Every year, the BUILDER Brand Use Study investigates which manufacturers builders across the country turn to the most, and ranks the companies based on a number of factors, including the brand’s familiarity, the quality of products, and how many builders cite the company as their “most used brand.” The study focuses on 51 categories of the home, from structure to finishes and everything in between. In the following chart, we present the top brand in each of those 51 categories.

For additional information on these companies, click through the interactive table below that connects with our Manufacturers Directory.

To view all of the data collected in the 2017 BUILDER Brand Use Study, download a PDF of the full survey results here: 2017 Brand Use Study Summary and Results

Product Category Brand Familiarity Brand Used in Past 2 Years Brands Used Most Quality Rating
Bath Fixtures and Accessories Delta / Kohler Kohler Kohler Kohler
Bathroom Ventilation/Fans NuTone NuTone Broan / NuTone Panasonic Eco Solutions
Cabinets: Semi-Custom, Custom and Stock KraftMaid Armstrong KraftMaid Cabinetry Wood-Mode
Carpet Mohawk Shaw Shaw Shaw
Caulks/Sealants Gorilla Glue GE Silicones, Sealants, Adhesives GE Silicones, Sealants, Adhesives GE Silicones, Sealants, Adhesives
Central Vacuums NuTone NuTone NuTone Beam Central Vacuum System by Electrolux
Ceramic Tile Daltile Daltile Daltile Porcelanosa
Closet/Organization Systems ClosetMaid ClosetMaid ClosetMaid California Closets
Decking: Composite/PVC Trex Company Trex Company Trex Company AZEK Deck
Decorative Moldings & Columns: Exterior CertainTeed HardieTrim (James Hardie) HardieTrim (James Hardie) Permacast (HB&G)
Decorative Moldings/Trim/Columns: Interior Fypon Fypon Fypon Enkeboll Designs
Doors: Garage Overhead Door Overhead Door Overhead Door Wayne Dalton
Doors: Entry, Interior JELD-WEN Therma-Tru Doors Therma-Tru Doors Therma-Tru Doors
Doors: Patio/Wide Window Openings Andersen Andersen Andersen Andersen
Electrical Systems/Load Centers GE Appliances Square D by Schneider Electric Square D by Schneider Electric Square D by Schneider Electric
Exterior Foundation Waterproofing (Construction Phase) TUFF-N-DRI (Tremco) TUFF-N-DRI (Tremco) TUFF-N-DRI (Tremco) WATCHDOG (Tremco)
Engineered I-Joists Boise Cascade Trus Joist (Weyerhaeuser) Trus Joist (Weyerhaeuser) Trus Joist (Weyerhaeuser)
Exterior Wall Sheathing Dow Styrofoam Dow Styrofoam ZIP System Wall Sheathing (Huber Engineered Woods) ZIP System Wall Sheathing (Huber Engineered Woods)
Faucets Kohler Kohler Kohler Kohler
Fireplaces Heatilator Heat & Glo Heat & Glo Vermont Castings
Flooring: Laminate, Vinyl, Wood Armstrong Armstrong Armstrong Armstrong
Garage Door Openers LiftMaster LiftMaster LiftMaster LiftMaster
Generators Generac Generac Generac American Honda
Housewrap Tyvek (DuPont) Tyvek (DuPont) Tyvek (DuPont) Tyvek (DuPont)
HVAC Carrier Carrier Carrier Mitsubishi Electric / Trane
Insulation Owens Corning Owens Corning Owens Corning Owens Corning
Kitchen Appliances GE Appliances GE Appliances GE Appliances Wolf Appliance
Laundry Appliances GE Appliances Whirlpool GE Appliances Bosch Home Appliances
Lighting Halo Halo Halo Halo
Lighting Controls/Switches Leviton Leviton Leviton Lutron
Locksets/Hardware Kwikset Kwikset Kwikset Baldwin Hardware
Manufactured Stone Eldorado Stone Eldorado Stone Eldorado Stone Eldorado Stone
Oriented Strand Board Georgia-Pacific Georgia-Pacific Georgia-Pacific Advantech (Huber Engineered Woods)
Paints/Stains/Varnishes Sherwin-Williams Sherwin-Williams Sherwin-Williams Benjamin Moore
Roofing: Asphalt/Fiberglass Shingles CertainTeed GAF (including Timberline) GAF (including Timberline) GAF (including Timberline)
Roofing: Clay/Concrete/Synthetic Tiles CertainTeed CertainTeed CertainTeed CertainTeed
Roofing: Metal American Building Components (ABC) American Building Components (ABC) American Building Components (ABC) Metal Sales Manufacturing
Shower Doors/Surrounds Kohler Kohler Kohler Kohler
Siding: Brick & Brick Veneer Eldorado Stone Eldorado Stone Eldorado Stone Glen-Gery
Siding: EIFS/Stucco Dryvit Systems Dryvit Systems Dryvit Systems Omega Products
Siding: Engineered Wood LP SmartSide LP SmartSide LP SmartSide LP SmartSide
Siding: Fiber Cement HardiePlank (James Hardie) HardiePlank (James Hardie) HardiePlank (James Hardie) HardiePlank (James Hardie)
Siding: Insulated/Vinyl CertainTeed CertainTeed CertainTeed CertainTeed
Surfacing: Laminate/Quartz/Solid Surfaces Formica Formica Formica Staron Quartz
Underlayment Durock (USG) Durock (USG) HardieBacker (James Hardie) Schluter-Systems Inc. (Canada)
Wallboard Sheetrock (USG) Sheetrock (USG) Sheetrock (USG) Sheetrock (USG)
Water Heaters Rheem A.O. Smith A.O. Smith Rinnai
Windows: Fiberglass Integrity from Marvin Windows and Doors Integrity from Marvin Windows and Doors Integrity from Marvin Windows and Doors Integrity from Marvin Windows and Doors
Windows: Vinyl JELD-WEN JELD-WEN JELD-WEN YKK AP
Windows: Wood & Clad-Wood Andersen Andersen Andersen Marvin
Windows: Skylights/Roof Velux Velux Velux Velux

METHODOLOGY
The BUILDER Brand Use Study is sponsored by Hanley Wood, publisher of BUILDER, and conducted by The Farnsworth Group, a leading industry market research firm. The survey was conducted online and included Hanley Wood subscribers classified as “builders, builders–developers, or general contractors.” The data was collected from November 2016 through January 2017 and is based on 936 qualified responses.

Download the full 2017 Builder Brand Use Study report here.