Soffits and fascias are the boards that tidy up the area where the roof overhangs the walls of a building. Without them, that area would look untidy and there would be a greater risk of wind, rain and pests gaining access to the roof space. Although often made of uPVC these days, they were traditionally made of wood, which needs to be properly maintained and protected from the elements.
Never been quite sure which is which? The soffit is the board on the underside, that faces that ground. The soffits often have air vents built into them to allow air circulation in the loft space. The fascia is attached to the front of the roof overhang, facing outwards, and usually has the guttering attached to it.
If you have traditional wooden soffit and fascia boards, it’s important to keep them well maintained, to protect the wood and prolong their life. If you allow them to get into a poor state, they’re often one of the first things that people notice about your house, for all the wrong reasons.
Fortunately, maintenance is not complicated, and in this blog we’ll take you through a step-by-step process on what tools and materials you need, and how to go about painting your fascia boards, to keep them looking their best for years to come. There’s even a short video at the end, as sometimes it’s easier to explain things with pictures as well as words.
When Should You Paint Your Fascia Boards?
The frequency of how often your soffit and fascia boards need maintenance will depend to some extent on how extreme the weather is where you live. They may last three years, maybe five, maybe ten; it depends how well they were painted last time, and what the weather has been like since they were last painted. If the paint is looking dull, faded or starting to peel, they probably need painting. If they just look dirty, you may get away with having them cleaned.
Ideally you should tackle the job when the weather is dry and warm (not too hot ideally, but certainly above 10°C for most paints).
Tools and Materials Needed for Painting Fascia Boards
Here’s a list of what you will need to get the job done:
- Ladder(s) and/or scaffolding – safety is the most important thing to consider, and you need to be 100% confident that you can reach the whole job safely without over-reaching. It may well be possible from a ladder, but would hiring scaffolding or even a cherry picker make it safer?
- Dust sheets
- Scraper
- Wood stabiliser/hardener
- Wood filler(s)
- Sandpaper or sanding block
- Dusting brush
- Exterior wood primer/undercoat
- Exterior paint (topcoat in your chosen finish)
- Paintbrush, possibly a 4” roller and tray depending on the situation
Should you Remove Gutters When Painting Fascia Boards?
There are pros and cons of each approach. If you remove them and their brackets, it’s much easier to have full unfettered access to the fascia boards, making sanding and painting easier. It also means that if the gutters ever need to be replaced in the future, there won’t be obvious paint lines where you have painted around the brackets.
On the other hand, you can end up opening a whole can of worms. The plastic brackets and rubber seals will have been exposed to extremes of weather and temperature, and will have become increasingly brittle over time.
Rubber seals tend to disintegrate after a while, and plastic brackets snap when you try to unclip them, meaning that you end up having to replace some items. The new items then don’t match the colour of the older ones next to them (which have discoloured over time), so you end up replacing the whole lot. Which nobody had budgeted for.
How to Paint Fascia Boards – Step-by-Step
Always think, safety first
Ensure your ladder is sturdy and in good condition, that it is placed securely on solid ground at the correct angle, and that you have someone available to “foot” the ladder for you.
Sheet up
Ensure that anything in the nearby vicinity that needs to be protected is covered with dust sheets. Remember that the breeze can carry a small droplet of paint quite a distance on its journey towards the ground, so don’t just cover the area immediately underneath where you are painting.
Inspect for damage and carry out the prep
Inspect your soffits and fascia boards thoroughly for any signs of damage. Start by removing any loose, flaking paint with a scraper and cleaning off dust, dirt and other contaminants with a mild detergent solution – this will make it easier to see the state of the wood underneath.
Fill imperfections
For smaller patches of rot, chisel out until you get back to good, solid wood, and then treat with wood stabiliser/hardener, followed by a resin-type filler such as Oxera Rebuild Wood Repair. For more details on how to repair rotted wood, read our separate blog here.
For minor cracks, nail holes etc, use a wood filler suitable for exterior use, such as HB42 Ultimate Wood Filler. Fill all the imperfections, and allow the filler to harden fully
Sand the whole area thoroughly, to:-
- Smooth out your filler
- Smooth rough areas of wood
- Remove any lingering flaky paint
- Provide a good “key” for your paint to adhere to
- After sanding, remove as much dust as possible with a dusting brush
Apply the undercoat
Using a good quality paint brush and a suitable exterior paint, apply one coat of primer/undercoat, following the manufacturer’s instructions. It’s usually easiest to paint the soffits first and then the fascias, working in small sections to maintain a wet edge. If you have removed the guttering and brackets, you may find it easier/quicker to apply the paint using a 4” roller, and then lay it off using your brush. Allow the primer-undercoat to dry thoroughly.
