This Memorial Day Weekend, Make the Most of Outdoor Living Spaces

The unofficial start of the summer season, Memorial Day is a time to kick back and relax in the backyard, swim in a newly opened pool, have a barbeque, and participate in outdoor recreation activities. Many homeowners also mark the holiday by firing up the grill, pulling lawn furniture out of storage and thinking about ways to spruce up the exterior of their homes.

CertainTeed Corporation, North America’s leading brand of building products, offers complete lines of decking, siding, roofing, railing, exterior trim and fence products to help homeowners create beautiful and lasting curb appeal, as well as sustainable and low-maintenance outdoor living spaces. To get the most out of your yard this Memorial Day, CertainTeed provides the following tips:

Gather around the fireThere may be nothing as inviting as an open fire, which brings people together with storytelling and laughter. Fire pits can also serve as a focal point in an outdoor landscape design, and are a popular and relatively affordable way to create a central gathering spot in a backyard or patio. For larger spaces, a custom outdoor fireplace might be an option.

Prep the deckTransform a deck into an inviting space for entertaining by adding comfortable furniture and fun accessories, creating separate zones for grilling, dining, and lounging. Water features are also a favorite, adding interest and privacy while disguising unwanted background noise. In addition, shading features like an umbrella or pergola can keep the area cool and comfortable.

Energize the exteriorCreating dynamic curb appeal requires exterior siding and roofing products that give a home its personality. Choose bright, primary colors to create a vibrant mood or incorporate warm hues and woodgrain textures for a cozy, rustic appeal. CertainTeed offers unsurpassed Freedom of Choice™ with a wide array of exterior building products in durable materials that are designed to mix-and-match with each other and feature authentic textures, versatile styles and rich color combinations.

Paint or replace your front doorSpeaking of the perfect hue, a pop of color on a front door with a fresh coat of semi-gloss can also make a home’s entrance stand apart from neutral neighbors. Check for any homeowner’s association restrictions, then pick a color, grab a paintbrush and get painting. Be sure to prime first for extra durability.Need help selecting the perfect color? Use online tools like CertainTeed ColorCoach™ that guide users through the product selection process by offering professional color theory, including tips, trends and palettes that work well together.

Be energy-consciousProducts such as CedarBoards™ insulated siding, with custom-contoured foam backing can improve thermal performance of exterior walls. Or consider a sleek solar roofing system to generate electricity, like Apollo® II, which can easily be integrated into either an existing roof or with the installation of a new roof that combines solar panels and asphalt shingles.

Create ambience with lightingOutdoor lighting can set the mood and create a comfortable, relaxing atmosphere after the sun goes down. Step and path lights improve safety and add visual appeal, and solar powered lights are an easy and affordable way to accent landscaping. Also, energy efficient LED lights don’t attract insects like halogen lights.

Keep outdoor areas dryRain in the forecast? A water diversion system, such as UnderShield®, can be a real party saver; keeping patios dry by preventing water from seeping through underneath decks. An innovative outdoor ‘ceiling,’ it looks great and requires very little maintenance.For more information on CertainTeed’s Living Spaces™ collection, visit ctlivingspaces.com.

To schedule an interview about improving exterior living spaces or to obtain images, contact Victoria Gallagher of CertainTeed Corporation at Victoria.M.Gallagher@saint-gobain.com or 610-341-7944.

About CertainTeed

Through the responsible development of innovative and sustainable building products, CertainTeed, headquartered in Valley Forge, Pa., has helped shape the building products industry for more than 100 years. Founded in 1904 as General Roofing Manufacturing Company, the firm's slogan "Quality Made Certain, Satisfaction Guaranteed," quickly inspired the name CertainTeed. Today, CertainTeed® is North America’s leading brand of exterior and interior building products, including roofing, siding, fence, decking, railing, trim, insulation, gypsum and ceilings

.A subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, the world’s largest building products company, CertainTeed and its affiliates have more than 5,700 employees and more than 60 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada. For six consecutive years, the company has received top honors from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its contributions in protecting the environment and was most recently the recipient of the 2013 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award. The group had total sales of approximately $3.3 billion in 2013. www.certainteed.com