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If you use wood, no matter what type, I would backprime, and apply the first color coat to all sides before you install the fascia. I usually set and fill all nail holes before the final coat of paint to try and eliminate any place where water can reach bare wood. I usually run dripedge up the rakes, too. It seems to keep driving rains from getting behind the fascia. All this is lot of extra work, but it has done the job for me. I’m not so sure that it’s so much the type of wood, but more design and technique. Good Luck!
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What about the synthetic stuff? Also facing this dilema this summer - I was thinking of Hardiplank, primed and painted on the ground. Hip roof, 1 story + a bit, aprox 180'. It will have seamless gutters on hangers. Not replacing roof (unless we get hail - everybody pray for hail).
TIA
Lisa
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Wow,we are really into minutuae today.Around here #2 pine works well.As long as someone else is doing the painting ,sure lets back prime and 2 coat.The fascia is really to protect the rafter tails any how and with a gutter and ODE hanger system the fascia will last longer than you need to worry about.Also IF the #2 pine needs to be replaced 70-100 years down the road its a easy job.
Put the money you save with the #2 pine into some nice details like cornice returns or water tables
Good Luck,Stephen
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Is ODE over drip edge? Had to fix some last year ...was nailed on top through the shingles, gutter had no caps or outlets, 3 stories up ..... Stephen, what do recomend for hanging gutters? Downspouts? Also, Are there any leaf guards that you could recomend? ....have run into rotted fascia due to poor gutters ....thanks ...jc
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Drip edge: under, under, under. The asphalt stuff sticks very very well to the metal drip edge -- ie, watertight -- so I felt comfortable following the manuf.'s instructions to do it this way (used WeatherWatch, which i assume is basically the same).
I think the roof/shingles should extend beyond the fascia personally. Then it hardly ever gets wet. Who needs aluminum?
*I tacked up a couple strips of Hardiplank and primed though it was (sort of) preprimed, and I like the look. Because it ain't wood, I was able to blind nail it, and feel comfortable extending it to the ground despite the backsplash problem. I do think the planks shouldn't be stuck together or they would trap water ... the nails heads seem to preserve a small space.
*In our current house I used #1 PT SYP 2x6 for fascia. I included a 1/2 X 1/2 dado groove to accept perforated vinyl soffit for continuous ventilation. In this area (NW FL)the squirrels and woodpeckers seem to love redwood and cedar and don't seem to like the taste of arsenic pressure treating. In earlier homes I've suffered with flimsy 3/4" fascia and would never use less than a 2" thick board. Not a pro but very picky!
*Thanks. Got the FHB book and these ideas are consistent.Dennis
*I strongly disagree. the drip edge has to go over if you intend to run you ice guard down and over the facia boards. Otherwise you would have to wrap around the drip edge which would be quite ugly and messy.Pete Draganic
*Bill, the flimsy 3/4" fascia should always be backed up by a sturdy 2x! My 2 3/8" beats your 1 1/2" everytime.OOPs, you've notched the material down to 1"! WEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKKKK!Just kidding, take a deep breath. I like the notch idea, but I never would do it!Blue
*Why would you run the ugly (and UV vulnerable) stuff over the facsia? If you did, the drip edge would be useless anywayDon't most people use 1x facsia boards backed by a 2x studd running along the tails? That's what I did without thinking about it -- the 1x wouldn't even support a ladder very well. (These are boxed cornices.)
*That's how I framed it.-Rob
*The original facia was a 1x with a very large crown molding, gutters hung on straps - every strap nail was leaking.The fascia was original, but very spongy. The roof had one layer of cedar and two asphalt. The cedar was apparently the third cedar roof on the house based on nail counting.I agree that the drip edge/gutter detail is critical. I used an extended drip edge with the ice&water over it, then metal roofing. This is where residential metal roofs could really use some work - the gutter. Commercial "box gutters" have a large "flashing" at the top that goes up the roof about a foot, then add your starter strip for the metal, caulk and add the panels. Neglecting ice-damming and clogged gutters it is impossible for water to run off the roof and hit the facia board or gutter hanging fasteners. The problem is that a "box gutter" is a 5 x 6 square roll formed piece that looks huge and butt-ugly on a house. If these roofing people would make a "residential" looking gutter that flashed under the roof the thing would be water proof. Actually this could be used under shingles as well.-Rob
*AndrewThat i 2x stud yer referrin to is known as a rafter header, or sub fascia. . . some of us actually chamfer the top edge to let the roof sheathing hang over.
*Yeah, dat's it, da sub-fascia. I ran the sheathing over it too, these boards seem to rot so often.
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One of the problems with a site such as this is that with all the info available it gets harder and harder to make a decision.
While re-roofing my house this weekend the question of facia board material came up. The opinions were as varied as the backgrounds of the people working.
What do you guys think? Finger-jointed pre-primed cedar, SYP, redwood, white pine w/thompsons and paint, dug-fir.
I am leaning towards the fgpp cedar.
