruf Roof Shingle marketing brochures that included life expectancy statements - CONTACT us if you find such documents.

About the anticipated product life, we have seen life expectancy claims of 30, 40, and even 50 years but not a public document with those numbers.

We would welcome your views and added suggestions

Masonite™ Woodruf Shingle Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Information for Homeowners

Also see Masonite Woodruf® Roofing or Masonite OmniWood® Siding Lawsuit Settlement Notice - PDF file

If you qualify as an Eligible Claimant, you may be entitled to recover under the Settlement. However the claims period expired on January 6, 2009.

To be an Eligible Claimant, you must:

Own property in the United States or its Territories on which Woodruf roofing has been incorporated and installed since January 1, 1980, and have not assigned the claim regarding the alleged damage caused by Woodruf;
Be a subsequent purchaser of such property and have properly documented assignments determined to be valid under the Settlement; or
Own or have formerly owned such property and have made Prior Un-Reimbursed Expenditures as defined by the Settlement.

Eligible Claimants do not include persons, associations or entities who made claims or filed lawsuits against Defendants other than in the Smith class action, if they were represented by counsel other than Plaintiffs' Class Counsel in the Smith class action, and their claims or lawsuits were resolved by payment based upon the entire square footage of Masonite Woodruf roofing on the structure, full release or judicial action

The Woodruf shingle claims period expired on January 6, 2009. Current information about Masonite Woodruf settlement and claims assistance is available by calling 1-800-256-6990. This information is available on the Internet at: http://www.masoniteclaims.com.

If are experiencing a problem or failure with Masonite Hardboard Siding see SIDING HARDBOARD.

List of Fiberboard & Fiber Cement Roof Shingle Warranty Claims Companies & Websites

Masonite Woodruf® Roofing or Masonite OmniWood® Siding Lawsuit Settlement Notice - PDF file
Masonite fiberboard Roof Shingles & Siding: Information about Masonite roofing products is at MASONITE WOODRUF FIBERBOARD ROOFING. Contact information is at: Chicago, IL, 312-750-0900 . Cass action settlements involving masonite hardboard, omniboard, woodruff shingles. [Watch out: We found the "official" website www.masoniteclaims.com not useful - basically clicking on its links simply present advertisements - web search 09/28/2010]
Cemwood Roof Shakes: Information about American Cemwood roofing shakes and related products is at AMERICAN CEMWOOD ROOFING. Contact information is at: American Cemwood - imitation wood shakes crack, swell and discolor. The American Cemwood roofing settlement includes Cemwood Shakes, Permatek Shakes, Permatek and Permatek II. Cascade Shake, Trieste Tile, Pacific Slate, Permatek II and Royal Shake. Class action settlement site: www.cemwoodclaims.com or for help identifying Cemwood or Permatek shakes on a roof see http://www.cemwoodclaims.com/identify.html Claims administrator: 1-800-708-3266.
FireFree Plus fiber cement Roof Shakes: Re-Con Building Products roof tiles composed of 2/3 Portland Cement and 1/3 wood cellulose fiber crack, swell and discolor. Cass action settlement site: [Watch out: We found the "official" website www.firefreeclaims.comnot useful - basically clicking on its links simply present advertisements - web search 09/28/2010 & 03/01/2011]
Re-Con Building Products, Inc., a subsidiary of Stone Mountain Holdings, Inc., went out of business and into receivership in October, 2007.
Also see Fire Free Plus Roofing, 4850 SW Scholls Ferry Road # 203, Portland, OR 97225-1692, Tel: (205) 879-5420

(George Podrug provided Masonite Woodruf roofing information for home inspectors in 1999)

Defective Hardboard Siding (similar products): see
SIDING HARDBOARD
  Abatibi Siding Claims
  Boise Cascade Siding Claims
  JamesHardie HardiPlank Siding
  Masonite Siding Claims Louisiana Pacific and other hardboard siding manufacturer claims websites and contact information

Also see SIDING, ASBESTOS FIBER CEMENT and Asbestos Cement and Fiber Cement Siding & Roof Shingles at
SIDING, ASBESTOS FIBER CEMENT and ASBESTOS CEMENT & FIBER CEMENT ROOFING

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MASONITE WOODRUF FIBERBOARD ROOFING

Masonite Woodruf roofing class action lawsuit: On January 6, 1999, the Circuit Court of Mobile County, Alabama, granted final approval to a settlement in the lawsuit known as Smith, et al. v. Masonite, CV-98-2447. The Settlement provides a program for eligible claimants to recover the costs associated with damage caused by the installation and incorporation of Masonite Woodruf roofing. For more information please call 1-800-256-6990. ® Woodruf is a registered trademark of Masonite Corporation. See http://www.masoniteclaims.com and also see a law firm's Masonite Woodruf class action litigation notice.
Masonite Woodruf® Roofing or Masonite OmniWood® Siding Lawsuit Settlement Notice - PDF file
Masonite, Chicago, IL, 312-750-0900 (George Podrug provided Masonite Woodruf roofing information for home inspectors in 1999)
Thanks to roofing contractor and reader (anonymous by request) for discussing Woodruf shingle replacement options and warranty periods, October 2010.

