The cheapest wood for exterior trim is pine, which offers aesthetics while being durable and weather-resistant. Western red cedar, redwood, and cypress are the most widely available and suitable exterior lumber choices, not treated with chemical preservatives. Your geographic location will determine the best exterior trim materials for your home.
Choosing the right exterior house trim material is crucial for aesthetics and durability. Preservative-treated trim from Belco Forest Products solves issues inherent with solid wood trim and offers a better alternative to plastics, engineered woods, and other materials. Fascia boards provide lateral rigidity to roof eaves or overhangs, while frieze boards are horizontal trim pieces at the top of siding where it meets the eave or soffit line. Rake boards are an alternative option.
PVC has a worse expansion and contraction than wood but is not likely to rot. Hardie is another option. Cypress is recommended for weather resistance and paintability. If available, redwood, mahogany, or cedar are also considered.
The classic choice for exterior trim is wood, with varieties such as cedar and pine. “Alltrim”, a 2-pine with super primer on the outside face, is our go-to inexpensive material. Cedar and redwood are popular solid wood choices for trim due to their natural resistance against moisture and insects.
To create custom designs, consider using colored trim, shiplap porch ceilings, corbels, garage door trim, boards, and clay, Boral TruExterior, a fly-ash trim product that does not move with heat or humidity. Local white pine is a personal preference.
📹 PVC TRIM VS. WOOD TRIM? (Pros And Cons!)
PVC trim is rapidly replacing wood trim as the go-to home exterior trim building material around the country. But there are some …
What is the best finish for exterior trim?
Semi-gloss and glossy finishes offer durability and are easy to clean, making them ideal for high-touch areas like trim and doors. High gloss is resilient and dirt-repellent, adding richness and depth to colors but magnifying surface imperfections. It requires skillful application and is best used sparingly on surfaces you touch or come in close proximity to. The average cost of painting the exterior of a home is between $500 and $1, 000, depending on factors like size and paint type. The longevity of the exterior paint job depends on the quality of paint, surface preparation, and environmental conditions.
What is the best trim for outside use?
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) trim is a low-maintenance option for homeowners seeking durability without constant maintenance. It is impervious to rot, moisture, and insect damage, making it suitable for any climate. Its easy-to-clean surface and absence of painting or staining reduce upkeep efforts. However, some may find its appearance less appealing than natural wood and its reaction to extreme temperature changes can pose challenges.
Fiber cement trim combines durability with aesthetics, withstanding rot, termites, and fire, offering an impressive lifespan. It can mimic the look of wood, but requires professional installation and periodic painting. Composite materials, a blend of wood fibers and plastics, are a robust, low-maintenance option for exterior trim. They resist common pitfalls of wood trim, such as rot, warping, and insect damage, while maintaining an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
Although more expensive initially, their longevity and minimal maintenance requirements justify the investment. However, it’s essential to consider the environmental impact of their production and disposal.
Is PVC trim better than wood?
PVC moldings exhibit superior durability and resistance to the deterioration caused by rot, cup, split, twist, and warping when compared to wood. Additionally, they are resistant to insect infestation due to their non-organic composition. However, these advantages are associated with a higher cost than that of other materials.
What is the best material for trim?
Wood baseboards are a popular choice for baseboard trim and casings, with options including oak, maple, pine, and poplar. Poplar and finger-jointed pine are popular due to their durability, cost, and paint or staining capabilities. Wood allows for more creative finishing options, while exotic woods like teak or ipe offer a more custom look. Despite being pricier than MDF, wood’s strength and longevity make it a worthwhile investment. Softwoods like pine surpass MDF in toughness and endurance, especially in high-traffic areas.
However, real wood can have irregularities, such as splits, cracks, knots, and twists, which can negatively affect the installation, finish, and overall quality of the job. Carefully inspecting and using wood filler as needed is recommended.
What is exterior trim called?
Exterior trim terms include fascia, frieze, rake, barge, soffit, boxend, and gutters. Brackets, a structural component of historic homes, are now purely decorative and add style to homes. Channels are specialized moldings that fit siding and soffit panels, enclosing soffit and siding panel ends and supporting the weight of hanging soffits. Corners are areas where siding and soffits change directions, and they can be inside or outside on the vertical face or horizontally where soffits meet walls and gutter lines.
Drip caps are placed over window and door trims to reduce water’s surface tension and prevent water from dripping off. Flashings are strategically placed trim strips used to control water ingress, mainly used in roof shingling, chimneys, skylights, through-wall separations, and protection wall protrusions. Understanding these terms helps you communicate with an exterior trim professional, such as Sunshine Contracting in Northern Virginia, who can help you trim your home’s exterior effectively.
What is the cheapest type of trim?
Jointed pine pine is a cost-effective natural wood that is straightforward to install and nail due to its pre-primed and treated nature, in contrast to regular pine wood. As a result, it is a prevalent selection for baseboards.
What material is best for exterior door trim?
Natural wood trim is a versatile material that can be painted to match any siding and is available in multiple sizes. However, it is essential to select a wood that resists insect activity and rot. Cedar is a popular option, but it can cause issues with bleed-through and staining. Preservative-treated trim like Belco’s XT trim offers better appearance and performance. The exterior door trim should be durable and resistant to rot and termites over time. Vinyl, like vinyl, can warp in hot weather and become brittle and crack in cold weather. This can lead to problems for homeowners and calls for troubleshooting and fixing.
What do you use for exterior trim?
Solid wood trim, a traditional material, is becoming increasingly popular due to rising costs and availability. Common woods like cedar and redwood are preferred due to their resistance to moisture and insect activity, making them longer-lasting. However, other woods may not have the same rot resistance, resulting in lower longevity. Preparing cedar and redwood for painting is crucial to prevent extractive bleeding and compromised surface appearance, which can be time-consuming and lead to higher labor and material costs.
Engineered wood, a blend of wood, glue, and resins, is a growing alternative to solid wood. It is typically less expensive and comes in various forms, some of which may already be stained or painted, making installation faster.
Is a trim cheaper than a cut?
