Hi guys I haven't fitted too many uPVC facia boards and wondered what your thoughts are on the best way to fit them. I'm doing a new build and I'm wondering whether to fit 18mm thick facias direct to the rafters or if to fit 18mm exterior grade malayan ply to the rafter feet and then use 9mm cap over facia. As its a new build I can do either. I like the idea of using cap over facia as you can use much smaller poly top nails. The big ones required to fix 18mm facia look ugly. Thanks in advance, Andrew
Definitely ply first, it wasn't necessary, but I always would give the ply both sides & ends of joists a coat of Wood Preserver, something like Everbuild Wood Preserver, gave me peace of mind against dry rot, wet rot,etc in years to come.
I prefer a subfascia, in this case ply, as it's easier to get your fascia line absolutely straight as timber doesn't bend/more rigid than upvc, so you can fix the capping board straight on provided you've lined it through accurately. However ugly big polytop nails look, you don't really see them at ground level remember.....
which type of ply to use Jord86. WBP malayan okay? Most of the specs from the uPVC manufacturers say to use Marine ply but that costs a fortune.
Why can you not use timber I.E 8x1 or whatever width is required,all it needs is a couple of coats of primer. It would be less work than cutting up ply and a lot longer lengths than 8 feet so less cutting to rafter centres.
No reason why not at all. Better to have it treated or add preserver only(instead of painting). Mr. HandyAndy - Really
is using backing timber and capping a better detail than using the thicker uPVC directly fixed to the rafters?
The thing I don't like about the chunky fascia straight to rafters is you usually have to fix with 60mm polypins, into end-grain rafter ends, limited to 2 pins(for appearance) whether they work or not. Then you need to fix the guttering to the fascia(expanded/extruded foam) which can be weighty if blocked or full. Whereas with the wood behind, you can whack some good 3inch nails in(as many as you like), use one 40mm pin to fix 10mm fascia, then the guttering gets screwed right through into the wood as well, also holding the fascia. With the wood behind you can fix whatever you like to it. Much stronger. Mr. HandyAndy - Really
Well yeah, but you shouldn't really rely on the fascia alone to support the gutter, should try to aim to screw brackets into the rafters tails for peace of mind.
Hence why I said try, I appreciate it ain't always possible, I use long screws to try to catch the tails, or as I earlier wrote in this post, prefer fitting a subfascia.
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