-Rob
*Rob,I've just had to replace some barges of pre-primed finger jointed cedar on a job I did 9 years ago. They had rotted out in sections ( curiously enough the rot was confined to certain sections of the board and would stop at a finger joint ).Do you blokes use metal fascias over there? We use them quite extensively here though they take some getting used to.RegardsMark
*What about the vinyl board that is out?Dennis
*Rob, Next to exterior window and door trim, the facia gets more water and sun than any other piece of wood on you house. Right?And this is your house, and I assume you are not planing on moving in the next 10-20. I therefore assume that you do not want to replace it, ever.So, you want the highest quality exterior wood that stands up to sun and water. There is only one answer- redwood. I realize that this is not environmentally friendly, but I daresay you'll use less wood if it is better wood.Cedar would be my second choice. I've never used the finger jointed stuff, so I can't opine to that.In any event, I would give it 2 coats of the best exterior oil based primer, and another 2 coats of the best latex you can buy.I don't know about you, but on my house (if I had a facia) I would only use
*If you use wood, no matter what type, I would backprime, and apply the first color coat to all sides before you install the fascia. I usually set and fill all nail holes before the final coat of paint to try and eliminate any place where water can reach bare wood. I usually run dripedge up the rakes, too. It seems to keep driving rains from getting behind the fascia. All this is lot of extra work, but it has done the job for me. I'm not so sure that it's so much the type of wood, but more design and technique. Good Luck!
*Little touches like adding a kerf/dripedge to a board, or putting the rake flashing on the right side of the tarpaper (over? eaves, under? with weatherwatch &co. the eave flashing can go under), etc. Second the recommendation of oil primer & backpriming. The prepriming quality seems not worth much.Look hard for where water can get in (incl. capillary action) or trapped, I'm convinced that's what does the real damage. Clever flashing makes a huge difference & shingle overhangs that spare the fascia from most non-wind-driven rain altogether. And gutters that overflow if ever away from the house. I bet Mr. Hazlett has tips to share.I'd hope to save the expensive woods for something nearer eye level or heavily sanded & shaped, maybe sneak some #1 pt into the high-abuse areas up high. How much are you willing to spend? Here 1x6 redwood is about $1.40.
*RobProperly edge protected by overhang of shingles, with or without drip edge,and well painted and maintained, pine works great. . . no need for exotica. The 50 year old fascia on my house is still perfect, as it has been on many old houses I've worked on with the above criteria adhered to!!! I wouldn't use finger jointed anything i anywhere.
*We use rough sawn spruce, and it holds up well. Keeping that exterior seal is the key. The first step is a thick primecoat, followed by a thick topcoat with quality latex paints/stains.Watch for the capillary problems mentioned by the knowleddgable others.Blue
*I would elect to use standard #2 pine. add a little ice guard and wrap it from the rooof and completely down the facia board for a complete watertight seal. All this super duper priming and back priming and side priming and end priming is getting a bit overdone....just like insulating and moisture proofing a house has in recent times. My opinion is that over priming a piece of wood may do as much if not more to retain moisture in a piece of wood than to keep it out. A small area of exposed wood can act like a sponge and draw in water while making it difficult for it to escape. Another problem with facia boards is dry rot where the boards will hardly keep a gutter spike in them. When building anew, I always use 2x6 as opposed to 1x6. holds up much better in the long run.Keeping out of the rain today,Pete Draganic
*Back prime, back prime , back prime. Oh, did I mention to prime the back?I have had real good results with Aqua-Lock or Benny-Moore's best LATEX primer with Moore-Glo latex trim paint. I am beginning to think that combination would allow cardboard to hold up as trim. Holds up on my boat better than the marine paints.
*My first new house was painted by my father in law. He painstakingly primed the #2 white pine. The professional painters in the neighborhood commented that his prime looked better than their finish!Most painters do not apply the paint in the recommended thickness. They wonder why they can cover so much more than the labels indicate.Paint thickness has a definite affect on the quality, and durability. My fascias were not repainted ever! They were not back primed, and thy still looked like new after 15 years! Everyone else in the neighborhood had already painted two, and threetimes, by the time I decided to cover them in aluminum (at the 20 year mark). I didn't have to replace any rotting sections, although one wedge was weak.Paint, and caulk is a must, to protect wood. Properly done, wood will last forever! If you don't believe me, come back to this forum in 1000 years, and I'll honestly tell you if my fascias are rotting!Blue
*Amatuer speaking so hold the chuckles. I am going to do my roof, as mentioned earlier, and I have decided to cover the entire area with water and ice due to low pitch. Certainteed shingles are looking to be a safe choice after listening to all of you. Now for the edges. Does the drip edge go under or over the top of the water and ice and is there a difference between edges and gables? Also, how about the idea of wrapping the water and ice over the fascia before the aluminum is put on. I hate to do things twice - and as I do the work myself or with a little help, the difference in material cost between good and average is trivial. Help please.Dennis