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Advice on repairing rotten fascia miters

sleddriver | Posted in Construction Techniques on July 23, 2008 12:23pm

I’m ready to get after this problem and solve it.

The fasias & rakes on my 5/12 pitch roof are made of rough cedar, approx. 1-3/4″ x 5-1/4″. The facias aren’t plumb, but 90deg to the roof deck. Over the years the miters have opened up, and on two, the bottoms have rotten out.

I fixed one bad one by cutting out all the rotten wood and replacing it with new. It was a pita.

These others I’m looking at using either epoxy or fiberglass. I’ve also seen the ad in FHB for Abalon?, sounds like epoxy.

My thinking is on the bad ones (where the bottom is rotten out), to build a non-sticking form of some sort, attach it with drywall screws, kick off a batch of epoxy or ‘glass and pour it in from the top to fill up the cavity.

I could also add some filler, chopped mat or micro-balloons or even use Bondo, mix it to peanut butter and fill it in that way, but this might leave voids, which I want to a-void.

I also read somewhere about drilling holes into either side of the fascia, going deep enough to hit solid wood, then gluing in a similiar sized dowel and trimming it to length. This would make for a stronger joint, take up some volume to reduce the amount of resin needed and keep it from just being a ‘plug’.

Any suggestions? Send ’em on . . . .

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Replies

  1. sleddriver | Jul 23, 2008 01:00am | #1

    Here's some photos. Just realized I doubled one, oops.

    1. arcflash | Jul 23, 2008 02:26am | #4

      Epoxy is expensive. MiraTec is not and I am a big fan of it. I tried not to like it, telling everyone that it was just a new generation press-board with factory primer on it. Then I had to replace the 5/4 x4 MiraTec boards that trimmed the windows of my house because I couldn't get them weatherproofed the way that I wanted (terrible job by the siding contractor, but that's another thread). The boards had been up for about three years, and I had been weatherproofing them quite often in that time (see above parenthesis). They looked OK on the outside, but I was confident that I would find extensive damage once I dug into them. No such luck! I was, in fact, quite surprised at how well they had held up, even though water (not that much, mind you) had obviously gotten behind the trim in some areas over the last several years. I made a workbench top out of the leftovers, and it too, has held up outside in the weather better than most other material that I could have used. Its not perfect though, and just like any other trim material it will suffer from neglect. Some of my neighbors have MiraTec  that they have neglected, and it looks to be in not-so-great shape. I bought a 4/4 x6x16 board, pre-primed, for $15 at my lumberyard.

      Edited 7/22/2008 8:07 pm ET by arcflash

  2. bc | Jul 23, 2008 02:13am | #2

    im in a similar situation to you... curious to see what the responses are. Was thinking about going the epoxy route.

    1. Jim_Allen | Jul 23, 2008 02:22am | #3

      My response is much simpler than epoxy. Repair the wood. Fill any open cracks with flexible and paintable caulk. Paint it well with a latex paint. Keep it painted. The skin of the paint should never be broken. If it is, caulk it closed with a flexible exterior siding caulk. With this system, water never gets in to do any damage. Check once a year for caulk touch up issues. It will take you ten minutes to walk around and hit any area that looks like it's opened up. Paint again when the paint starts to fade, chalk or crack or ten years, whatever comes first. If you follow that routine, you're wood will outlast you without any expoxy. The thing I see is that your paintjob was at least 5 years overdue...maybe more. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07

  3. User avater
    Jeff_Clarke | Jul 23, 2008 07:12am | #5

    Here is the system to use - http://www.advancedrepair.com/architectural_epoxy/artssystem.htm

    Scrape and cut back to sound wood.

    Remove the ferrous fasteners.

    Screw in stainless screws or siding nails that will fall in the plane of wood.

    Treat with Primatrate -    View Image

    Finish with Flex-Tec HV - View Image

    Read testimonial here - http://www.advancedrepair.com/architectural_epoxy/architectural_epoxy.htm

    Texture the epoxy before final cure to look like rough cedar (easy) and paint after cure.

    Your investment will be about $200, including a $125 +/- special 2-part caulking gun

     

    Jeff



    Edited 7/23/2008 12:13 am ET by Jeff_Clarke

  4. toolbear | Jul 23, 2008 09:42am | #6

    You have a nice case of brown cubical rot. Very popular.

    It can be repaired with epoxy. There are a number of systems. Sure don't suggest bondo for anything exposed to weather. Polyester resin does not stick to wood that well. Epoxy does.

    I like and use the WEST system both on my boat and on the job. They have metering pumps which make it very fast and easy to get the right proportions the first time. Just push each pump the same number of strokes and mix. Add micro balloons, milled fibers, sawdust, whatever.

    <http://www.westsystem.com/>

    FHB archive has some articles by (?) John Michael Davis in New Orleans who does these repairs.

    The ToolBear

    "I am still learning." Goya

  5. YesMaam27577 | Jul 23, 2008 03:02pm | #7

    Cut it out and replace it again, but this time do two things differently.

    1. Use a rot proof material like fiber-cement, or PVC.

    2. Find out where the water is entering -- its coming from above, causing the miters to start the rot process, and then to open.

    Oh, and while you've got the facia opened up for repair, check the subfacia for signs of water. I'll bet its been there too. And maybe even on/in the soffit boards.

    Good luck.

    Politics is the antithesis of problem solving.

    1. sleddriver | Jul 24, 2008 08:34pm | #8

      Thanks for all the replies.I've researched several epoxys, price varies widely. I saw the thick paste that mixes as it's squeezed from a caulk tube, ingenius! Bondo is out, too inflexible. Filling in something from the bottom is fighting gravity, so I'll remove some of the roofing & deck and go in from the top, using a reusable greased form below to keep the epoxy from running out the bottom. If I use a piece of rough cedar or hardiwood for the form, it'll leave its impressions in the epoxy, helping to disguise the patch.With daytime temps hovering near 100, I'll have to store the epoxy indoors to get any decent pot life, even with slow hardener.In several corners I inspected, the decking didn't completely cover the fascia. In one case, it was short enough to leave a gap where I could put my finger into the attic! Just shoddy construction . . . I want to fix this first before the new roof is put on. I'll post some pictures

      1. arcflash | Jul 25, 2008 04:15am | #9

        Good luck with the roof and epoxy.

      2. User avater
        Jeff_Clarke | Jul 25, 2008 04:20am | #10

        Using Flex Tec HV, they provide helical mixing nozzles but they create too much back pressure (too slow) for major repairs.

        What I use is a plexiglas hawk - or even just a piece of plex (or plastic) upon which to mix.   It doesn't stick at all well to plastic, so you can easily form, for instance, an inside corner with some pieces of PETE or whatever cut from plastic items (staple to the fascia).  If you use two pieces to form the back side and a piece on the bottom you should have no trouble finishing it leaving the other (exposed) side unformed.

        You want to make sure to fully mix for at least 5 minutes - more in cooler weather.   Use plastic spackle tools for all operations - again it doesn't stick well to plastic and metal tools will tend to pull epoxy out of filled areas.   By inserting a few ss screws, you pre-reinforce the area.   You can also embed aluminum angle or flat stock in such repairs for very high strength - I wire brush the aluminum first for good bonding.

        A really great trick for rotted sills (a common problem) is to cut a piece of plex the exact size of the sill, butter up the repair and embed the plex in the top, moving it a little to eliminate air pockets.   The next day you can pop it off and have a pretty smooth surface to prime (or fill minor areas with wood filler).

        Jeff

        Edited 7/24/2008 9:25 pm ET by Jeff_Clarke

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