Innovative Products: Modern Mill ACRE Siding

There’s a new wood alternative siding on the market, and it’s not PVC, vinyl, fiberglass, or another composite—It comes from recycled rice hulls. Mississippi-based Modern Mill has expanded its ACRE product offerings to include siding in shiplap and board and batten styles.

Though the product looks like real wood, it does not perform like it. The new recycled siding product offers the same strength and durability as Modern Mill’s other ACRE products: water, weather, and pest resistance, all while promising not to rot or splinter, contract, or expand.

Plus, it does this in addition to being friendly to the planet and supporting the local community in Mississippi. Fernwood, where Modern Mill is based, is located near a leading rice production region in the US and an area characterized by the Department of Treasury as a Qualified Opportunity Zone, with nearly half of the population living at the poverty level.

The product itself, recycled rice hulls, is green, but the factory it’s manufactured in is also a zero-waste environment, says the company. And ACRE products are phenol, formaldehyde, and adhesive-free.

While the product is atypical, working with the material is the same as regular woodworking, with no special equipment needed. And the look of the product is “indistinguishable” from real wood, the company claims. Another difference from real wood is when applying heat, the product can be molded into curves and bends, expanding possibilities.

Modern Mill offers its recycled ACRE product for decking, trim, cabinets, fencing, doors, windows, and furniture. ACRE siding is available in 12-, 16-, and 20-foot planks. It can be stained and painted.