On 6/18/2011 3:11 PM, Tony Hwang wrote:


JIMMIE wrote:
Due to hail damage I need new gutters. Inspection of the gutters
showed I also needed new fascia boards. Is there a synthetic material
I can use in place of wood that will not rot? I dont want to ever have
to do this again.

Jimmie
Hi,
How about Aluminum cladding?

BAD idea. The fascia on this house is rotted out in several spots
BECAUSE it was clad, badly. Gutters clog and overflow, water gets
through gap between top back edge of gutter and drip edge, and runs down
behind cladding. Board stays wet pretty much all the time. Even with a
perfect cladding job, everywhere you have a screw or nail through the
cladding, you have a path for water. Previous owner had to replace
kitchen window, because water eventually started draining across the
soffit metal, and into wall around window, and rotted that out as well.
After I bought house, I stared at the one young window awhile before the
light bulb went off, and followed the water path backwards and found the
rotted wood inside the fascia cladding. I bent the edge back, and
punched some weep holes, but it is still wet a lot. If I ever get the
siding replaced, I'm gonna have to have the fascia replaced as well,
with plastic or naked (white-stained) cedar or something.

I'm not a fan of cladded brick mold and jambs on windows either, for
similar reasons. (Like siding companies always want to do, because it is
faster than prepping and painting.) Caulking always fails eventually,
and water does get in.

--
aem sends...