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woodworkingInstalling Stained Pine Veneer Over Vinyl Fascia (self.DIY)

submitted by Natural_Action_1526

I want to install stained wood fascia boards on my house. I'm going for something similar to this photo. I currently have the standard vinyl facia with integrated vinyl soffit. I'm wondering if I can get some 1/4" pine and simply glue and nail over my existing vinyl fascia, to avoid having to replace the whole soffit system as well. The only issue I can think of is making sure the drip edge from the roof covers the new veneer appropriately. Are there any other issues I may be missing?

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[–]waxmuseum 27 points28 points  (0 children)

This is not going to work like you want it to, for many reasons. Could you get it to work? Yes. Will it look good? Probably not. Will it look good in 2 years. No. What will it look like in 5 years? Bad.

[–]always_creative 18 points19 points  (0 children)

If you do this with stained pine you’ll need to stain it every 6 months or it will quickly look like garbage.

If you want the look, use one of these products:

https://azekexteriors.com/products/cladding

https://www.newtechwood.com/product/siding/

[–]distantreplay 32 points33 points  (5 children)

Fascia takes the most weather, rain, snow, and UV of any part of your house. 1/4" ply is probably going to absorb water along every edge, swell, warp, curl, and begin to delaminate in a few years.

[–]gasolinefights 0 points1 point  (4 children)

They said pine, not ply. About as bad. Also, I guess, technically one ply.

[–]HandsOnGeek 0 points1 point  (3 children)

They said veneer. That's at least two ply: surface on top of structure. Quarter inch is usually three ply: front face, core, and back face. Most common type is probably Lauan.

[–]Joey__stalin 10 points11 points  (0 children)

fascia is the ONE spot you don’t want to do this. it will look terrible.

[–]Carorack 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I wouldn't use pine; pick a durable outdoor wood. White Oak, cypress, redwood, cedar, ipe, teak, mahogany, most of the other tropical hardwoods

[–]ResponsibleRange75 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Another issue would be exterior stain products requiring more frequent reapplication. Fascia can be a PITA to service -- depending on landscaping and roof overhang -- so be mindful of the more frequent maintenance of wood.

Stain before you hang.

[–]Igivenotoneshit 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Look for a wood grain colored trim coil. Have it bent and installed over existing facia boards. I have done this as a siding installer in my younger days.

[–]Natural_Action_1526[S] 3 points4 points  (4 children)

The image I'm referencing https://ap.rdcpix.com/c76f7e7eb41447961aa0a9de5f09e83el-m3389352684od-w640\_h480.jpg

[–]derphurr 1 point2 points  (3 children)

One, how are you going to find 1/4” pine that won't warp and twist. Two, you are going to put nails through your siding?! Three, even if you found a magic adhesive that will last ten years, do you know what that would cost per SQ ft?

I'm certain it would be cheaper to redo with vinyl siding that looks like wood.

I'm also pretty sure it would be cheaper to do a tear off and put on pine siding compared to the cost of 1/4" paneling and trying to glue it. Did I mention vinyl gets real hot and expands and moves around?

Nevermind I didn't realize you only meant the fascia board.

[–]Natural_Action_1526[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

I am only interested in doing this over the fascia, not siding. My initial thought for material was 1/4" plywood and ripping it down to the width of my fascia.

[–]monkeyselbo 10 points11 points  (1 child)

Did you see that Reddit post a couple of days ago of someone's homebuilt planter box (for planting strawberries), around which they laid plywood on the edge?

https://www.reddit.com/r/woodworking/comments/11zvxlx/i_made_a_strawberry_garden_out_of_reclaimed_wood/

It's one thing for a planter box in your back yard and another level of bad for your whole house. Plywood should not be exposed to the elements.

[–]letsnotmakeitweird 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I immediately thought this same thing!

[–]poopmeister1994 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a bad idea. At best you're going to have to reapply the stain quite often as stain isn't an outdoor product(even "deck stain" doesn't last very long). At worst it's going to split apart and look like crap.

[–]aintscurrdscars 0 points1 point  (0 children)

pine = paint

[–]Brubouy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It could be done, It will be a pain in the ass to install and maintain and it will be regretted. I have seen Hardie plank siding used as facia and barge in the past I have also seen some very nice custom stain jobs on Hardie plank. Hardie plank is 5/16 thick. This might be an option as well as woodgrain coil metal. My bet would be coil metal is your best option.

[–]Hat-Trick_Swayze 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not a good idea. It’s only going to give you major headaches and ultimately cost you 2-3x as much to maintain and replace