Replies

1. 
   wideeye | May 23, 2006 07:56pm | #1

   Covering trim with metal is one of the more enjoyable aspects of installing siding. Not hard at all. The guy that showed me how said "all you're doing is covering stuff up". It's not always that simple but there's alot of truth to that statement. It is easy to bend your stock the wrong way if ya don't pay attention. I like to make a small test piece if a part has multiple bends. Keep a sharp blade in your knife and you'll do fine.

1. 
   Chainfall | May 24, 2006 03:16pm | #3

   Thanks for your help

1. 
   averagejoe | May 25, 2006 06:16am | #4

   Don't do it....Sorry metal guys, I'm not trying to question your competency, or the skill with which you work. Along with the periodic hack job, I have seen some impressive metal work which deserved resect for the neatness of their details, and the obvious care with which it was installed. And although I personally don't care for the look, I can be persuaded that there may not be any strong functional reasons to not use metal for facia and soffits. But other trim...I have come accross far to many windows with completely rotted out sills beneath metal trim wrap. We all know as contractors that some of the weakest points in a buildings' envelope (at least as it pertains to water penetration) are the siding / windows / trim intersections. I would suggest that metal trim wrap reduces our ability to evaluate the condition of these intersections over time, and reduces our ability to see potential early warning signs (premature paint failure, staining, excessively moist wood trim, etc.) that there may be a problem. IMHO, we have better building products and practices today that can really reduce the required maintainence of a structure, without covering things up with metal. Some would make the arguement that things like vinyl siding and metal wrapped trim and other similiar low cost building practices have helped to allow for home ownership for more people. I would argue that they just allow the same number of people to own bigger houses. Better products, practices, and details suddenly would be in the budget if the houses being built today were not 30 - 40% larger than those built 20 years ago. I'm not trying to be overly political or snobbish, I'm just advocating building for a time frame beyond the 7 years the average person stays in a house.

1. 
   huddledmass | May 25, 2006 07:45am | #5

   so...building with metal bad for longevity...building with wood good for longevity?"I hate quotations.  Tell me what you know"  Ralph Waldo Emerson

1. 
   averagejoe | May 25, 2006 03:55pm | #7

   The problem is we're not talking about building with metal, we're talking about building with wood (and soft, non-rot resistant wood at that), and then covering it up with site bent and attached metal flashing. All kinds of nasty things could be going on under the metal (and often are), and your typical homeowner is none the wiser until things start falling off the house.

2. 
   huddledmass | May 26, 2006 01:32am | #8

   i always ran a bead of caulk behind the flashing and a bead where it met the window.  Putting capping on the window probably means you aren't ripping the frames of the old window out....therefore it is probably not a problem area.  We always made sure our bottom piece of capping had a slope to it.  What is the other option...painting the wood trim every five years...with of course a petroleum based product....the painting never gets done and the wood goes to hell....and then the sill.  I say the metal trim is the best way as long as it is sealed with a high quality sealant.  It acts in the same way as if it were wood brickmould....which is of course only as good as it's sealant.

    

    

   "I hate quotations.  Tell me what you know"  Ralph Waldo Emerson

   Edited 5/25/2006 6:39 pm ET by huddledmass

2. 
   Craigabooey | May 23, 2006 10:11pm | #2

   Nobody ever taught me how to use a brake, except for a quick tutortorial from my dad on how to lock the thing. I learned all myself by practicing. One tip I have is when you make your marks on the coil stock, put a little snip with aviation snips instead of a pencil mark, that way when you flip the stock over (and you WILL have to) you already have your mark. Its really not  hard, like the last post said "it really is enjoyable"

1. 
   caveman | May 25, 2006 03:19pm | #6

   Good point because marking bare aluminum with a lead pencil is bad news. The carbon-graphite in the pencil, if it gets into the surface of aluminum, will act just like a dissimilar metal and cause corrosion and pitting, and inter-grannular corrosion.  Carbon has a galvanic potential just like any metal does, and it is different from aluminum.