A trim is a haircut that involves removing a small amount of hair to maintain or shape the current hairstyle. It involves cutting and sectioning the hair to achieve a desired look or remove split ends, ensuring healthy hair. Hair trims are essential for maintaining overall health and appearance, preventing split ends from traveling further up the hair shaft, reducing the risk of hair breakage and damage.
Regular trims can also help the hair look neat and well-groomed, even if not drastically changing the length or style. Although not as drastic as a full haircut with a style change, a trim is still considered a haircut as it involves cutting the hair to maintain or shape its current form.
What is the downside of PVC trim?
Cellular PVC trim is popular among builders due to its lightweight, durable, and waterproof properties. However, it does not move due to moisture like wood, but rather due to temperature. PVC trim grows and shrinks along its length, which can cause noticeable shrinkage and break glue joints. If installed in mild weather, it may shrink when cold and expand when hot, but gaps can open up when temperatures drop to zero in January. To prevent this, use planned movement joints to ensure movement occurs where it should occur.
Nail the trim securely to a solid substrate in visible locations, glue the joints that need to be kept closed, and provide unglued movement joints in less noticeable spots, such as masked behind a corner board.
What is the longest lasting exterior trim?
Rot-resistant woods like redwood, red cedar, Alaskan yellow cedar, and Port Orford cedar have been the primary choice for exterior trim since the late 20th century. These woods are durable, easy to work with, and fasten and paint well. However, they are soft and can dent easily. The dust and oils in these woods are toxic to those who cut and sand them, and their cost has increased due to a dwindling stock of old-growth trees.
There are alternatives to these woods, such as cypress, white oak, or locust, which offer nearly the same rot resistance as redwood but are harder and more dent-resistant. These woods are cut from a dwindling stock of old-growth trees and are priced out of most high-end jobs. Choosing the right wood for your project depends on your location and preferences.
📹 Using the right siding and exterior trim for your project
Nick walks through all the exterior materials used to make the Needham project come together. Subscribe to the Materia Millwork …
Few years ago I had a front porch built with PVC trim, contractor assumed I wanted the “Wood grain” finish so he protect that side during storage and the smooth side I wanted ended up really dinged up. He was going to have to replace it, but I found if you take a heat gun to the damaged areas and then used something hard to roll it while it was hot, almost all the dings disappeared.
Regarding fascia boards, I would not recommend using PVC on a fascia board that a gutter is installed to, unless you can ensure that each one of your gutter fasteners(spikes/ferrules, hidden “skyhook” type screw hangers, etc.) grabs onto something structural such as a rafter tail end or a 2×4 or 2×6 subfascia(you won’t always have one of these). If you have a gutter hanger that doesn’t bite into something that has substance(like 2x wood, or 1x wood with a screw hanger), it won’t be long before that hanger fails because the density of PVC material is much lower than wood, and as a result the lower density, fastener pullout strength is greatly reduced, and the likelihood that the weight of a gutter that is full of water or ice will be more than enough to rip it from its moorings and could cause major damage to anything that happens to be below it at the time of it falling, such as a person or a car.
Replaced wood brick moulding with pvc on my garage window over 10 years ago. Very happy with it. It faces the southeast so it’s exposed to extreme sun. The pvc holds paint very well, where the wood would start to peel after a few years. It does expand and contract as you said so sometimes you can notice a slight gap at the corners. I used big stretch caulking and that seemed to be able to handle the expansion and contraction.
Thanks for the informative article. I’m not a carpenter but I am an incredible cheapskate so if I were wrapping some iron supports like you did, I would use wood boards and cut them 2 or 3 inches short at the bottom and then nail on 4-6 inch wide pvc pieces essentially wrapping the bottoms of the wood boards so only the pvc contacts the ground.
Ethan, you are one of the Most Professional YouTube content makers!!! You’re always well spoken, highly organized and explain things in a way that most everyone can understand. This was an outstanding article! I have a LOT of sill/trim work that needs attention at my house. I’ll definitely consider fixing those jobs with PVC. Thanks!!
Great article. One more con is static. Interior baseboard and shoe moulding attract lint, dust, and hair due to static charge and it gets worse the more you sweep or vacuum. A wipe with a damp cloth can resolve this, but seeing dust jump onto the baseboard as you sweep or vacuum the floor is very frustrating.
For the dust sticking to everything, use Staticguard, the stuff that would typically be in the laundry aisle. The reason it clings is static charge, Static guard negates the charge. It is the same reason it is recommended to paint the PVC, otherwise the trim will actually attract dust, pollen and such.
Looking to repair the side entry door on my garage. This is a great idea. Going to ask my roofer to do it for me. Thank you so much for the information. My trim around this door is rotted with paint chipping badly. PVC trim may be my best and most time-saving option. Thank you again Honest Carpenter. I subscribed and liked!! 🙂
i believe the one drawback you forgot to mention was that the structural strength of this product is not the same as wood. I use it all the time but using it on windows that will get screwed into this product is always a challenge because the screws can be ripped out quite easily in comparison to wood.
Great article . I used pvc boards fixing a rotted door frame a few years back . Needing to plane to a size I wanted I searched youtube to see if it can be planed and could not find any info at that time, so i gave it a shot. Yes it can be planed but you would not believe the mess it makes even with a vacuum attached. but nice smooth surface when you are done. I was afraid it would gum up in the planer so I took very little off at a time . Please pass this along .
When wet wood expands in width and thickness but almost nothing in length. With heat PVC expands in all directions. The expansion is most notable and problematic in the board’s length. I like white trim so I only paint exposed cut edges. The factory edges of most brands of PVC trim (Azek, Veranda, etc) are unsightly. The corners are sharp and the edges rough and uneven. Royal brand at Lowe’s have sides that match the texture of the broad surfaces and nice rounded edges.
