Sub-flooring That Can Stand Up to Weather, Moisture—and Sharks
Proof of performance is crucial for builders and contractors considering new products, and the seemingly simple sub-floor is no exception. When developing its new line of LP Legacy® premium sub-flooring, LP put the panels not just through the traditional in-house testing and industry-standard testing procedures, but also a barrage of extreme testing scenarios to see just how well they could stand up to anything Mother Nature has in store.
LP Legacy sub-flooring is APA-rated with the highest bending stiffness and is one of the strongest sub-floor panels in the industry. Packed with more resin, wax, and wood strands and made with Gorilla Glue Technology®, the sub-floor boasts superior moisture resistance that helps prevent edge swell. It carries an industry-leading Covered Until It’s Covered® no-sand warranty, as well as a Lifetime Limited Warranty that lasts as long as the home.
To truly demonstrate the product’s durability, the team put the panels through extreme conditions that go far beyond what a contractor would experience on the jobsite. Most recently, they built a shark cage partially using LP Legacy panels and immersed it in the ocean off the coast of Mexico. Crew members and LP experts took turns lowering themselves into the water inside the cage to brave one of the most feared predators in the animal world.
The shark cage remained immersed in the Pacific Ocean for 28 hours, during which time 23 sharks were sighted—the largest one weighing close to 2,500 pounds of solid muscle.
The shark test was the third in a series of Tested Extreme™ scenarios. In the first, an LP Legacy panel was sent over the edge of British Columbia’s Britannia Falls, a 70-foot drop flowing at 625 cubic feet per second. The panel then remained in the falls’ swirling wake overnight. Twenty-four hours later, when the team retrieved the board from the river, the panel showed some bumps and bruises but no signs of swelling.
In the second test, LP trekked back into the rainforest, where pro mountain bikers used LP Legacy panels to make bike ramps. The athletes showed no mercy as they rode, jumped, and pounded on the panels during a torrential storm to showcase the strength and moisture resistance of LP’s premium sub-flooring.
What does this all mean for contractors? LP Legacy offers the features and benefits builders want in a premium sub-flooring panel, including moisture resistance in severe weather, the elimination of sanding, a smooth-fitting tongue-and-groove, and much more. And it’s all backed by extensive proof of performance.
View all three Tested Extreme challenges here.
