Fascia Covering

[Pack Rat]

I want to cover my old wooden fascia with aluminum.
When a contractor came out for estimates he gave me a choice of either
using the preformed fascia or he could form it out of trim coil so I wouldn't have
the ridges in it and it would be smooth.
I asked him how thick the trim coil would be since preformed fascia is .024 and
if he formed it I wanted thicker trim coil than the standard .019 usually used.
Do you think preformed or custom bent would be better?

 

[dave*99]

I have used both and installed both. I like the look and fit of the custom formed fascia.
I never considered the thickness to be a concern. When it gets very old, the paint flakes off. So that is the failure mode. There is also vinyl clad trim coil which may be more durable.

 

[maxpower_hd]

The vinyl clad I used on my mother's was also fake wood grain on one side. Just more for thought. I liked it. I never used preformed and would rather not myself since the custom stuff can be bent around almost anything. Preformed you're stuck with what you bought.

 

[cdestuck]

The preformed with the ridges will lay flatter and less prone to buckling. The folds add strength. But if your going to cover it with spouting, no biggie.

 

[Milton Shaw]

I did my fascia covering with the preformed. It is made to be used with soffit material and is too tall for most 6" fascia with out cutting the top off. Easy cut with razor knife score and then bent until it breaks off. I bought matching nails and have not had any issues with it since I did it 25 or more years ago. I also have had new gutters put over the eves of the house and they did not damage the fascia's other than just screw holes.

 

[matt_i]

If you have access to Allied Building materials, you can get preformed smooth fascia. I did. It is out of the Quality Aluminum Products catalog, which is a company near here in New Boston, Mich or very close to it. Limited to 6" height. It is nice and thick with small rolled hems (around 3/16") in both top and bottom to add stiffness. When I bend on the trim brake, I measure 3/4" for a hem and it does not crush down as fully as the professionally manufactured version. I have a mix of both preformed and hand bent on my build due to using a 2x8 fascia board. The 6" height was insufficient to cover the lower edge and slip under the drip edge.

While I like the pro version, the trim-coil version I think is functionally as good. The part of the shop which was constructed ~18 years ago has trim coil soffit on it and still looks very good imo.

 

[oldmxracer]

You will be fine with the trim coil !

 

[Pack Rat]

I agree that the preformed fascia would probably lay flatter. The local supplier has Quality Aluminum Products and I picked up their catalog.
I think using manufactured fascia would probably save money on labor and would be less likely to ripple.
My house is a mid 50's ranch has 8 an inch fascia. I have 6 gable ends and need lots of fascia covered.