facias and soffets

[raychem]

I intend to replace my facia and soffet boards.The facia is wood and in good condition the soffet is a cement/asbestos type of material.Would you replace the facia with 7mm plastic ,leaving the present wood in place and nailing the plastic on top or would you strip the lot out and replace with 18mm plastic facia and 10mm thick soffet.

 

[Porker]

I think this has been asked before and I think the pros will tell you to remove the old and replace. But my answer would be that it depends. If the wood is sound and not rotting I would consider covering the old wood. If the wood is poor I would definately remove. I helped do my uncles place (covered) 20 years ago and it still looks good and it could always be completely replaced at a later date. It will also be cheaper and less hassle to cover the old. If you intend to stay in the propert for the next 10-15 years then maybe you should replace entirely.

Just a few other tips if you do the cover up. Make sure the felt laps over the new facia. You can buy insert strips if they don't. Make sure that the extra standoff from the facia means the water will still go in your new gutters (which you will also have to replace. You should keep the soffits vented to allow airflow. Also it can be sometimes difficult to know where to fix the soffits so I would find where the joists are and mark the wall before you fit them.

My experience is that opinion is divided, some say definately don't cover over others say if the wood is in good nick it's OK. My view is that it is hassle preparing and painting so even if the cover over were treated as a "paint job" I would probably rather do that

 

[raychem]

Thanks for the info porker ,cheers