The residential siding market is getting a new player this month as startup Microposite Inc. (Auburn Hills, Mich.) begins operations. The company will produce a composite siding product that uses patented technology to combine lightweight microspheres and proprietary resins. The company says the resulting siding provides high strength and durability combined with light weight - it's 50 percent lighter than fiber cement.

Features of the siding include water resistance provided by the company's closed-cell technology, energy efficiency (R value 3.5 times greater than fiber cement) and realistic wood grain replication. The product will be available sometime in the second half of 2008.