Roof woodwork - barge boards etc

[george (dicegeorge)]

[george (dicegeorge)]

The roofers have suggested that I DIY the woodwork whilst they do the slating.

What wood should I use for bargeboards, type, thickness, treatments, so they will stay painted white for decades?

Are the curcly bits I see on bargeboards purely decorative, or do they channel drips?

thanks

[g]

[Stuart Noble]

Looking at the house opposite (2 up/2 down, end of terrace) and you can't tell it's pvc up there.

[Cash]

George, replying through Stuart Noble as I have kill-filed all google and gmail posts to reduce the spam (presuming that you are using gmail etc)

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The same as existing, tanalised or Vac-Vac (Vac-Vac is better for decoration)

Not possible I'm afraid - even with modern day paints, decoration will only last for a maximum of 7 years, and typically 3 to 5 dependent upon preparation, quality of materials and coat application.

All for decoration - and finishing off around the ends of the soffits and fascias (at the bottom of the bargeboard)

If you want longevity and ease of maintenance, you could replace the timber with UPVC entirely- or fit tanalised timber and nail the UPVC directly to that. As for maintenance then - just soap and water every 5 years or so, dependent on location, but again, the UPVC will eventually fade to an off-white or cream colour over "decades".

Cash

[Andrew Gabriel]

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I used floorboards, which is what was used when the house was built 100 years ago (they're not T&G). I very generously painted with anti-rot, then aluminium primer, then gloss undercoat and (except the back) topcoat. Preparation and painting was all done at ground level, after temporarily fixing up to ensure cut to right size. Been up for a few years now, and still looks as good as PVC ;-)

One thing I did was to cut a bevel along the top edge to match the slope of the underside of the tile which rests in the facia. I did this because I could see the tiles resting on the front upper corner of the old facia had eventually cut through the felt overhang, resulting in loss of the felt overhang, and indeed the broken felt edge being pulled back under its weight so it no longer directed any water over the facia, never mind into the gutter. You don't really need this with eaves trays [see below], but it's belt and braces.

Have the roofers fit eaves trays which support the felt edge and protect the facia from any water by ensuring it goes into the gutter. That way, the facia is quite well protected from water/rain.

[Cash]

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Good idea Andrew, I had some fitted back a couple of years ago (too old to do that work now) to get around the problem of the old bitumen roof felt rotting at the bottom of the tiles and allowing water to drop into one of the bedrooms - it was cheaper that having a re-roof job done.

Cash