Wood fascia & soffit help needed
Can anyone help me with installing EXTERIOR wood trim, especially fascia and soffits? We have had a terrible time over the past four years trying to complete (on our own) a poorly designed and very badly built second floor addition to our 1950s bungalow. We have found there is a great deal of information available on most subjects, but have found nothing on running exterior trim (except for one recent article in FHB). How do we apply a nice, even wood fascia to an uneven sub-fascia? Is it better to use one of the ‘new’ wood-type products for fascia boards instead of lumber? Should they be nailed directly to the sub-fascia? Do we block out the sub-fascia to even it out? I can’t imagine trying to plane it down. We plan to use 4″ t & g cedar boards for the soffit and have been blocking out the bottoms of the eaves to level them and bring them flush with the bottom of the sub-fascia. But how do we even out the front of the sub-fascia? Are there any good books, videos or articles that would help a couple of beginners design and install wood fascias and trim???
Replies
You rip off the bad stuff and install new material. Don't cover over one problem with another problem. When the rafter tails are exposed, tack a scrap on each end, run a string all the way across that touches the tails that stick out the furthest, and nail blocks to make the ends even, horizontal and plumb. You can also snip off the longer ones, but that's a little harder. Nail on new soffit and fascia. Plastic trim is OK as long as you like the color. A lot of the finger jointed primed stuff does not hold up well. Re-prime all sides before even thinking about nailing it.
Thank you so much for your reply. Unfortunately the 'uneven' bits are 2" x 6" boards nailed end to end across the exposed cut-off ends of the trusses. Also, we already have shingles and drip-edge all round. Much as I would like to rip off the uneven boards, I don't think we can step back to this degree now. I've been reading "Running Exterior Trim" in FHbldg (Sept. 2000), and thinking I need to 'build' squared-up fascia and first soffit board on the ground and then apply it, shimming (?) where necessary to achieve a straight fascia. What do you think?? Regards, Christine
If you put another fascia on top, you possibly trap moisture and have another set of problems. If you build soffit and fascia as a unit, yes you can have a nice straight unit, but you can't get under it to shim. If the drip edge is straight, you can leave it in place (nailed to the roof anyway) and build out the new fascia to meet it. If the drip is uneven, what should be done about it? If you install new fascia it will be on top of the drip edge? Not so good. If it got nailed on, it can get pulled off. Not necessarily an easy job, but still possibly the right way. Post a picture and you can get better (and possibly correct) advice.
Christine,
Without seeing how much this is off and how straight the drip edge is I'll give a guess on how I would do it. Pull the 2x6 subfacia off with cats paw or sawzall. Pop a line on tails and cut off long ones without cutting through roof. Install 1x6 subfacia. String subfacia and wedge to straight line. Install kickers for soffit. Install 1x6 preprimed cedar facia. Might run a beveled piece of trim to hide gap in drip edge.
It's just work.
KK