What are the pros and cons of using PVC trim on the entire house as opposed to a quality wood product?
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What are the pros and cons of using PVC trim on the entire house as opposed to a quality wood product? If wood, what species?
I’m not sure of what type to use. Hearing different opinions in regards to movement and times of seasons to install due to movement etc….
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I like the preprimed pine. I think if I were building a painted house that is what I would use. 10 years and going strong in my last place with very lackadaisical maintenance. If there is a water issue the pvc would work in spots[like under a valley ]
Or you could use Fiber Cement Siding, as most builders around the country are doing. FCS comes in boards, panels or trim, smooth or wood texture. You can buy it prepainted, there is very little maintenance and it’s fire, impact, mold and insect resistant. There are at least a half a dozen manufacturers in the USA, and always read their installation instructions before working with it.
We built a large beach house here in Florida and used PVC trim in lieu wood everywhere: bead board ceilings, soffits, fascia, columns, architectural details, etc. We used Azek brand.
My overall impression has been extremely positive. The biggest advantage besides being impervious to rot and insects is that it holds paint so well. I mean really well. We used Sherwin Williams Superpaint. There is zero peeling of paint anywhere on the house after 3 years. I am hugely impressed with that. The only place we accounted for with thermal expansion was the fascia boards and as long as you follow manufacturer recommendations, it will work out fine. Thermal expansion a very minor issue. We used PVC adhesive (Azek brand or Trimbonder or Bond 'n Fill) in a few places like outside corners to keep them tight and I made all the columns from sheet stock using Trimbonder and they look like they will last forever. Cutting and routing PVC is easy. The "sawdust" is clingy but not a big deal.
Yes, it is more expensive but I am extremely happy with our decision to go exclusively with PVC. I know I will be even happier with it the longer it is on our house.
PVC's only green virtue is its durability. By every other green metric it sucks. Use it sparingly if at all.
PVC is extremely expensive for marginal better performance. although it does not rot, wood will not either if installed properly and maintained. Some PVC has trouble holding paint and most of the products will tell you not to paint it dark colors due to expansion issues. we use it for brick mould at garage doors where it will come in contact with the ground and sometimes on columns or tricky dormer details that will be exposed to a lot of water.