Painting over fascia boards

[ade2k]

I am going to replace my gutters at the weekend as they are in a poor state so I am going to paint my fascia boards. Any tips on the correct way of painting them. They are brown with some bits of paint peeling but the wood is in good condition.
Thanks ade

 

[misterhelpful]

Remove all flaking paint back to a sound surface - you may find that you will be better off stripping it all with a heat gun if there is a lot.
If you can get away with just removing patches, you can use a fine surface filler (exterior grade) to feather in the paint edges.
Sand the filler smooth, then lightly sand the entire surface to provide a good key.
Wipe dust with a damp cloth, and apply two coats of combined exterior primer/undercoat to the bare wood. If you are sticking to a dark colour it would be better to use a seperate primer and darker undercoat. (Oil based are better for exterior work but most water based products are suitable.) It isn't essential to undercoat the existing paint, but it will give you a more even finish.
Apply your chosen topcoat - two coats are usually better than one, but you may wish to use a one coat paint which will be fine.