Our 17 year old house here in Clearwater, FL has cypress fascia that is rotting in several places. I recently painted the house several years ago. A neighbor who recently replaced some of his fascia says he was told that painted cypress prevents moisture transfer and can cause rotting. Only should be stained according the experts.
Anyone else hear of this?
It's a common concern, and there is some anecdotal evidence that cypress painted with oil-based paints on all surfaces tends to rot where unpainted or stained cypress doesn't. The theory is moisture stays trapped inside.
Personally, I'd put it down to the cypress itself, since in general cypress doesn't rot or attract insects to any significant degree. There are thousands of old Florida homes that used cypress with no sign of rot in a century or more, but a fair number of 10-20 year old homes with cypress rot.
Fascia is another issue anyway, if you have water getting trapped behind it, eventually you'll get rot. If it can properly dry, you'll likely never get any.
Jeff
Same problem with cedar, that is why you use stain, stain breathes, it doesnt have the resins that seal in moisture.
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