Fascia is the foundation used to attach gutters to your home. If it is not maintained and kept in pristine condition, damage to your home can result. The fascia is important because without it your gutters may not hold securely and that can allow moisture to get onto your home and seep into the foundation, causing interior damage. It is also important because it combines with soffits to ventilate and protect the roof of the home from moisture damage. As an added plus, it also aids in deterring wild life from taking up shop in your eaves troughs. In addition to these functional uses, fascia also is useful in that it helps to complete the overall look of the exterior of a home.
The tools you will need are:
Ladder Tall Enough to Reach Fascia
Heavy Duty Work Gloves
Pry Bar
Galvanized Deck Screws
Heavy Duty Nail for Nail Lock
Board to Repair Damaged Fascia (same material as what you are replacing)
If your fascia is damaged you need simply remove the section that is damaged and replace it. This can be done fairly simply by cutting out the part that needs repair and replacing only that. To make the repair correctly, however, you will also need to remove the gutter where it resides over the damaged fascia and possibly the moldings on the roof shingles. You need to wear protective gloves for this.
Remove each piece that is hindering the removal of your fascia, including the gutter and molding, very carefully to avoid compromising them. Take the nails out of the fascia you are removing and dispose of them immediately so that they do not fall in the yard and wreak havoc later (via landing in a car tire or a foot). Use a pry bar to remove the entire section of the damaged fascia from the home. Be careful to balance yourself securely on the ladder while doing this. It may even be a good idea to have a person spotting you at the bottom of the ladder while you are prying the damaged areas off of the home.
Cut off the section of the fascia that is in need of repair and create a replacement for it by using the same type of material. Screw the old piece back in place that is undamaged and add the new piece once it is firmly in place. Use the old piece for the pattern to gauge your size. A miter cut on the end will allow for a perfect fit. You do not need any special tool for this, you can simply use your circular saw. Make sure to always wear safety glasses when working with power tools, especially those that cut, even if you are only doing a simple task, such as this one. Also, make sure that the screws you are using for this job are ones that are specifically made for use in the out of doors.
Now you want to screw the new piece into place and create a nail lock between the old and new by hammering a nail between the two at a forty five degree angle. Be sure the nail sinks through both of the mitered ends of the board. You have now finished the actual fascia repair work. Carefully reattach your shingle moldings with exterior nails. Use a nail set to countersink the nail heads and then prime and paint where needed. When the paint dries completely you can put your gutters back into place. Congratulate yourself on a job well done.
