It’s been so long since I was on the boards…I’ve forgotten. Should 1 x fascia boards and drip nailers be PT?
Pressure treated lumber is so wet when it arrives on site I wouldn’t use it unless it was absolutely necessary - such as a sill plate on a concrete foundation. The firms I’ve worked for recently and the State of Wisconsin have even stopped using it for low slope roof blocking. If that wood is getting wet, there are bigger problems to deal with. Plus, it costs more to use it.
Would you be in a position to use a more dimensionally stable board, like a fiber cement trim board? It will last longer than wood and hold paint better. Plus…It won’t twist and bow.
Russell, we have always specified either PT Wood or Cedar for Fascia and Drips; never tried alternative board products like AZEK, though it might we worth a shot.
Assuming it might have been interpreted as such, I’ll clarify that my reply wasn’t proposing AZEK. A few years ago, I was working with a developer who had used it on some previous buildings and eventually had problems with the wide, flat shapes.
It depends on where you are geographically, too. Here in the Boston area, D-select pine is commonly used for this purpose. (I’m sure the new composites have made inroads, nevertheless.) Kept painted, it lasts a very long time. My house is just shy of 120 years old and a most of the trim is original, though the barge boards are a bit ragged at the ends, I have to say. Fascias have been replaced because originally the gutters were wood, without facias. Now (sigh) they’re aluminum.
What is the entended exposed finish? If it’s metal, then I stand by my earlier post. If it is painted or stained wood, then redwood or cedar would be approriate. However, cement board products are nearly standard for commercial work and higher end residential today.
End purpose would be painted…so I guess paint grade would be the ticket.
If you’re in the Southeast, stay with PTW or plastic. Spec KDAT - kiln dried after treatment - for the PTW to help with problem that Kurt noted above. A lot of builders favor the plastic products.