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.

The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 2010, $69.00 U.S., is available from Carson Dunlop. The Home Reference Book is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. InspectAPedia.com ^® author/editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume.

Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss. John Wiley & Sons, 2006. ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, Hardcover: 320 pages, available from Amazon.com and also Wiley.com. See our book review of this publication.
Decks and Porches, the JLC Guide to, Best Practices for Outdoor Spaces, Steve Bliss (Editor), The Journal of Light Construction, Williston VT, 2010 ISBN 10: 1-928580-42-4, ISBN 13: 978-1-928580-42-3, available from Amazon.com
The Journal of Light Construction has generously given reprint permission to InspectAPedia.com for this article. All rights and contents are ©Journal of Light Construction and may not be reproduced in any form.
Asphalt Roofing Residential Manual,
Building Pathology, Deterioration, Diagnostics, and Intervention, Samuel Y. Harris, P.E., AIA, Esq., ISBN 0-471-33172-4, John Wiley & Sons, 2001 [General building science-DF] ISBN-10: 0471331724 ISBN-13: 978-0471331728
Building Pathology: Principles and Practice, David Watt, Wiley-Blackwell; 2 edition (March 7, 2008) ISBN-10: 1405161035 ISBN-13: 978-1405161039
Concrete Folded Plate Roofs, C. Wilby PhD BSc CEng FICE FIStructE (Author), Butterworth-Heinemann, 1998, ISBN-10: 0340662662, ISBN-13: 978-0340662663
Concrete Shell Roofs, C. Wilby PhD BSc CEng FICE FIStructE (Author),
Concrete Dome Roofs (Longman Concrete Design and Construction Series),
Handbook of Building Crafts in Conservation, Jack Bower, Ed., Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, NY 1981 ISBN 0-442-2135-3 Library of Congress Catalog Card Nr. 81-50643.
Historic Preservation Technology: A Primer, Robert A. Young, Wiley (March 21, 2008) ISBN-10: 0471788368 ISBN-13: 978-0471788362
Historic Slate Roofs : With How-to Info and Specifications, Tina Skinner (Ed), Schiffer Publishing, 2008, ISBN-10: 0764330012 , ISBN-13: 978-0764330018
Problems in Roofing Design, B. Harrison McCampbell, Butterworth Heineman, 1991 ISBN 0-7506-9162-X (available used)
Roofing The Right Way, Steven Bolt, McGraw-Hill Professional; 3rd Ed (1996), ISBN-10: 0070066507, ISBN-13: 978-0070066502
Slate Roofs, National Slate Association, 1926, reprinted 1977 by Vermont Structural Slate Co., Inc., Fair Haven, VT 05743, 802-265-4933/34. (We recommend this book if you can find it. It has gone in and out of print on occasion.)
The Slate Roof Bible, Joseph Jenkins, www.jenkinsslate.com, 143 Forest Lane, PO Box 607, Grove City, PA 16127 - 866-641-7141 (We recommend this book).
Slate Roofing in Canada (Studi4es in archaeology, architecture, and history),
Smart Guide: Roofing: Step-by-Step Projects, Creative Homeowner (Ed), 2004, ISBN-10: 1580111491, ISBN-13: 978-1580111492
Tile Roofs of Alfred: A Clay Tradition in Alfred NY
"Weather-Resistive Barriers [copy on file as /interiors/Weather_Resistant_Barriers_DOE.pdf ] - ", how to select and install housewrap and other types of weather resistive barriers, U.S. DOE
Wood Shingle Roofs, Care and Maintenance of wood shingle and shake roofs (EC), Stanley S. Niemiec (out of print)
...

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Inspection of Masonite Woodruf™ Fiberboard Roofs

Original Life Expectancy of Woodruf Shingles

Composition of Woodruf Fiberboard Shingles

Intended Use of Woodruf Fiberboard Roof Shingles

Special Flashing Required for Woodruf Roofing Shingles

Common Defects and Signs of Deterioration found on Masonite Woodruf Roofs

Replacements for Masonite™ Woodruf Shingles?

Question: what is an appropriate replacement for Woodruf shingle roofs?

Reply: High quality laminate asphalt shingles or cedar wood roofing?

Masonite™ Woodruf Shingle Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Information for Homeowners

List of Fiberboard & Fiber Cement Roof Shingle Warranty Claims Companies & Websites

Questions & Answers regarding this article

Ask a Question or Search InspectAPedia

Technical Reviewers & References

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair