am making azek faceframes, they are 10 inches wide and 6o inches tall . the vertical pieces are 11/2″ and the horizontal pieces (top and bottom) are 8″. i sort of want them to look like a flat recessed pilaster. i made a test piece using pvc glue or cement and it seems to be very strong, i want to use pl premium and galvanized 18 gauge nails, caulk the holes and paint. am i making the right moves? what about fastening a small pvc moulding? do i have to use stainless steel nails on everything? thanks for any imput and advice
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Replies
For gluing Azek, I prefer to use Azek glue. Pretty much just like plumbers' PVC cement, but dries slower. I'm as big a fan as there is of PL Premium but for gluing PVC, use PVC cement of some sort. It actually melts/welds the two pieces together, if you have good contact.
For any kind of face frame I like to use pocket screws. There are corrosion-resistant pocket screws, or if you are on the ocean you can use SS bugle head screws.
Galvanized nails or brads will work fine, as long as you aren't on the ocean. If you are then you can chance it, or go with SS nails, brads, or finish head screws.
FWIW, one of the advertised benefits of PVC trim is that it doesn't need paint, but to me a huge advantage of it is that it takes paint very well.
Is this for a lattice panel? We just did some to enclose the underside of an exterior stairway. 1x6 and 1x8 PVC trim (Kleer brand I think, maybe Koma), with cheap "trailer park" square lattice panels. My guys just finished today, I haven't seen the final product yet, but I know it's gonna look good.
18 ga nails are kind of dinky for any type of exterior trim (unless you are just using to hold the frame together while the glue cures). For installation, I'd use ss PVC trim nails which look like a ring shank siding nail that has been dipped in white paint. What's the PL for? I don't think you want to glue the frames to the building, PVC expands and contracts a great deal with temperature changes, much more so than wood. I'd be surprised if even PL Premium would bond for very long to PVC.
I'd glue up the joints with Azek brand PVC cement, maybe tacking with brads just to hold the joints together, and then nail up to a properly flashed wall.