Fixing a hole in soffit

[TNDU]

I have a hole in my soffit as shown in the photo. The soffit looks to be made of chip board as the bit that fell off is also shown. There are a couple of small birds inside the loft and they have made this hole from a smaller hole!

What is the easiest way to cover this hole?

Thanks

 

[opps]

The quickest way would be cover it will 6mm plywood (screwed up).

A local timber merchant might have some offcuts that they will sell you.

 

[TNDU]

The quickest way would be cover it will 6mm plywood (screwed up).

A local timber merchant might have some offcuts that they will sell you.

My friend, who is not a roofer, says he would advise a plastic piece cut to size and stuck with glue. He says it will be easier than screws. What do you think of this idea?

 

[opps]

My friend, who is not a roofer, says he would advise a plastic piece cut to size and stuck with glue. He says it will be easier than screws. What do you think of this idea?

Yeah, that will work and will be much thinner. Not sure where you will get a small bit of perspex though.

At a push, I guess that you could cut a bit of HDPE(?) plastic from the lid of an ice cream container. I don't know how long it will be UV safe though. It might become brittle in time because of the sunlight. You could always paint it before putting it up. It will be much lighter than the ply, so the glue should suffice.

 

[TNDU]

Yeah, that will work and will be much thinner. Not sure where you will get a small bit of perspex though.

At a push, I guess that you could cut a bit of HDPE(?) plastic from the lid of an ice cream container. I don't know how long it will be UV safe though. It might become brittle in time because of the sunlight. You could always paint it before putting it up. It will be much lighter than the ply, so the glue should suffice.

I think you can buy plastic pieces on ebay. I guess as they are lighter, the wood glue would work? What sort of glue do you advise to bond plastic to the painted soffit I have now? I have gorilla expoxy glue. I think that would work well?

 

[^woody^]

Looks like you have a bigger problem of damp on the soffit the length of that chimney. You need to have the eaves felt and flashing checked, any problems dealt with and then the larger damaged section of soffit replaced.

In fact the whole soffit looks like it has blown paint so there may be a more general problem with damp from the eaves, It's not clear but the fascia looks rotten too

 

[TNDU]

Looks like you have a bigger problem of damp on the soffit the length of that chimney. You need to have the eaves felt and flashing checked, any problems dealt with and then the larger damaged section of soffit replaced.

In fact the whole soffit looks like it has blown paint so there may be a more general problem with damp from the eaves, It's not clear but the fascia looks rotten too

The roof was old and leaking so the soffit has become rotten and has been repaired in several places with patches of plywood. I had part of the roof replaced but they were cowboys, increasing the price quoted all the time, so I just wanted to get rid of them and did not want to instuct them to do the soffit replacement. The roof is now fine so I am looking to cover this hole as the rest of the soffit looks old and patched but although it looks old, it is still functional.

 

[opps]

Given how light it is , I would use a MS polymer such as CT1 (caulking gun based). Gorilla make a similar product. When you mention the Gorilla epoxy, I guess you mean the honey coloured liquid (. That will not work. The plastic will fall down instantly. It has no initial grab and it foams up as it cures (potentially pushing the plastic away).

Hot melt glue would give you instant adhesion but you would need to let the glue gun heat up and then carry it up (presumably unplugged). If you glue the plastic before going up the ladder, the glue will have hardened by the time you get up the ladder. The glue in the hot melt gun should be workable for about 3-5 minutes (possibly a bit longer).

 

[TNDU]

Given how light it is , I would use a MS polymer such as CT1 (caulking gun based). Gorilla make a similar product. When you mention the Gorilla epoxy, I guess you mean the honey coloured liquid (. That will not work. The plastic will fall down instantly. It has no initial grab and it foams up as it cures (potentially pushing the plastic away).

Hot melt glue would give you instant adhesion but you would need to let the glue gun heat up and then carry it up (presumably unplugged). If you glue the plastic before going up the ladder, the glue will have hardened by the time you get up the ladder. The glue in the hot melt gun should be workable for about 3-5 minutes (possibly a bit longer).

Thank you. I was thinking those "no more nails" may also work? This is the perspex sheet that I was thinking of getting. They cut to size as needed.

3mm thick HDPE pieces.

I also have double sided tape that people use to stick vinyl down on to the floor, which I was thinking of using to keep the plastic in place until the glue / adhesive fully bond.

 

[opps]

Thank you. I was thinking those "no more nails" may also work? This is the perspex sheet that I was thinking of getting. They cut to size as needed.

3mm thick HDPE pieces.

It weighs very little, so I would expect no nails to suffice

 

[TNDU]

It weighs very little, so I would expect no nails to suffice

It is only a small piece, 30cm x 25 cm, so as you say, it won't weigh much. It is fine to get it stuck with no more nails but whether that will hold with different temperatures as this is external. I will also be using the tough double sided tape to help hold it in place while the adhesive cures, so I think keeping it stuck short term will not be a problem, but whether it will last the seasons.

 

[opps]

It is only a small piece, 30cm x 25 cm, so as you say, it won't weigh much. It is fine to get it stuck with no more nails but whether that will hold with different temperatures as this is external. I will also be using the tough double sided tape to help hold it in place while the adhesive cures, so I think keeping it stuck short term will not be a problem, but whether it will last the seasons.

Hence why I suggested using a hot melt glue gun plus adhesives.

The Poundshop is selling a "toy" glue gun for £2 and £1 for the "toy" sized glue sticks. A (slightly) grown up version is now as little as a tenner for the gun (elsewhere). They really are underrated tools.

Edit- your tape might work, but you might need to double up the tape given that the no nails/etc will result in a glue line thicker than the single layer of tape, oh, and you will need to remove any dust from the soffit.

Best of luck