Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Jun 13, 1999 06:58am | #1

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   Mitred is, by far, nicer. You may not find that double sided trim at Lowes. Most any siding supply house will carry it for about 10 bucks per stick (10').

   Why not use vinyl? The finish will long outlast that of an aluminum panel especially in a soffit area.

   Making the world a more beautiful place,
   Pete Draganic

1. 
   Guest_ | Jun 13, 1999 05:47pm | #2

   *Dan there is no "right" way to wrap corners only a matter of preference. I agree with Pete that miter corners look nicer but take a little more finesse to install. I use the same J-channel that's secures the soffit to the wall to make my miters. I put it back to back and pop rivet the two pieces together. In areas where wind is a factor additional framing from wall to fascia may be needed.

2. 
   Rmodeler_ | Jun 14, 1999 06:22am | #3

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   Another tip- if your soffit is continuous around the house, leave the area that is the less noticeable for last. Start at each outside 45 corner and work to the center of this area and cut the last piece to fit. This way all the mitered corners will match and the odd piece in the last section will not be that noticeable. The odds of the soffit working out even are slim to none!

3. 
   Guest_ | Jun 21, 1999 03:55am | #4

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   Dan,

   I like the miters much better and use the same back to back J trick, Just snip bend and rivet.
   And vinyl all the way . I would prefer wood of course but if your going to use anything else, I see no advantage to the aluminum over vinyl. Wolverine,Royal Crest, and Celotex all make a nice panel stay away from the home center Georgia Pac crap it won't last.

4. 
   mike_belledin | Jun 21, 1999 06:44am | #5

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   Ive always thought that aluminum soffit gives you a claener, more 'crisp' look to it then vinal especally when you have aluminum facia. But boy, there is a MAJOR price difference between the two. Are you going with 100% vented soffit?? I usually just vent a soffit every second or third peice, and have the rest solid. There is a formula for determning how much vented soffit your need, given your attic size, but I dont know what it is, anybody??

   How about starting in the center of each side, and working your way out? That way you have the same sized reveal at each corner, and the vented-to-solid peices would run more uniformed around the house.

5. 
   Guest_ | Jun 21, 1999 04:52pm | #6

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   Mike
   By starting in the middle of each run of fascia and working towards the corners would probably through off the chevorn effect vinyl or aluminum soffit produces. See Remodeler's post.

1. 
   Guest_ | Jun 21, 1999 06:25pm | #7

   *Correction: That's throw off not through off mitered corner. No more Monday morning post before second cup of coffee.

1. 
   Guest_ | Jun 21, 1999 09:17pm | #8

   *If vinyl is used, running from center out will be a impossible because you will have no nailer lock tab showing for the one direction. You can, however, do this with most aluminum I've seen. Vinyl will not be susceptable to pitting as will aluminum, especially under a soffit where the rain does not keep it clean and dirt consistently lingers and causes aluminum to pit. As for venting, it would depend on what venting currently exists in your wood soffit now. I usually remove vent covers before installing new soffit and even punch more holes in soffit as i go. A vented soffit panel does no good without airflow through the existing wood soffit.Pete Draganic

6. 
   DanBlair | Jun 22, 1999 07:47am | #9

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   Now I have another question.....
   Is there any reason not to go with all fully vented soffiting?
   I am also surprised that so many of you recommend vinyl. I always thought it looked little cheep.
   I'll take another look.
   Thanks for all your help.
   Dan

7. 
   Guest_ | Jun 24, 1999 04:04am | #10

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   Dan,
   You can use all vented panels if you want. Cut a continous slot an inch or so wide thru the plywood soffit, and staple some screening on.Some guys drill a bunch of holes but I think this is easier, especially if you have the scaffolding up already. Make sure the attic insulation isn't blocking the air flow or you'll be spinning your wheels. There are two kinds of vented vinyl soffit panel that I'm familiar with one kind has all three ribs perforated and one has just the center rib done. I don't know where you live or what your heating and cooling seasons are but I think the general rule of thumb is 1/250th of attic floor area should be the minumum area of gable or ridge vent.

   Richard Max

8. 
   Chris_Clark | Jun 24, 1999 09:24pm | #11

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   WOLVERINE BEADED VINYL SOFFIT (INVISIBLY VENTED)
   Outstanding look, can be used with wood trim if you'd
   like, or alum. fascia. Yes the venting is invisible.

9. 
   Dan_Blair | Jun 24, 1999 09:24pm | #12

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   I am about to replace soffits and gutters on my house that has a hip roof.
   I plan to use vented aluminum soffit material from the local home center (Lowes).
   What is the best way for the soffit material to wrap around the corners? I've seen them mitered using a piece of double sided trim, and run straight to the fascia with the next piece turning the corner just butted up to it with no miter.
   Is there a "right" way to do this?
   Any comments are appreciated.
   Dan