One of the biggest problems with PVC over timber is the fact that it doesn’t rot and as a result does not give an early warning sign of much more serious damage taking place behind the PVC covering. An example of this I am coming across more frequently is roof leaks or any leaks where water can get behind the PVC and cause the wooden substructure the PVC is nailed to, to rot. A good example of this is roofline PVC, where it is nailed to the timber rafters, if timber is used for the roofline fascia and painted, if the roof does develop a leak near the roofline, the paint will generally peel of or show other signs, such as splitting or cracking of the wood. This is a very important early warning sign and allows for the roof to be repaired before considerable damage is caused to the ends of the timber rafters, especially on properties with a deep over hang. In my experience I have found that when water ingress occurs near the roofline where PVC has been used, you do not get the early warning sign you would get with timber, as no visible deterioration is seen on the PVC. This leads to the home owner being unaware that the timber rafters or other timbers behind the PVC are rotting, and by the time it does become apparent (due to rafter ends rotting to the point that the PVC fixings no longer have anything to hold onto and the PVC fascia becomes loose or falls off) considerable and expensive repairs are required.. I am finding an ever increasing number of problems and repairs associated with this type of damage and can only see this issue increasing as PVC roofline becomes more popular.
Excellent review. I tend to be a purist/traditionalist so I generally prefer wood, and I would NEVER use PVC for interior application (even for base, just how wet does a floor get, anyway? I have never seen interior base rot). I have replaced two rake boards and two fascia boards with it. Unfortunately, I also used it as base trim around the bottoms of wood porch columns and it shrunk and has left ugly gaps. These are only about 6 in. x 6 in. but it looks like some inexperienced DIYer trimmed it. I am an amateur but also an experienced carpenter/woodworker who knows how to trim. I installed these during cold fall weather so if anything, I expected some expansion in the summer, but the PVC has permanently shrunk. I would replace with wood but I installed a new porch railing and the bottom rails butt into the column bases. Really disappointed in the look. You also point out another major annoying factor, the PVC “saw dust” that is left behind. It gets everywhere, is electrostatically charged and sticks to anything and everything it touches, and even what it doesn’t touch, and it doesn’t rot away. I would never cut any of it in my shop on any stationary tools, and no way do I want this stuff in and on my table saw. But I’m very leery of the shrink factor now.
I trimmed out my garage doors with PVC since the 40 year old wood needed to be replaced. I mitered the corners at the top and have ugly gaps since PVC expands quite a bit in the heat. I used composite deck screws to fasten (not knowing I could nail it). I found out later they don’t make PVC plugs in colors other than white and I wasn’t going to paint for awhile. I ended up buying drill bits for cutting wood blanks to fill holes and used a scrap piece to pop out my own plugs. Ended up OK but was frustrating to try and figure out on my own.
Also, in it’s longer wider sizes especially, it’s heavy and flops around a lot. When I install it in a soffit or fascia, I have to put wood blocking between the rafters to make sure there’s no sag – adding more screws. The cut ends also seam to get moldy/green and it doesn’t clean off very easily. It probably needs to be painted for that reason. Caulking the dents, anywhere else, it should probably be painted at that point too because they’ll attract mold. So a big selling point to PVC is you get a white board that doesn’t have to be painted if you want white trim. But you may actually have to paint it for the above reasons. And then, when it peals after years of expansion/contracting, how will we approach that? A scraper will probably mar the surface pretty easily. Maybe a good paint wont peal, time will tell.
Azek trim has been around for at least 20 years. Put lots of it up before I retired. Even specified it when I had a contractor replace corner boards on my own house. It is the go to product where trim comes into contact with concrete or masonary. Just replaced some rotted window trim with cellular pvc. Paints just like wood trim. Primed with Kilz and painted with BM latex paint to match rest of trim. Never burn pvc scraps. It can generate dioxins when burning. It gives off other nasty combustion products. May really be the only real draw back of cellular pvc products. Oh, and it will probably be around for a thousand years in landfills where scraps are dumped.
I can’t BELIEVE how useful and clear your advice is. I’m currently replacing 30 year old painted red cedar trim and a piece of cedar siding due to water damage. PVC trim is what I purchased and now, after perusal this article, I feel like a genius! Got rotted door jambsto fix next and I see there’s a article on that too! Thank you for sharing your expertise!!
Great & a much needed vid for people today… I LOVE USING PVC! But YOU ARE SO RIGHT ABOUT THE DUST! I tell my kids I got hit with a SNOWGLOBE GRENADE! LOL. BUT.. No grain flow to worry about.. if it does get nicked after painted white its white the whole way through.. takes a screw well.. I’v never had even the thinnest trim split on me (again..no grain) I did all my bathroom & kitchen trim with it & just replaced the bottom ⅓ of my exterior door jam..which is the worst spot on a house for wicking & rot. Q: what is the name they call the inner jam’s that look like the dootstop is seperate.. until you go to replace the doorstop & remove the weather seal strip to realize its made as one piece? Thanks!
I replaced the exterior trim on my detached shop (30′ x 60′) 5 years ago with the pvc trim I got at Lowes. It’s held up great. My trim was originally white so it was an added benefit as to not paint. On my corner pieces, I built a wood jig so I could glue two of the trim boards to each other and keep them perpendicular. The corner pieces were about 9′ long. I experimented with different pvc glues and the regular pvc glues for pipe had to short of a tack time I ended up using a product by RH called HH-66 and it worked great. It has a tack time between 2 & 3 minutes. Long enough for me to apply glue to both surfaces. 15 to 20 minutes to be able to use. It’s about $30 for a 16 oz can but it goes along way. I am now starting on my house and replacing the exterior trim. What I found out about this glue, is you do not want any of it to run out on the exposed surface. It melts into the pvc. Strong stuff. I scribe a pencil line about a 1/4″ inward on both surfaces for my glue line to minimize any squeeze out. Did not compromise the joint. I used stainless steel white nails to complete the nail up. Not one joint opened up. I pre-assembled the corner pieces for my house (14 corners). On all my glued corners, I actually waited until the following day to use. Sorry for the long winded write up, but this glue really worked for me. I did not try the Aztek glue so I can’t say anything about it.
super great review … i’ve been trimming garage door openings with this for a few years now and use my router to add special edges to the boards and the plastic dust is a HUGE concern and try to keep it all vacuumed up. The expansion and contraction of PVC has been a problem with call backs here in the cold north …. no matter how many fasteners i use some gaps open up a lot in the cold. I use plumbers pvc adhesive on joints and that creates a great strong meld and yet can still crack. I have now moved to wood again and even tho it needs maintenance over time … the look and lower expense is an easier sell. Super long lengths of PVC is very difficult to make work. If anybody has more experience and can suggest something I would love it.
