jar944
Well-known member
Yes on the zero maintenance. No on the same look, it's not even close.
Porch ceiling ideas?
- Thread starter PCustoms
- Start date
Yes on the zero maintenance. No on the same look, it's not even close.
I currently have vinyl, it looks like **** and requires maintenance. I'm not putting it back.
geez, that dark surface doesn't **** up the heat during the summer ? does it get hot to the touch?When we were designing our house, we really wanted cedar siding, but I’m not willing to put in all the work over the years to constantly refinish it, so we decided to go with a siding product that slightly resembled the wood look. That is when we contacted Quality Edge regarding our siding ideas. We wanted a ship-lap siding and all they sold was lap siding. Their Tru Cedar lap siding looks more like wood than the Vesta lap siding, but we really wanted the lap (flat) look. The person I contacted said they were developing a lap siding called Vesta, but was not sure when it would be available. Long story short, the timing worked out perfect and we were able to purchase the Vesta siding just in time for the build. They told us that we were the first in our region of the country to use the product. They actually flew out a rep to show the installers how to install it properly. After the siding was put on the house, we decided to use it on the porch ceiling as well. We really like it. As far as price goes, I don’t remember what we paid for it. They gave us a substantial discount because, at the time, they were not set up to sell individual parts so we had to buy in bulk. We still have several boxes of the siding, some flat stock, mounting strips, etc. since we had to buy more than what we needed. I can say it is not cheap, but it will never need any maintenance and will last longer than I will. Here are more pics of the siding during and after the build.
oh yeah. my front door gets full sun in the morning since we're on a hill facing east. 4 coats of marine varnish lasted about 2-3 years before looking dull and needing a re-finish. but we have a full 36" solid oak door with natural finish and leaded glass inserts on the door, sidelights, and the upper transom window. 40 yrs old now, just needs decent maintenance every few years.
jar944
Well-known member
I agree on the looke like **** part, but beyond hosing/pressure washing what maintenance are you having to do?
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Joe Reed
Well-known member
Depending on the style of your house, I'd go with the 4x8 sheets of beadboard plywood....painted light blue. If you do a good job of installation the seams won't show. I used it for a wainscoting in a rear foyer and powder room and no seams show. I would have put it on the porch ceilings but the ones done by the builder 20+ years ago are still perfect....so I just painted them blue....
yyc_ranger_4x4
Well-known member
If it's on your porch....does it need to be vented for appropriate airflow through a ceiling? If so.....be sure you keep some kind of vents in there.
The attic was massively over vented.
Soffit vents for 57', 2 gable end vents (1 powered), 57'x8' on the other side. At the top are 2 powered exhaust vents.
The whole venting setup will be recalculated as part of the porch renovation, I suspect once I run the math I'll need either a few strip vents or maybe the round style. Eventually the roof will be ridge vented and the powered vents will be decked over.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Except j channel and it may/will get wavy. I can't wait to rip out all the vinyl in my porch and screen room
What would you estimate the lifespan is of that vinyl?
I just painted my beadboard porch ceiling a couple years ago. From what I can tell I put on the third coat of paint but it's a hundred years old. Painting it once every 40 or 50 years doesn't seem too bad.
As far as looks, you're kidding yourself if you think it looks the same. It might be an acceptable trade-off for some because it's cheap and fast to install.
Crazyjake8493
Well-known member
Ours is solid vinyl soffit. Installed correctly it should stay straight and look decent, not to mention maintenance-free.
Crazyjake8493
Well-known member
Poor installation is not the material's fault.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Ok.
As long as you are haply with what you have at your house. No one else needs to like it
Crazyjake8493
Well-known member
That wasn't what I said. Merely pointing out a fact.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
My statement still stands. If you are haply, that's great.
I can't wait to get rid of it at my house, regardless of how good or bad the install is. J channel and vinyl ceilings don't look good, in my opinion
rockcrawler
Well-known member
It can get fairly warm.
Crazyjake8493
Well-known member
If it looks like **** AND requires maintenance, you've done something very wrong.
Thanks for your valuable insight.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I keep hearing "maintenance free". I'd really like someone to answer my question, how long will it last?
Well based on when my house was built, and the fact that it looked like s*** when I bought it, my best guess is slightly less than 30 years
jar944
Well-known member
12" soffit has a slight droop across the width when installed correctly and seams stand out. Neither of those have anything to do with poor installation they are just inherent to vinyl.
PassnThru
Well-known member
My porch ceiling was drywall when I moved in. They even textured it. I got tired of white stuff falling all the time - so pine bead board - three quarters. Some will say that it's running the wrong direction but I cared more about no visible joints than anything else. I did have to start with OSB first to have a nailing surface for this direction. I have an exterior stain on it but I still have issues with carpenter bees. They don't go all the way through but they will make a noticeable divot.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Looks greatMy porch ceiling was drywall when I moved in. They even textured it. I got tired of white stuff falling all the time - so pine bead board - three quarters. Some will say that it's running the wrong direction but I cared more about no visible joints than anything else. I did have to start with OSB first to have a nailing surface for this direction. I have an exterior stain on it but I still have issues with carpenter bees. They don't go all the way through but they will make a noticeable divot.
