I have molding applied to the top of my fascia and it is rotten in places. I live in Columbia, Sc so the weather can be on the tough side. As I was pulling down some of the molding, I noticed that there was no roofing paper under the asphalt shingle on this part of the roof (it is an addition).
Should I remove all the molding and repaint the fascia or should I replace it with PVC? Or is there another solution?
Replies
Rot
I hate to see the word and am none too pleased to see the material. For the past several yrs rot repair has been an ever increasing job opportunity.
The important thing is finding the cause so your work doesn't go the route of the previous install. Take a good look at the damaged material, it's installation and the condition of the material around it. Why did it fail? Take care of that and you can expect a long lasting repair. PVC is a good material to replace wood in areas prone to water damage over time. Definitely paint behind it b/4 you install the built up trim. If it was there as a shingle mold (drip-edge replacement), you'll want to replace it. If it's decoarative only, maybe not.
Common problem I've seen is that the material wasn't sealed properly, installed raw and then left for the painter to make pretty. Paint all sides, cuts and what it goes on. Caulk to keep water from getting behind it, but don't caulk to eliminate gaps that would let water out. It's not like interior trim where you caulk for cosmetics, you need to think about weather and the conditions you put that trim in.
A big tip on exterior trim installation is to think about how shingles are applied. Everything builds from the bottom up. Preceding courses are always covered by those higher up with proper lap and/or pitch. Example-flat sills, trims that are applied over sidings (T-111/stucco bd.) and open end cuts on vertical trim elements-these are doomed to failure-they don't shed water and rely on caulk and constant painting to even give them a chance.
I just replaced some fascia and decoative cedar beams for a customer. The joints in the rake fascia were cut on a bevel, but with the wrong end pointed up-channeled water right into the endgrain. It took 30 yrs till someone called but by then the cedar was shot as was the rough sawn ply soffit. Close to the ground? Heck no-way up there, out of sight-out of mind. The decorative beams sat in pockets along the top of a brick wall. The bottoms and sides in contact with the masonry-sopping wet and rotted. Several places along the FLAT tops of these beams were punky as well-checks in the grain pattern allowd water to collect and over time destroyed those areas.
One common element in the above-no pre-install sealing. Raw wood put up with no attention to shedding rain forever-actually allowing the wood to attract and hold any moisture thrown at it. Wood in contact with masonry-only painted on what showed, which in fact would have been better off left unpainted over the whole surface as it MIGHT have dryed out once in a while.
Sorry for the rant, but I really don't like rot repair.
I know the cause. It is hot and wet in SC and they do not use metaldrip edge there, so rain bleeds back around and keeps that piece damp.
And since you can see it from up there
Do you think there's any paint on the top, back or even on the fascia behind it?
Not likely back-primed at all