Soffit and Fascia replacement - replace or over clad?

[rodneyja59]

Decided to have these replaced as the painting of them is getting me down. So had a company up for a quote and they recommend to "over clad" them instead of replace them.

Is this normal to over clad?

The wood is in pretty good shape, but surely its better to replace.
when I asked why they did this - its cheaper came the reply. Fine, but what are the long term effects?

advice pleasE?

 

[k2kris]

Its a bit of a personal preference issue. But would look at aspects such as access for painting & maintaining as the basis of a decision. Does your property look good with a nice deep painted timber eaves?

I would recomend overclad purely on a maintenace basis. Using suitable PVCu is a good choice as long as it is properly installed & a good quality material you can almost install & forget.

I would recommend a bigger manafacturer such as "EuoCell" or "Swish" that are ISO 9001 installers & approved by BBA (British Board of Agrement).

Remember though that if a listed building or in a conservation area you will need permission from the LA.

Kris
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[rodneyja59]

But is to over clad the wood better than to replace with cladding (removing the wood)?

 

[k2kris]

I can see no real problem with simply over cladding the existing wood as long as it is not rotten.

Why take down a structurally sound peice of wood? The economics of it say just leave & use thinner sheets to overclad so that it is purely cosmestic

 

[Johnboy54]

Just done mine with the overclad method. Big mistake! The slate tiles now don't overhang the new guttering enough because of the thickness of the existing wooden fascia, thus rain misses the gutter in places. On my new extension I made sure the tiles overhung properly. I also let the felt - and a layer of Visqeen - run into the gutter. I've now had to lay a strip of Visqeen under the slate tiles to bridge the gap. I agree that there's no problem with overcladding sound wood, just make sure the tiles carry the water into the gutter. I used Visqeen because it was the only thing thin enough to get under the well-nailed slate tiles. If you remove the wooden fascia, the tiles should overhang the same - if they did before.
John

 

[oilman]

............Using suitable PVCu is a good choice.................

Rant Start:

PVC is a bloody environmental disaster. It's a very high energy input product, with a comparitively short life, and it cannot be repaired. It is a disposal nightmare, and contains heavy metals. Its ONLY benefit is it is cheap to buy. What a way to make a decision for a building that should last well in excess of 100 years.

Rant End.

Johnboy54, there are paints that don't need a lot of reworking and will last for years without having to adhere to a stringent application method. Dulux Weathershield is a satisfactory paint when put on properly, but properly is quite difficult IMO. Try here and see if this will help.
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moderator

edited to correct link

 

[k2kris]

"PVC is a b****y environmental disaster" - slightly strong & exagerated?!

If you add together all the factors this is not necessarily true. Research undertaken in the EU & also extensivly in Japan has suggested that when used appropriatly it can have environmental benefits over lifecycle of the property being inescess of 50 years, which even the best paints, which also take up large amounts of energy, resources etc will never last. Especially now as the industry has now realised the negative press associated with the product has kick started recycling.

Linseed paints can obviously be used & good luck to anyone wishing to try I would be interested to see the results. Sound preperation is the key, as always in decoration!

Admittadly I refuse to specifiy PVCu below ground now, prefering to use clay pipes as an alternative that is well documented. I agree there are alternatives that I would prefer to use timber from sustainable sources.

 

[kevplumb]

Rant Start:

PVC is a b****y environmental disaster. It's a very high energy input product, with a comparitively short life, and it cannot be repaired. It is a disposal nightmare, and contains heavy metals. Its ONLY benefit is it is cheap to buy. What a way to make a decision for a building that should last well in excess of 100 years.

Rant End.

calm down dear it's only a post

 

[oilman]

Calm down it's only a post

(Or therabouts).

In which case it would be better made of wood.

k2kris, you could see the results of linseed paint at Holkham hall, Norfolk. They run visitor days, I think you might find it interesting.

 

[kevplumb]

like it

 

[Johnboy54]

Wow! Hell of a heated response here!
Can I ask -
How long does linseed based paint take to degrade?
PVC?
Clay pipes?
Wood?
If we're thinking environmental, then wood must win every time.
Wood's fine for fascias and guttering, in an environmental context, if sealed with oil, etc.
But, how far can you take the environmental concerns?
Wooden sewerage pipes cannot be an option, surely?
Where do you draw the line?
It's a fine, narrow one, that's easy to cross for the sake of cost and simplicity.
I'd love to be environmentaly friendly all the time, but not if it means replacing underground wooden sewer pipes every 20 years or so.
I'm typing this on a wooden keyboard, by the way.

 

[breezer]

I'm typing this on a wooden keyboard, by the way.

looks like

this does it? complete with wooden monitor and mouse

 

[Johnboy54]

I want one! Beautiful.
Any idea on the mortgage needed?

 

[breezer]

I want one! Beautiful.

the picture is real, it is not edited, they really are available, quick search on google if you really do want them.

personally i think its ugly, bit like the old nokia expresson cover that vageuly looked like wood

 

[Johnboy54]

A snip at only £3500.
Think I'll get 2, just in case the woodworm moves in.