Hey liked your article! I just subscribed. My home was built in 1947. So I’ve been doing a lot of renovations lol. I have a question for you. I can’t seem to find an answer anywhere on YouTube. I made a big mistake on my bathroom flooring. Lol I learned from it. There is a 3/4″ gap between the shower/tub insert and my vinyl plank flooring. I’ve decided to put a 9/16″ mounding in the gap. What would you use to adhere pvc to the tub? I bought some “Flex shot” which says it’s good for tubs and showers. Now I’m afraid to use it. It’s a rubberized adhesive sealant. Thanks Dawn
Please help! I have a job coming up, and i want to use pvc casing to trim out all the exterior doors and windows. However, i have a couple of questions. 1. Im going to be installing onto Stucco, so how can i securely fasten the trim to the stucco wall? 2. What are, where can i find the specs for painting the pvc trim a darker color? (The customer has chosen a navy blue for trim, and the summer gets and stays above 100°F for extended periods of time.)
I dealt with one of the PVC trim companies available at big box stores and lumberyards. I kept running into some installs that would mould/mildew very badly very quickly and need almost constant cleaning, nothing seemed to work. Turned out the owner was local and found out they had issues with some suppliers, they go with the lowest bidder, resulting in poor quality in some runs of certain products. They replaced the material but lost literally months/years of income going back to re-deck and re-trim houses.
Great info! over the past 20 years I have had to replace a lot of wood trim, posts, sills, brick mold, fascia boards, etc… due to water and/or carpenter bee damage. I always go with PVC, and I have not had to replace any of the PVC. I’m surprised you said your clients usually choose wood over PVC… they must like you so much, they want you to come back in 4-5 years and do the same job again… either that, or they have no intention of remaining in the home and just need a temporary fix to sell.
Nailing small PVC trim (like quarterround): I found the trim frequently cracked, even with small finishing nails. I ended up pre-drilling with a tiny drill bit. Also, PVC trim is pretty brittle sometimes – be careful not to hit it with a hammer, or over-bend it. Another good place for it: below your hot water heater (If it is in a raised nook).
Plinth blocks! I often replaced the rotting bottoms of door and window frames with 12 to 16 inch plinth blocks made from well primed yellow pine stair tread. No need to replace the entire frame and trim; just the rotten part. The secret is to tapper the top of the plinth to match the tapper you cut in the bottoms of the door frames so water will run off easier. I had no doubt those plinths will out live me.
Glad I found this article and you did a great job explaining the benefits of PVC. I just replaced my front entry door and was looking for something better than wood to use for the brick moulding that would hold up better in the Michigan winters. You just confirmed my choices so thank you! I picked a PVC brick mould and of course only the best DAP Alex Flex!!
Hi, Very informative article as always. Thanks for sharing. I am looking to build a custom threshold for a patio door. Custom, because I can’t basically find a 10+ inch threshold to fit between the patio door and the storm door. Would PVC be a good option? Trying to avoid treated lumbar…. would ceder be a better option? Thanks in advance to all that can give me a little guidance on this one.
Excellent article. I have to replace some wood rot areas. Will look for PVC now instead. Thanks. BTW I bought a premade Adirondack chairs made of white PVC. It stays outside year round. Two things. It does slightly yellow with intense sun exposure. I haven’t found a way to clean that yet. If you know, pease help. Also the end grain area gets dirty. Dark dust and dirt gets lodged in the porous matrix. Even with a power washer, it’s almost impossible to get it all. So end grain can stay looking a little dirty.
I’ve got some front door sidelights that are oversized (24″x8′ with 20″x67″ glass) that are completely rotted out. Really don’t want to spend the $4000+ quoted to replace them and considering manually reconstructing the frame. Thoughts on doing this with PVC? I’ve thought about doing the inside with birch plywood for strength and then attaching PVC to the entire exterior. Ok idea, or will this give me problems I’m not considering?
Great article and thank you so much! I picked up a little sample piece of this PVC 1×4 to see how I would like it on my windows and I actually just spray painted it black because I do want to paint my trim outside in black.. but your article indicates that this product does not work well with dark colors so I may have to go back to the using wood for my trim but I wanted to make a comment that my neighbor had her windows trimmed in the PVC and she said that she ended up having to remove it because it did over time warp. Your instruction indicates that this product doesn’t warp..???
I am sorry to say that the pvc dust is a serious problem. It will never biodegrade. Microplastics are now found within the structures of farmed vegetables which we are now uptaking when we eat our salads. We each make our own choice, but I think I’ll be sticking to treated lumber rather than pvc in wet situations. Thanks for a great article – very helpful!
I used 3/4 sheets of this stuff to make an island with pull out bins the stuff is amazing. Has anyone tried taking a router to it with an ogee or something similar. Another dumb question is it possible to heat seal those cut ends I know this technique works with high density foam might be wort a try.
Thank you, sir, for making this article. I’ve got some dry rotted exterior trim I have to replace and I saw your previous article that was about repairing dry rot but I wasn’t sure which kind of material to use. I’m probably gonna go with PVC. Thanks again. You saved me a shitload of money by helping me do it myself.
I have only recently become a fan of PVC trim and all of what you say is true. I must admit, though, the stuff kind of creeps me out regarding the microfibers. It is bad enough that it “snows” your work area as you pointed out, but it especially bothers me when I think about the super-small, lightweight microfibers that just get released into the air. You pointed out that it is helpful to wear a dust mask. I would suggest that if you use PVC a lot, it might actually be the difference between life and death in the long-run. Breathing/ingesting that stuff cannot be a good thing and I haven’t researched any government studies on long-term health effects of sawing the stuff. But I have the bad feeling that there aren’t good studies on it and an even worse feeling it may be a LOT more dangerous than we can imagine. The problem is that I just don’t know. As for the PVC snow left on the work area, I would suggest bringing a small shop vac and use it to clean up — even from the grass in the yard. It might help keep it from getting ingested from small animals — which in turn, get eaten by other animals — to toxic effect, similar to what is going on in our oceans.
