The soffits and fascias on your home can easily become damaged due to chipped paint or even rot. However, when installed correctly with good material and properly maintained, soffit and fascia quickly become lifesavers for your home's aesthetics and safety from damages. Are you ready to install your soffits and fascia the correct way?
Here are four useful soffits and fascia installation tips to make sure they protect your home and last for years to come! Continue reading below.
1. Gather Your Tools and Materials
First, you'll need to gather all of your tools and materials needed to complete the job. Having everything that you need in one place and prepared before the installation makes the process a whole lot easier for you. Here's what you need:
Tools
- Hammer
- 12-inch trim nail punch
- Chalk line
- 4-inch screwdriver
- Circular saw
- Fascia folding tool
- Combination square
- Framing square
- Jigsaw
- Pry bar
- Utility Knife
- Plywood cutting circular saw blade
- Safety glasses
- Tin snips
- Tape measure
- Sawhorses
Materials
- 1 1/2-inch trim nails
- Fascia
- Soffit panels
- Drip edge
- J-channel
Gather these materials before beginning your project. If you have all of these items, you won't have to worry about running into a problem down the line that requires a tool you don't have. This list saves you time and hassle.
2. Take Your Measurements
Now you'll need to take your measurements. Measure the entire area that needs soffit and fascia. The soffit panels are 12 feet in length and come in either 12-inch or 16-inch widths.
When making your measurements and planning on how much soffit and fascia to use, always plan for more than what your measurements speak for. A general rule is to purchase enough to cover about 5% more space than your measurements calculate. This leaves you room for error.
3. Prep Your Area
Before you can begin the installation, you'll need to prep the area. To do this, ensure that all surfaces are straight and attach any loose shingles or boards that might affect the installation. Remove any existing trim and look for obstructions that might get in the way such as utility lines.
You'll also want to remove your gutters before installing the soffit because failure to do so might result in damaged gutters. Save yourself the hassle and be proactive now rather than lazy. You'll be glad you did.
4. Leave Room for an Expansion
Another great tip to remember is to always leave room for expansion when using aluminum soffit. To be completely safe, leave around 1/4 of an inch expansion room at the end of the soffit. For cold climates, however, you'll want to leave around 5/16 of an inch at each end.
Doing so will allow the soffit to adjust to different temperature conditions without bending.
Soffits and Fascia Installation Tips
When installing your soffit and fascia, you'll want to follow these soffits and fascia installation tips. These tips will keep you from making simple mistakes and will help keep the process as stress-free as possible.
Learn more about how soffit can improve your home!