De-nib
Using fine sandpaper, sand the area down to “de-nib”, and dust off as before.
Apply the topcoats
Apply two coats of your chosen topcoat paint, allowing it to dry thoroughly and “de-nibbing” between coats.
Hints and Tips When Painting Fascia Boards
Stay out the sun
Try to time your work so that you are not applying the paint when that part of the house is in direct sunlight. We all love working outside in the sun, but it can cause the paint to dry too quickly, and also give you a “snow blindness” effect, where it is very hard to see clearly what you are doing because of the bright light reflecting off the shiny wet white paint.
Check the ends of the fascia boards
Make sure you pay extra attention to the ends and edges of the boards, which are more prone to water ingress and rot – thorough prep, and an extra coat of paint never did any harm!
A Video Demo
Painting Soffit and Fascia Boards
A quick demo on the best way to paint soffit and fascia boards, including the best products to use.
Best Paint to Use for Soffits and Fascia Boards
Personally, I really like the Sandtex Trade Xtra system; in fact I’ve just picked up some more this morning for next week’s job! It’s a two-part system (flexible primer-undercoat and flexible topcoat – available in either eggshell or gloss finish).
It’s oil-based, hard-wearing and specifically designed for use outdoors, so it can cope with our weather and is flexible enough to expand and contract with the wood when it gets hot/cold. You can read a full review of the Sandtex Trade Xtra system here.
Best Filler for Fascia Boards
For deep holes/repairs, it’s best to use a resin-type filler. I like Oxera Rebuild Wood Repair; if you haven’t used it before, you can buy small pots of the 4-hour resin and activator (it’s a two-part system) that you can mix together without having to buy the applicator gun etc. It’s super-easy to use and doesn’t shrink back as it cures, so simply smooth it off and leave to cure. (Click here for details).
For smaller imperfections, resin-type fillers aren’t as suitable (it seems slightly counter-intuitive, but the deeper the hole, the faster resin fillers will cure – so for minor surface imperfections they don’t really work). You’re much better using something like HB42 Ultimate Wood Filler, which sticks well to a solid wood surface, doesn’t sag and doesn’t feel grainy, so it sands back to a beautifully smooth finish. It also doesn’t contain a harmful chemical called styrene which some other fillers contain – just search online for “harmful effects of repeated exposure to styrene” …
Best Paint Brushes for Fascia Boards
We always used to use natural bristle brushes for oil-based paints, but they are becoming increasingly hard to get hold of. The Hamilton Perfection Clean Edge brushes use modern synthetic filaments but have been specifically designed to work with “sticky” paints such as oil-based gloss and satinwood.
The filaments are firm enough to allow you to spread thicker paints with ease, but the tips are soft enough to lay off to a smooth finish. They hold plenty of paint, and cut in sharply, so when you can’t get hold of a natural bristle brush anymore, these are well worth a try – my favourite is the 2” flat brush.
FAQs
Do I need to sand fascia boards before painting?
You should always sand fascia boards when painting. This helps to achieve a smooth finish and aids adhesion, which gives your paint the best possible chance of lasting.
What’s the best paint for fascia boards?
Any good-quality trade exterior wood paint will work fine. We tend to use Sandtex X-Tra Eggshell or Gloss because we know it will look good and last.
Can I paint fascia boards without removing the guttering?
Yes, in fact, that is the preferred method for a lot of Professional Decorators. There are pros and cons to removing the guttering, but if you do remove them, you should be prepared to replace the brackets and rubber seals.
How often should fascia boards be painted?
This depends on a couple of factors, including the weather in your area, how well they were painted last time, and the products you used. However, I’d say every 5-7 years as a rough guide.
Can I paint fascia boards with a roller or sprayer?
Yes, a brush gives better control, so you’ll be able to paint round guttering and really work the paint. A sprayer takes more skill, but you’ll be able to achieve a better finish if you stick with water-based paints. A paint roller is good for wider boards.
Final Thoughts
With the right tools and materials, painting your fascia boards isn’t a difficult job. And once it’s done, they will be protected and looking their best for years to come.
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