The fires in California have me re-evaluating everything now with an eye to blowing embers. If they could make PVC lumber fire resistant, it would be much more attractive. Right now both wood and PVC are vulnerable. I’m using more galvanized/bonderized metal trim and stainless steel foil coverings as a result.
What about vinyl-wrapped MDF? I bought the matching baseboards for my vinyl-plank flooring, and no one seems to cover this. I am especially worried because I don’t have a nail gun, and the only trim I’ve put up before is trimming and reattaching the wood door trim yesterday. This left little circles around the nails despite drilling pilot holes with a cut finishing nail first. I’m going to have to touch it up somehow, but that wouldn’t be possible on printed vinyl. What should I know?
hi I’m using PVC for baseboard moulding in a basement on wood paneling. I have the correct adhesives but should I also be nailing it into the wood paneling? If so what kind of nails and what method of nailing? I don’t own a nail gun, only hammers, but I dont want to ding up the boards hammering. Any suggestions? Thanks
In our dry Colorado market, we haven’t really seen a whole lot of this. But, as I get more involved in siding and trim repairs as these “cookie cutter” homes made since the 90s start to show their flaws, I am really gravitating toward PVC. Some companies now have whole siding lines of PVC and I am really interested in using it in certain circumstances. Great article!
I use PVC reverse boards that is what its call . Wood grain on one side and smooth on other. Comes in 3/4 and 5 1/4 or 1 inch / I make gates out of it. The old wood ones cost more to replace. this will cost about $800. to $900 to make a new replacement. The 1 inch is the best thickness. new hardware paint and installation. The old door needs to be trashed that cost a little also wood jambs holding it may need some work. Most homes have walls around the house property with old wood doors that I replace. So price your time & material and sell a few.. My cost is $400 + labor 2 days for a 36 ” wide x 6 foot height with arch tops. I am raising my cost $100 more. Thx Honest guy we are few ..
I have been using PVC trim for many years, ever since the wooden brickmould rotted away on our back door. One of my pet peeves is that door jambs easily rot out where I live when exposed to moisture but you cannot find doors with rot-proof or rot-resistant jambs at any of the local home improvement store. I suppose the doors can be special ordered?
Just my two cents, but as far as interior trim goes, if you have a cat or other destructive pets, go with wood. The family cat destroyed our plastic corner trim over a few years, but the wood is harsher on the claws and he doesn’t damage those as much. I recently replaced his favorite, torn up plastic corner trim with a wood one. He tried scratching it a few times, but couldn’t get very deep and stopped afterwards. Now, I can easily come back, sand over the few scratches and touch it up with some plastic wood (on the deeper ones) and paint. And then as I replace the others with wood, his habit has died down and he’s using his dedicated scratch posts more now. The plastic trim couldn’t be fixed, nor did it display a nice wood grain.
I actually prefer Polyurethane flexible molding over PVC. That seems to be taking over PVC. Flexible molding is where it’s at. You can bend it into corners, it curves to a walls natural curvature, and I prefer the “rubber” feel over the stiffness of PVC. It glues well. When it comes to decorative and smaller trim, polyurethane and PVC are better than wood. But polyurethane, being flexible is easier to work with. Any large moulding, like baseboards I use wood. It’s a lot cheaper to use pine. Then just glue or finish nail small moulding to the pine boards.
One drawback of PVC that was not mentioned here is the negative environmental impact of both production and end-of-life for PVC. The starting materials are quite toxic and cancer clusters have been observed around areas where PVC is manufactured. The end-of-life is also problematic because PVC is either landfilled where it will last forever or burned where there is risk of releasing harmful dioxins into the atmosphere. Lastly, while the material lasts longer in certain use cases like exterior trim, the lifecycle impacts of producing it overcome the environmental benefits of longevity because of wood’s ability to sequester carbon during growth. These should all be considerations for anyone trying to choose between a wood product and a PVC product.
I was waiting for him to talk about the PVC dust. That shit sucks. But I found out about a game changer for it. Spray anti-static spray on your chop box and table saw or whatever tools you’re using to cut and rip it. It will make it soooo much easier to clean and blow off your tools. Now your skin is a whole other story. Try not to sweat when you’re cutting it. It is pretty hard to get it off your sweaty ass.
Another massive drawback to PVC is, just like PEX it cannot be recycled. That doesn’t mean it shouldn’t exist but it definitely means it shouldn’t go everywhere and if an alternative that isn’t made of a non-recyclable polymer can be used, it should be. Otherwise we’re going to have a lot of homes creating hundreds, if not thousands of pounds of plastic waste every 10-40 years, depending on the longevity of the products in each specific use case.
Thanks for posting this topic. Your article, a search on Home Depot site and a problem I have with Phenoseal, my favorite caulk, prompted me to call Dap in Baltimore.,The Phenoseal I had applied a few years back got dirty and I wanted to know how to clean it. I asked what product they recommend for PVC trim and the reply was DynaFlex and 3.0 would be the best choice for PVC trim. Phenoseal and Dyna Flex are latex caulks while 3.0 is more of a polyurethane, not silicone.
This article was extremely helpful. I spent so much time trying to find out which adhesive would work to apply pvc crown molding in my shower between tumbled marble and greenboard. There is very little information on this topic. The Loctite PL Premium is what I went with. Also, your article is informative and efficient, no obnoxious music. Thanks!
Yup, the static-clingy white dust is a pain. Wear a mask if doing a lot of cutting. Do the cutting outdoors if possible. At the portable table saw, I plug a running vacuum into the saw’s dust port. Also, set the portable saw on a canvas or cardboard to ease clean-up. It paints beautifully, using 100% acrylic latex. Never have had paint peel. I prime with Stix or SW Extreme Bond Primer. For darker colors outside, ask for “vinyl safe” colors from paint vendors like Sherwin W. These don’t heat up so much in the sun. I always paint, especially exterior, for protection from ultra-violet. Exterior, I always use trim screws like GSK brand. Or go with stainless steel screws with trim heads. Interior, I use a mix of trim screws and 16 or 18 guage gun nails. For small glue jobs, I use plumbers PVC pipe glue. Have everything cut and fitted, with screws started in place on one piece, before applying cement. Apply it quickly, both surfaces, and assemble immediately . . . the glue dries very quickly. Use the screws to clamp the surfaces tightly. Once set, the bond is excellent. Got a bad dent? I use Bondo. Caulking? I use 100% silicon, paintable Rot free; no mold or mildew. Impervious to water. No ants. No termites. No carpenter bees. Love the stuff, except for the dust. Favorite use: replacing rotted basement window frames.
