i'm replacing a fascia board on my house. it never dries out and regular lumber rots in a few years. its a 1x6 i think. i attach the gutter to it. lowes sells 1x pvc boards. is this suitable for this app? can you screw into them like regular lumber? any info is appreciated and any alternative (but cheap) suggestions are welcome. this is a house i built myself and have been living in it for 14 years.
pvc boards
- Thread starter randy41
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EddieWalker
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The PVC is great for wet areas!!! The only thing you need to worry about is that it doesn't have any real strength to it, so you need to attach it to something solid. A fascia should have solid wood behind it for strength to support it. For the gutters, you will need to go all the way through the PVC to secure them. Be sure the flashing is good so no water can get behind it and you shouldn't have any more issues. I use James Hardie 1x6's for my fascia for the same reason, with the same considerations. The advantage PVC has is that if the paint comes off, you don't have to worry about it rotting. If the Hardie is exposed to a lot of moisture without any paint, mold will grow on it and it begins to break down.
Use good quality exterior deck screws to attach it, then clean up the edges of the hole from countersinking the screw with a razor or chisel and fill with a quality caulking or exterior putty before painting.
Eddie
Use good quality exterior deck screws to attach it, then clean up the edges of the hole from countersinking the screw with a razor or chisel and fill with a quality caulking or exterior putty before painting.
Eddie
kenmac
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don't know why you couldn't use it. I used treated 1x6 on mine. You'll may have to cut a grove in it so, the plywood will be able to slide in. As you may know, regular fascia already has this grove. You'll be able to screw into it just like wood. I believe this material will have rounded edges instead of square or flat edges
s219
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I am a big fan of PVC, with some caveats. 1) low strength as mentioned, including the ability to retain screws; 2) higher cost; 3) needs paint or will degrade with UV exposure; 4) will expand/contract with temperature, so be careful with long boards or long runs.
Done right, it will last forever and save money in the long run.
Done right, it will last forever and save money in the long run.
Gary Fowler
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I am a fan of Hardie Plank which is what I used on all the eaves and deck ceilings for my house. It holds paint well, doesn't rot like wood and doesn't expand and contract like PVC siding does and it looks like wood grain if you get that kind. It does not have a lot of holding strength either (likely less that the PVC) so any attachments need to be into the roof joist rather than just to the facia board
QRTRHRS
Elite Member
Fine Homebuilding magazine has had some good articles on using PVC. I have all of my back issues packed away somewhere as I work on my house but you might access them online.
Rustyiron
Super Member
You can not fasten a gutter to PVC trim boards alone, and if your boards are truly rotting in a few (2-3) years, you have other problems with your roof system. Do you have signs of moisture in your soffits, ceiling or wall? PVC is good stuff, and fine for gutters when installed over a 2X sub fascia.
after reading all this i'm staying away from pvc. the problem with this part of the house is that there's a lot of ice on the roof and in the gutter sometimes in the winter and thats a lot of weight on the gutter. this is the first time i would be replacing this board in 14 years. the span is 16' there and i replaced the right side 8' a few years go. now i have to replace the left side. looks like it'll be treated 1x. the way my house is built there's not a lot of choice to fix it without some more major work. no problem with interior leaking/rotting...this is all outside. the roof is metal screwed into 1x nailers laid over 3 layers of eps which is on top of 2x pine decking. the fascia board covers the eps where it is exposed at the edge of the roof. all this occurs at the end of the overhang outside the building walls.
Rustyiron
Super Member
Randy, If ya got room (enough metal roof overhanging) for a 5/4 x 6 p.t. deck board rather than a p.t. 1x that would give you a little better support for your gutter and pretty cheap also. Both of those choices are not that much less $$ than a real p.t. 2x6, again, if your metal hangs out far enough. After a couple of months, pt lumber paints ok.