Crazyjake8493
Well-known member
Well if we're being pedantic then I suppose nothing is maintenance free since nothing lasts forever. I stand corrected.
I'd still like to hear a number, 20, 30, 50, 100 years? At what point are you looking at replacement?
duneslider
Well-known member
I don't think there is a number, it's also dependent on location and temps to some degree. Vinyl has more issues in really hot/really cold climates and hold up as long there. But at the end of the day if someone doesn't like the look of it does it matter how long it lasts? If you like it then go for it. It is a petroleum product and in the right circumstances will literally last FOREVER, so if that is what you want then go for it. Not sure why you are so hung up on a number. Even after you tear it off and send it to the landfill it will just be chilling there for the next few million years if you ever want to go dig it up.
I don't particularly like the look of vinyl soffit and siding but I am fine with vinyl fences. My vinyl fence is roughly 20 years old and seems fine and is basically maintenance free. I have some wood/metal fencing and that requires maintenance every year. Pro's and Con's to both.
I want a number because we have several claims of "zero" maintenance. If you want to make a claim then back it up with facts and experience.
I gave a number of 40-50 years for the paint on my porch ceiling. Might not be the same for everyone but it was my experience.
Crazyjake8493
Well-known member
No idea. With any luck I'll be dead before the vinyl siding I just put on my house needs be replaced.
I don't know a single person around here who's replaced their vinyl siding because it exceeded it's lifespan. Could be different in warmer areas.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Lots of chalky and cracked vinyl up in new England. My folks have a rental that looks pretty terrible, but I guess better than the asbestos siding underneath
Yep. My folks place went around 15 years and chalked up.
The vinyl siding on my place is very faded and brittle on 3 sides. The side under the porch gets so much shade it's better, but it all needs to be replaced soon. Probably gave out somewhere around 25yrs, just like the soffit on the porch.
Stuart in MN
Well-known member
Out of anywhere on a house's exterior, a porch ceiling should last the longest since it's not exposed to the sun and doesn't get any rain against it. I have car siding on the ceiling of my front and back porches; the front is original to the house so it's 110 years old, and the back I put up myself 40 years ago, and both have required zero maintenance (outside of sweeping down cobwebs every once in a while.)
You have 110 year old vinyl?
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Car siding is V groove wood
jar944
Well-known member
This thread reminds me that I need to rip the vinyl off my porch ceiling.
Old Moparz
Well-known member
When it comes to building materials "maintenance free" doesn't exist. No matter what you use on the exterior of the house the weather & UV rays will beat the snot out of it. A better term that should be used is "Low maintenance" for honesty. Even the underside of the porch roof is subjected to moisture & temperature changes which will eventually cause damage or make the finish look bad.
The least expensive approach with low maintenance is usually vinyl. There are big differences in quality, texture, thickness, & the installer. All are key to the appearance. Some contractors install it incorrectly because they either don't know how, or they're cutting corners. It MUST be nailed a specific way or it looks terrible. Not enough nails it sags, nailed too tight it can't expand & contract & warps.
Personally I don't like the appearance of vinyl soffit for large areas. I believe it's better for short overhangs under an eave in comparison to a very large porch ceiling. It has a commercial look to it like a walkway at the strip mall. My favorite is the T & G cedar planking & what I did on my own porch. All my overhangs & eaves are vinyl, some vented & some solid depending on where.
The least expensive approach with low maintenance is usually vinyl. There are big differences in quality, texture, thickness, & the installer. All are key to the appearance. Some contractors install it incorrectly because they either don't know how, or they're cutting corners. It MUST be nailed a specific way or it looks terrible. Not enough nails it sags, nailed too tight it can't expand & contract & warps.
Personally I don't like the appearance of vinyl soffit for large areas. I believe it's better for short overhangs under an eave in comparison to a very large porch ceiling. It has a commercial look to it like a walkway at the strip mall. My favorite is the T & G cedar planking & what I did on my own porch. All my overhangs & eaves are vinyl, some vented & some solid depending on where.
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My porch is very similar, only smaller and with a more rustic trim look and rough-sawn posts. We ran our clear pine t&g the same way as yours, and for the same reason. No end seams visible and no gaps. Also have to fight the carpenter bees.My porch ceiling was drywall when I moved in. They even textured it. I got tired of white stuff falling all the time - so pine bead board - three quarters. Some will say that it's running the wrong direction but I cared more about no visible joints than anything else. I did have to start with OSB first to have a nailing surface for this direction. I have an exterior stain on it but I still have issues with carpenter bees. They don't go all the way through but they will make a noticeable divot.
Well it seems Kleer has changed how they extrude their product and it no longer has the porosity that I hated.
Will have to stop at the yard next week for a sample. Likely the most expensive option, but it's as close to 0 maintenance as can be. Don't even have to paint it.
Kleer Lumber’s New Extruded Beadboard Offers Clean, Authentic Look | Kleer Lumber
Enhancing a porch ceiling or soffit has never been easier. Kleer Lumber‘s new beadboard is extruded as one piece and sealed on all four sides,
kleerlumber.com
Will have to stop at the yard next week for a sample. Likely the most expensive option, but it's as close to 0 maintenance as can be. Don't even have to paint it.