The soffit and fascia boards are vital when it comes to the style and structure of your roofline. The fascia is the vertical board along the eaves that receives the most sun and rain exposure, so it often the first thing that needs to be repaired. The soffit is the horizontal board on the overhang of the roofline that faces downward. It runs from the bottom edge of the fascia to the top of the wall. When the fascia gets damaged, it can often lead to structural problems with the soffit as well. This article explains how to repair and seal your fascia board.
Sanding the Fascia
To prepare the area that is damaged, you need to sand it down. Use a power sander with medium grit sandpaper. Sanding the board will smooth out any swollen or chipped areas. This creates a smooth surface for the patch to adhere to. However, soffit and fascia boards are usually not as smooth as interior wood surface found on furniture or molding. So, you do not want to over-sand it. You do not need to sand off all of the old paint, just make sure that you sand the board until it is uniformly smooth.
Patching the Fascia
To patch fascia boards you need to use heavy duty, waterproof wood putty. This putty is heavyweight, it is extremely adhesive, and it dries very quickly. So, you need to spread it quickly, wear gloves and use a putty knife. Keep rags on hand so you can clean any spills before they drive. When you are spreading the putty, you do not need to make the patch perfectly smooth. It will dry a little lumpy and uneven, but this is not a problem because you will sand it later.
Sanding and Painting the Patch
Get the power sander back out to sand down the patch. Sand it until the patch matches the flatness of the fascia board. At this point your board will be paintable. Painting the entire fascia, instead of just the patched areas, will give you a more uniform paint finish. If you just paint the patched area, the new paint will not match with the existing paint. This is to be expected, even if you have the original can of paint, due to fading.
If you seal, sand, and repaint your fascia boards, you will greatly increase their durability. It is a smart way to make sure your roofline is strong and stylish.
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