Great article PVC is a great trim for windows and bathrooms …I am glad you mentioned the dust BUT there is another much more serious hazard with PVC. If it burns it produces highly toxic gases including hydrogen chloride. So be careful mixing wood scraps/sawdust and PVC scraps/sawdust if you burn your wood sawdust. Also be careful to use a sharp saw blade and avoid blade binding where the PVC will heat up and thermally degrade. Also there are studies that show asthma like symptoms and permanent lung damage from breathing the dust so always use a dust mask and better still a respirator.
You are just fantastic! Thank you so much for your help. I’m trying to do some things on my own and I’m truly learning a lot. About 6 years ago now me and my daughter re did our main drain in the basement just by perusal guys like you. And we have not had problems so far. Had to change old cast pipes rented the tool for it. (Which we us PVC) pipes. Now I’m going to tackle the facis on my small roof. Its not to high but seeing this i will be using PVC. Again thank you so much.
Reinforcing what the Honest Carpenter has said, these are my impressions from working with expanded PVC, 3/16″ thickness up to 1″ thickness, working with full 4′ x 8′ sheets and also pseudo-boards of different dimensions made for house trim. Use high vacuum on all tools. I cut with a 40 or 60 tooth triple chip blade to minimize edge sanding. Lower speeds should be used when cutting with a saber saw or sawzall. Feed rate when ripping should be pretty fast to avoid excessive heat build-up, melting and fusing. Saw blades used should be very fresh, if not brand new. You can retire them to cutting wood later. I like PVC for trim below door sills, especially on drip edge sides of structures with metal roofs and no gutters. If you are gonna put some dampness attracting stone steps in and need a piece of sill trim behind the steps, use the PVC. You’ll never have to worry about replacing that trim behind the hand laid stone or behind a large, heavy wood stair assembly. Conventional latex house paints bond well. Just like with wood, I recommend a balanced finish to both faces to maintain stability. Like algebra and wood, whatever you do to one side, you do to the other. PVC can be bonded to like material with a wide variety of solvent solutions from paste and syrups to water thin solvent, as well as the recommended construction adhesives. Solvent bonding essentially creates one piece out of two, disassociating the plastic molecules, which then re-associate as the solvent evaporates, creating a unified piece.
What a fantastic article! I have never looked for a article on a topic, tool, material and found EVERY answer in on place! I have use PVC trim in my bathrooms, and was looking to confirm that I made a good decision, and it sure seems like I did. I do have two questions. You mentioned using pvc friendly caulking or wood filer for the nail holes, is there not something that you revoke t that will dry white and allow me the sand it smooth? Thanks again for the great article!
Very informative article. What do you usually use when you patch nail holes or dings? And do you treat it differently when you use it for exterior versus interior use? When I cut pvc and use my shop vac for dust control I wrap the top of my vac, the vac hose and the aluminum dust chute of my portable table saw and miter with bare stranded wire and wrap it around a 8 inch metal spike and put it in the ground. If I am cutting pvc in my shop I still use the bare stranded copper wire but I wrap it around several heavy steel washers and lay it on my shop floor it really helps out with it sticking to as much stuff and I don’t get zapped from static electricity caused by the pvc. Even in the summer that static zap can get you. Ron
Can I mention this 3 years ago Woodpeckers did a number on my cedar wood trim boards. S o i had them replaced with FIBER CEMENT, and that stopped the Peckers, The replacement boards come in the most used sizes that have been used in a typical house built in 1982. Also these boards are vermin and termite proof, I considered PTFE but was put off it because it expands quite a lot in hot weather.
Two cons you missed concerning PVC lumber: 1. It does not chisel easily and often breaks out. This is because it has not natural grain fibers. So use a router or cut-out tool to sink hinges or lock keeps. 2. It does melt to your saw blades eventually and must be scraped off with a razor or replaced more often. For bonding PVC, I prefer PVC Adhesive used for fences. It chemically fuses the components and sets quickly. Any fence installer should stock this product. The big bix stores used to carry it, but it has been hard to find lately due to the pandemic.
Im glad I seen this. I was about to buy the PVC to rewrap a porch post, but seeing that it expands and contracts changed my mind. I want a nice square box wrap, and dont like the idea of the edge seams moving. I’ll just use it at the base as trim. The inner post is pressure treated and will have a one inch base that it sits on. The porous edge of the boards doesnt help with the looks as well. Nice thorough article though!
Three comments on working with this stuff, and a suggestion to manufacturers. 1) it is very floppy and needs a lot of support. Expansion and contraction will blow nails right out. But I’ve never used galvanized spiral shank patio nails. – I don’t have time for hand nailing- If you follow guidelines for using Cortex screws and plugs the additional cost is considerable. Be SURE to factor this into your bid, or you will be left holding the $$$ bag. 2) Clean cuts with a good blade are Sharp! It WILL cut you, no avoiding that. It also dulls blades, and sticks to the plate. I find blades made for laminate floor (Pergo) last longer. While we’re on cutting. I spray myself AND my tools with Static Guard, then the clingy dust falls right off. Be sure you don’t wipe your eyes or brow on a hot day. Getting the abrasive dust in your eyes is no joke. 3) On glue… go to the fence section of the big box and get tubes of fence cement (meant for holding caps on) This PVC cement is white. Comes in a tube, so it doesn’t dry out or glue the lid on the can, Much faster application than a brush or swab in a can. This is critical for something like lock miter post wraps. You need 10′ of bead, and you need it NOW! With a brush on a hot day, the glue is setting up behind you before you finish application. You can carry it in your pouch ( open, tip up ) when doing facia from a ladder or plank. One hand to hold the floppy plank, and one hand to glue. What do you do with a can, where you need to unscrew it and keep dipping?
