I ahve a 2 story white colonial home. I have a bay window in the front
of my house. It is a classic colonial type bay with 45 degree angles at
the front using a big picture window in the front and smaller windows on
the sides. It is painted white with a black metal cap on top of it.
Originally the whole box was site built and the unit was sided with
plywood. Then the bay was outlined using 5/4 x 10 wood to give the bay
depth. That 5/4 wood is giving me problems in that I can't keep paint on
it and the wood then rots out.
I live in the Northeast and this bay has southern exposure. It can't
tolerate the wild swings in temperature. This is a common occurence in
my are of the country with this type of bay
My question is, is there something else I could use to outline the bay.
Possibly made of fiberglass or vinyl. I would like to keep the look
similar, but avoid the maintenance. One local contractor suggested
covering up the rotting wood with metal. I have considered that but I am
looking to completely remove the 5/4 outline wood and replace it.
Thanks
Bernie

If the problem is limited to the trim and the basic structure remains
sound, I would make the following set of guesses:
The trim is not painted on all faces before installation.
(This includes the cut ends.)
The trim is not sealed to the body of the bay or the sealant is not
maintained.
The trim is not shaped to shed water.

I would * not * wrap the trim.

There are a number of synthetic materials that one might use.
The first that comes to mind is fiber-cement.

Tom Baker

I can tell you the base of the bay is fine. The trim I am sure is not
painted on all sides other than the cut and splice sections I have done
myself. The trim is not sealed to the base very well. The trim is
definetly not shaped to shed water. That is the nature of most bays like
mine. They do not shed water well. This a big reason why I want to use
some kind of synthetic trim. To keep the bay to look the same, it will
always have a problem with water. Placing a small gutter around the top
may help, but the expansion and contraction due to southern exposure is
an issue. In a perfect world where the trim and base are kept totally
sealed at all times, I might be able to keep everything intact. But that
seems near impossible as I have tried and the problem persists.
Bernie

wrote:
If the problem is limited to the trim and the basic structure remains
sound, I would make the following set of guesses:
The trim is not painted on all faces before installation.
(This includes the cut ends.)
The trim is not sealed to the body of the bay or the sealant is not
maintained.
The trim is not shaped to shed water.

I would * not * wrap the trim.

There are a number of synthetic materials that one might use.
The first that comes to mind is fiber-cement.

Tom Baker