Outdoor Board For Siding Edge Bottom: What Type Of Wood To Use ?

[Robert11]

Hello:

Have vertical house siding that I would like to "finish off" by running a long board horizontally along the bottom edge.

Probable something like 6" wide by 3/4 thick, in 8 foot length(s).

Can I get away with the regular Pine wood boards for this ? I will be painting it.

Or, must / should I use cedar, or... ?

Thanks, Bob

[Edwin Pawlowski]

It is possible to use pine, but the likelihood of it rotting are far greater than other materials. I'd use cedar, cypress, Spanish cedar as they are much more rot resistant.

[Roger Taylor]

Whatever you use, position the trim board so that there is a 1/8 or greater gap with the vertical siding. If the trim is butted up against the siding end-grain, water will collect and be sucked up the vertical boards, rotting them. You might even consider a small piece of Z-flashing in copper or galv. iron, that separates the two - then you could make the trim gapless.