Thanks for being powerfully honest about the world of PCV board, trim and adhesives as a proper chemical reaction is required for the longevity of any project. Not only a DIY’er but a retired ASE Master Tech who plans for the future in the house I live in but the child who will inherent it. They can look back at the work the old man did that was done right and looks as good as the day I finished it. Also, thanks for “Over-Dubbing” the vocals as too many just talk louder over the equipment. Clicked liked & subscribed.
I used regular bathroom calk on it inside the bathroom, even routed out the backside to glue with bathroom calk to a bathtub the had a big dent in the side, end result it looks nice over a tile floor and the tub looks like it was never damaged. I got sick of shoe moldings right outside the master bath shower rotting out in a year. Loved this stuff so much I used it in every bathroom in the house and the washer dryer room I made an over flo floor pan in with drain. Insurance claims run in and up to 10k dollars from busted water pipes avg cost A major factor is old washer hoses, these should be replaced every 10 years Most people don’t do it even the bradid type. 10 years. After that time the rubber starts to fall apart with full city water presure its only a mater of time for one to burst, worse your away on vacation or at work. Its a good idea to shut off you main water line and water heater when you go out of town.
I was at a big orange box store when I noticed Azex 1″x12″x8’ PVC boards for $13. They had 5 until I got there; I cleaned them out of all they had at that price. I love PVC trim; I buy 1/2″x4’x8’ sheets and rip the sizes I need gluing 2 together if I need something thicker. Works great outside. I use CA glues a lot. You can mill PVC to make what you need, just remember to seal the open face of the PVC if you aren’t painting it because it will draw dirt.
PVC trim for windows and doors has been the common standard in the UK for decades, exterior window and door frames are also made of it (I know you know that Ethan as you mentioned you lived here for a while). The stuff really is bombproof compared to wood, we have windows and trim that are pushing 30 years old, still in great condition and maintenance is nothing more than washing it once or twice a year.
Great article. I appreciate the direct approach. Only constructive criticism I have is that I one should never use a DAP Alex or Alex Plus product outdoors (when you are using wood). Those are fine for indoor paint prep – but they should not be used in places that are exposed to any water. Those low cost water-based acrylics harden by drying (ie. water evaporating). They shrink roughly 30% and will literally dissolve in water (hydrophobic). Other products such as silicones and paintable-silicones (or Hybrids) chemically cure with atmospheric moisture and can not be washed away with water (they are hydrophilic).
Here’s the thing about wood trim, its like a sponge. The vast majority of carpenters cut and install exterior trim without sealing the ends or backside. If the wood piece is properly sealed before installation, it can last much longer. I always seal the ends with a couple of coats of primer. In high moisture areas, such as, water tables and column wraps, a thick film of caulking or sealant is very helpful. Why is no one doing this? Yes it takes longer, but the results are long lasting.
If your NOT painting this PVC. Leaving the wood grain look for an Exterior trim. How do you fill the nail holes. With what product. Since most fillers will shrink or yellow over time. Leaving filler spot marks visible on PVC brickmolds when you trim out a door. I’ve tried trim screws and caps but that’s labor intensive.
You did not mention that it can be bonded together using PVC cement to make water tight joints. I have fabricated corner boards using PVC cement to form water tight corners. One of the last jobs I did before retiring was a complete residing, window replacement and cellular PVC trim package on a two story colonial style house.. My only complaint is that longer piece are hard to transport as the stuff is flexible as a wet noodle. Usually used a section of an extension ladder to hold up 16 ft trim boards. Cellular PVC trim will outlast the house it is used on.
DAP Alex Fast Dry sucks for any application. Sure, it dries fast….it also shrinks and cracks fast. Alex Flex is good for anything as far as I can tell. I have become partial to the DAP Extreme Flex type as well. Does anyone have any negative points they’ve noticed about Extreme Stretch? (What kills me is how some caulking (some DAP products included) is how it’s advertised for gaps “up to 3” “. If you have 3” gaps, you don’t need caulk, you need a new carpenter!)
Love using this for doors and Windows and in bathrooms/laundry rooms; and pretty much is what use 100% of time, unless client says otherwise. They’re starting to make more “adhesives & caulks” that are made for PVC, which is good, but even today….my local stores only care 1-2 kinds that are specific to PVC. Nice vid, ✌🏻
I had a contractor in NYC try to use PVC crown molding in residential corridors, but the interior designer (who specified MDF) was concerned about PVC’s flame spread rating. I think for holistic purposes I would prefer natural materials inside my home. However, for using buildings as investment properties, PVC materials are much easier to work with and yield uniform expected results.
SOOOO true about the saw dust. I just had to rip a half dozen twelve foot boards. The dust is incredibly fine and clings to you almost like those annoying bits of styrofoam. It seems like static cling might be involved here. Keep a shop vac handy and literally vacuum yourself off after every rip. Otherwise, you will deposit dust EVERYWHERE on your job. That can be a real problem if you are working on an owner occupied remodel or repair!
This product has been invaluable on a 1920’s bungalow rental property we own… in all the places you mentioned. We have a converted garage apartment that is grade level and has been flooded twice. It now has tile floors, smooth hardiplank interior walls for the lower 4 ft section near the floor throughout, and PVC baseboards. We have two sump pumps, but hopefully the rest of the updates will also help in case it ever takes on water again, at least with the cleanup/rehab process.
Good article. I’m sick and tired rotting pine trim on my house. I do my best to keep it painted but the pine today sucks. It just doesn’t last for some reason and within a few years it always seems to develop rot. I’ve been replacing the rotted trim with PVC. I absolutely love it except for a few things. First it’s more expensive (though the cost differential has diminished), the PVC saw dust sucks, but the biggest issue is thermal stability, PVC trim from summer to winter expand and contracts considerably. If i but my joints tight in the summer during the winter they open up. I’ve been using caulk but apparently the wrong types so I’ll have to change that. It used to be suggested that long lengths like on a fascia board should have the ends glued together. Are they still recommending that and if so, what type of glue should be used?
