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Painting fascia and soffits and bargeboards

Posted by Adrian
December 14th, 2009

Graphic of fascia, soffit and bargeboards

What are fascias, soffits and bargeboards

Fascias and soffits boards are the part of the house that you most likely don’t look at very often, if at all. Just to explain, the fascia and soffit is the area of your property that the gutter is attached to. The underside is known as a soffit and the part with the gutter attached to it, is the fascia.
Bargeboards are fixed to the gable end of the roof to protect the roof rafters. They are just as important as the fascias and soffits and need to be painted regularly.

What should I paint them with?

If your fascias and soffits are wood and not Upvc then at some point you will need to have them painted, you can paint them in a woodstain, such as Sadolin, or Gloss such as Dulux Weathershield or an exterior satin, again by Dulux. It really depends on your preference.

Not painting the fascia, soffit or bargeboards every few years will lead to the wood rotting, and could even let water into your house or rot the end of the roof trusses and this could be a very expensive repair job!

If you live in an old property that has cast iron guttering and downpipes, paint the inside of the gutter with bitumen to help protect it. If you have plastic gutters, take them down so you can paint behind them, this is also a good time to inspect the top of the fascia. It is also a good time to clean your gutters out.

I have seen some houses that have never had their gutters taken down and the fascia is rotten behind the gutter and need new fascia’s fitting. The first they knew of it was when the gutter fell down!

Painting your fascia, soffit and bargeboards

To paint your fascias and soffits, firstly remove the gutter if they aren’t cast iron, then wash down and remove any flaking paint. Do the same with your bargeboards.
Then give them a good rub down, dust off and then, depending on what you are going to paint them with, prime if required, and then undercoat and topcoat or dust off and stain with woodstain.

You will need to do this every 5 or 6 years at least, you may have to do it more often depending on how much weather the fascia, soffits or bargeboards are subject to, intense heat and sunlight or prevailing winds may shorten the time between having to paint them.

If you look up every now and then to check the condition of the paint/stain and deal with any flaking paint or any other problem as soon as you see it will prolong the life of the wood, and you will avoid a costly repair bill.

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Posted in Decorating Tips | 7 Comments »




7 Responses to “Painting fascia and soffits and bargeboards”

  1. Rodney Hedley Says:

    Very good website , come in very handy .Thanks

    Date posted : January 16th, 2013 at 1:30 pm
  2. Harold Selbe Says:

    Keep up the good work, I have read few posts on this web site and I believe that your web site is very interesting and holds lots of superb information.

    Date posted : July 1st, 2013 at 7:47 am
  3. mike Says:

    Hi just like to know ,what type of paint for beach huts,made from wood,shiplap boards that are sited within yards of the sea,..i find your site vey helpful…many thanks.

    Date posted : October 29th, 2013 at 8:19 pm
  4. Adrian Says:

    @Mike

    I can’t recommend a brand, as this is personal choice but being so close to the sea you should use a good quality exterior paint to ensure it lasts, the same you would with your house. You do not say if it is glossed or stained but either way ensure it is prepared properly. Ensure the salt is washed off before overpainting.

    A good quality undercoat and top coat or stain should do the job OK. It is worth spending a little more on paint for a beach hut as it is so exposed.

    Date posted : October 30th, 2013 at 8:04 am
  5. frank Says:

    Great site ,Brill info

    Date posted : February 8th, 2014 at 5:28 pm
  6. Jim Wright Says:

    Our fascia boards were replaced 3 years ago and stained. Unfortunately the joiner did not tell us whether ihe used oil or water based stain and we are unable to contact him. Can you tell me which is best to use please? We live in an exposed area so would appreciate which stain is best to use. Also we have a wooden conservatory which has rotted in places. These have been replaced or repaired – which stain would be best to use. Thank you

    Date posted : July 28th, 2016 at 10:25 pm
  7. Adrian Says:

    @Jim

    I personally think oil based is best, but other prefer water based. Personal preference I guess. The water based products have improved greatly over the past few years and are lasting longer.

    I always use Sadolin for exterior stain, it is good stuff.

    Date posted : July 30th, 2016 at 1:55 pm

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