Installing facia, soffit, roof edge start and j-moulding in very cold weather.
Last November we installed aluminum roofing edge start, j-mold, soffit and fascia. The temperature was around 15 degrees F in the daytime. Now that the summer heat is here, we have a number of places where bulging has occurred. Is there a way to avoid this happening when doing these tasks in cold weather or should it be avoided until things warm up.
Thanks for your help,
Bill
Replies
What is bulging and what are the materials made of? Just the fascia or everythng? What's happening is your material is expanding due to the nigher temps and pulling away. PVC is particullary bad about that. You'll need to reanil using ring shand nails and lots more of them. Make sure to stack at least 2 nails, maybe 3 if you have a tall fascia and keep them about 16 inches apart.
Everything is aluminum and bulging has occured in all.
How about posting some photos?
Was the soffit aluminum or vinyl? It's worth noting that vinyl siding, and presumably vinyl soffit, is supposed to be nailed loosely through slotted holes, so that it can expand/contract with temperature. Nailing too tightly will cause buckling and distortion.
Aluminum doesn't expand as much as vinyl, but will also expand to a degree. It's generally best to avoid installing exterior finish materials in extreme temperatures.
Also note that in new construction the wood to which you are fastening will shrink as it dries, and this can cause the same sort of buckling as does expansion of the finish material. Ideally the wood should be given several months to dry before installing finish (though in practice this is often not practical).
Dan's good advice stopped at nailing practices
Advice on wood dimensional change and thermo dynamic material temperature issues missed the mark.
Almost all exterior wood trim material you buy from a lumber yard will be milled from kiln dried stock and remain at moisture contents at (or lower) than service. This is usually (5-8%). Your KD framing lumber moisture content will not be far off (6-12%). unless you've taken no steps whatsoever to protect it during sustained wetting periods, then (IMO) you deserve any buckling that could result. Radial and tengential shrinkage in wood are the only axis that noticeably effect dimensional lumber size change. Unless you've use wet P.T. lumber for framing, the chances of this being the cause of your dilemma are slim to none.
It's okay to install material in extremen temperatures. While it is not optimal (even from an installer's comfort point of view), it is wrong to say that it should be avoided. One can easily allow for this in installation. This goes for PVC, vinyl, and aluminum. Almost all these building components have built in details or fabrication techniques to deal with extreme temperature installation.