Superb instructional article. I’m sold on using PVC for trim work. I’m currently rebuilding the trim work around my front door with cellular PVC. I would not have had the confidence to try this work with PVC had I not watched your article. So thank you for the great information, break down and instruction for usage Ethan. I have this article bookmarked!
Well done young man!… my biggest downside is the dust as well and waited to the end for payoff… my concern is UV degradation over time in direct sunlight. As far as I know, the pvc product hasn’t been made that does not break down under the sun…. of course keeping it painted greatly extends the life of almost anything…
I love this Veranda PVC product. Well worth the markup. I’ve used with great success wherever wood has failed due to water damage. Another great property is when you need boards to do extreme bending and curves. I’ve got project right now where I’m using 3/4 x 3-1/2 12ft Veranda PVC boards as the rafter ribs on a small metal arch shed. $11 for a board not even bad.
The PVC dust is that way because is electrostatically charged. It’s from the sawing action against PVC like when you walk across a polyurethane carpet and get a shock on the doorknob. Means the carpeting has a slight charge. The metal saw blade rubbing against the plastic sets up static electricity. I suggest you use some sort of air ionizer system for dust collection, some form of purifier/ionizer is available commercially that should do it along with a little negative pressure.
The PVC bathtub I installed in May 21 was really specific in its instructions, “Your warranty is void if you use silicone caulk on edges or plumbers putty in drain.” Micro plastics worst characteristic is that they leach into water and wind up in the water table and reservoirs. Your pvc dust is going to be much larger particle size to leach into the water system, but I would not want it in the sewage system since it would float through the settlement tanks into the ocean or rivers.
I liked that Home Depot & the Lowe’s price tags were both in the article, any good carpenter, or DIY-er shops around, to find the best to use for each project. ( I used to work at one of them, and can attest to the prices being a bit different, & quality as well ) Really like the look of real wood stained as opposed to plain PVC, but, in some situations functionality & aesthetics have regards in decisions I guess. Log Cabin look, or you just bought an Ikea looking product that looks like plastic. Cool article, Thanks.
PVC also can’t be recycled, so sooner or later, every ounce of it that’s produced will go to a landfill, to an incinerator, or into our soil and water (as micro-plastics, as mentioned). Better building design (including renovations and retrofits) can often address the challenges discussed by better managing water flow, exposure, etc. (e.g., over-hangs, gutters, roof lines, flashing).
House/garage fascia boards for me is where this PVC stuff would be very needful. Now if they could just make PVC boards in chestnut brown so I wont have to paint them, I’d never use wood fascia boards again. I’ll let my great great great great grand kids worry about plastic sawdust 300 years from now.
We just bought baseboards and some 1/4″ base shoe to use in the bathroom. With the current price of wood, and the poor results for MDF for bathroom use I am hoping we can install it with it looking nice. For as beefy of a baseboard we would have to buy pine 1x4s and route it, and the walls in the bathroom are a bit wavy, and the pine won’t flex like the PVC will. Thank you for this informative article.
It is obvious to me that you would have the correct answer to my question: I would like to use PVC trim (Veranda 7318 @ Home Depot) to replace vinyl moulding at the junction of the floor/wall in a bathroom, but after removing the vinyl moulding, a lot of very sticky adhesive remains on the wall. Do I need to remove it (and HOW – it fears not acetone and Goo Gone), or just apply the DAP Alex/Loctite PL over it, or what? Many thanks from a new sub!
Hey Ethan, Hope you and family are well and safe! And thank you guys so much for sharing your expertise. My under the kitchen cabinet repair from last year is still holding strong even with our way above average kitchen use during quarantine. I just installed my first window, and bought some pvc 1×4 and some #8 GRK fasteners. After revisiting your article, I wonder if I should use some glue too. Do you always use the loctite pl or do you ever find Oatey PVC Cement or OSI 1429651 Polyurethane Adhesive to be preferable under any circumstances? Maybe I should join the corners with Oatey and use the loctite underneath? Thanks so much again, you guys are so awesome and most generous.
Thank you! This is exactly what I was looking for. I have some shoddy existing comb face trim butted next to some hardy plank with some terrible caulking work between that I intend on completely hiding by placing a wider ( not deeper for a manageable reveal) pvc trim board directly over top of. My concerns are that I made a terrible job of the caulking not only between these two substrates but directly on the board while trying to hide the screws. Please advise on the best way to attach the OVC onto existing pine trim so that I do not have to caulk more than necessary? Galvanized Brad nails and PLC 400? Screws and wood filler . Thank you in advance
How about toxicity, Firemen have to wear respirators to fight fires due to so much PVC (think of fires in California for outdoor pollution). You can’t recycle it, and think of the workers that manufacture it and those who live near by to the plant. Maybe you should think back to the Scotch Guard water repellent miracle of yesteryear for an example.
I spent several years using pvc trims and sheet goods for many applications. For arched windows and radius walls it can be very beneficial. Route any profile you want. Sand cut edges to at least 220 grit Approx 126 degrees heat with a large heating element, mine ate 6″x96″ clamp to a form (gently) till they cool down. The hold the radius indefinatly. Too hot? Flubber. No control.
1.) Those $160 sheets he talks about are $100 in my area – not sure if it’s regional or just time. OSB is like 8x more expensive than it was a year ago and plywood has seen a significant increase, but that might just be the ‘rona…. 2.) Read the instructions…. PVC solvent, NOT a construction adhesive. Screws instead of nails. No butt joints. Etc. The trim itself won’t rot, but it will expand and contract (a lot) and let the stuff behind it rot.
A good alternative in some applications might be pre-finished metal flashing over new or existing wood trim. I’ve gotten good use from a 2′ sheet metal bender. Menards sells metal brickmould cover, but unfortunately, none of the local hardware stores here do. That might change once the EPA does a formal review of PVC, but they expect that will take ~3 years to complete.
As far as the painting PVC, does it HAVE to be painted? We’re OK with the white color it comes in and it was one of the reasons we went with PVC trim around our windows. We didn’t want to paint the stuff. And by the way…GREAT article!!! You answered so many of my questions! Well…except for the paint…