How To Install Pvc Board

If you are installing new windows in your home, you volition also need to think well-nigh the kind of trim you will utilise. While traditional woods trim looks great, present, due to the actress convenience and immovability, using PVC trim is becoming increasingly pop.

Working with PVC is slightly different from working with wood, then if y'all are thinking of using PVC in your home, here are our top 15 tips for installing PVC window trim.

If you desire to take a look at some of the things we're going to be talking near – and get a few extra tips too – you can too check out this video before reading on.

Tips for Installing PVC Window Trim

1. Work PVC like wood

One of the best things about using PVC for window trims is the fact that you can work it in nearly the aforementioned fashion as you lot would with wood.

This means, for the most part, you can use the same tools and techniques to work PVC as you would when working with woods.

When cut it, you should apply carbide-tipped saws since regular steel blades volition become dulled too speedily. For the best results, choose blades with more teeth to make smoother cuts.

ii. Use the correct sandpaper

With PVC window trim, you lot may need to utilize sandpaper to achieve smoothen edges on exposed surfaces. If you exercise, you should apply 150- or 220-grit sandpaper to achieve the best results.

three. Where possible, hide cutting edges

If you need to cutting PVC, fifty-fifty if yous use sandpaper on it to smooth the edges, it will still be hard to reach edges that await equally perfect as the edges from the manufacturing plant.

For this reason, where possible, try to utilize the manufactory edges for parts that will exist visible – and endeavour to hide the edges you lot cut yourself from view.

4. Empathise what other tricks you lot can do

One of the advantages of working with PVC is that although you can piece of work it in a very similar way to wood, it also allows you to use additional techniques that would be impossible with wood.

For example, if yous heat it, yous tin bend it into all kinds of different shapes, allowing you lot to adapt it to the job yous are working on and even to try some more artistic applications.

To bend and manipulate PVC, yous need to heat it to around 320°F. Professionals use heat blankets for this, simply pro-grade ones are expensive.

Alternatively, if y'all want to save yourself a little bit of cash, you can hands brand a DIY version that will exercise the same job for occasional use.

5. Understand how it is different from forest

If you want to apply PVC successfully, the key is understanding how information technology is different from wood, and the about important attribute is its chapters to aggrandize.

The master thing to note is that while wood expands with humidity – and tends to do and so across the grain – PVC expands lengthwise, meaning you lot take to let for this expansion when installing it.

In fact, when working with PVC trim, your major concern during installation is making sure it has the necessary space to expand.

6. Go out gaps for expansion at the ends

Since PVC expands along its length, you need to leave a small gap for it to expand into when installing it – and the gap you leave will depend on the ambience temperature where you are working.

If y'all are working in warmer conditions, the PVC will already have expanded slightly, so you don't need to leave as much of a gap and should make information technology smaller.

Conversely, if you are installing the PVC in colder atmospheric condition, information technology will non have expanded, so you demand to get out more room for information technology to aggrandize into when the temperature rises.

As a full general guideline, 18ft of PVC trim will need an expansion gap of i/8" at the end. If y'all are working in colder temperatures, make it a little bigger, or in warmer temperatures, brand it slightly smaller.

Also, if y'all are installing shorter lengths of trim, you won't need such a large gap, so you can too make it slightly smaller.

7. Use solvent-based adhesives

When bonding PVC trim, y'all should choose solvent-based adhesives. This is because solvents crusade the PVC to break down slightly, which has the effect of "welding" the pieces together. For this kind of awarding, solvent-based PVC pipe glue is a good choice.

eight. Use a scarf joint to join PVC boards

When attaching two sections of PVC trim, use a scarf articulation, just like you would when working with wood. This is done by cutting two opposing miters into the PVC and fixing them together.

As we only mentioned in #7 above, you should use a solvent-based adhesive to attach the pieces.

9. Use solvent-based sealants

Equally with adhesives, you should use sealants that are solvent-based. These products will adhere almost securely to the PVC, giving you the best seal.

10. Avoid using silicone-based products

When working with PVC, you should avoid using silicone-based products. This is because silicone doesn't adhere well to PVC and won't produce skillful results.

xi. Use stainless-steel nails equally fasteners

I of the advantages that PVC has over wood is its longevity. Information technology doesn't crack or dissever hands similar woods, and if you look after information technology properly, information technology should last a very long time.

Even so, if you utilize sub-quality fasteners, the fasteners themselves are likely to deteriorate before the PVC.

To preclude this, if you are nailing the PVC in identify, you should cull stainless-steel nails. This manner, the nails won't be susceptible to rusting, weathering or whatsoever other type of corrosion and volition last as long as the PVC.

12. Consider using screws and plugs

Mayhap an even amend way of fasting the trim in place is using screws or screws with plugs. Plugs are available to friction match all types of PVC and give a cleaner, less noticeable terminate.

Again, as with using nails, you lot should ever cull loftier-quality stainless-steel screws to ensure they concluding a long time.

13. Infinite nails or screws correctly

Measure the spacing for nails or screws advisedly. A good guideline to follow is to employ ane nail or screw 2" from the top and one ii" from the lesser of the trim at regular intervals. Still, if yous are using narrower trim where this isn't practical, you might have to conform this.

The space between nails or screws forth the trim should be about 18", and you should also identify nails or screws at each end next to the wall to hold it firmly in place.

fourteen. Preassemble window trim before plumbing equipment in place

A good pro tip is to pre-assemble the whole window trim and then to fit it to the window equally one unit rather than plumbing equipment the trim piece past piece.

This might have a flake longer initially, but you will stop up with superior results because you tin can piece of work more than accurately. This is because working on a bench to fit the trim together is much easier than trying to fit it all in place while half-way upwards a ladder.

When you do this, if y'all use a solvent-based agglutinative, you tin piece of work with or without nails or screws because the solvent will "weld" the pieces together, creating extremely potent joints, as we have already explained.

Notwithstanding, if you decide to piece of work with screws or nails while assembling the trim before fitting it in place, this can also piece of work well.

The key to getting it right is taking accurate measurements from the window because if you brand a fault, y'all will notice the trim doesn't fit properly when you endeavor to put it in place.

Remembering the old carpenter'southward aphorism to "measure twice, cut once" here will stand you in practiced stead. Too, if you lot haven't done and so nevertheless, check out the video at the tiptop of the page for some extra tips.

15. To paint or not to paint?

PVC trim is made to be installed without being painted. Many include a "faux-wood" finish and look great when installed only the mode they are.

However, if you adopt, you can also paint your PVC window trim. In this case, yous should choose a PVC-friendly paint that won't warp or peel with the constant expansion and retraction that PVC trim undergoes as the temperature changes.

Also, if there are any holes in the trim from the fastenings, brand certain you lot fill them before you paint. If you employ a paintable caulk and then paint over it, this volition exercise a cracking job of concealing the holes, making the whole thing look much more professional.

Many advantages and easy to work with

Using PVC window trim has many advantages over traditional wood trim. It is piece of cake to piece of work with, is much more durable and, since it's waterproof, it will also assist protect your house from the elements.

The main affair to understand information technology that PVC expands as the temperature rises, meaning yous have to account for this when installing it. As long as you empathize this – and you follow the other tips in our guide – installing your own PVC window trim should not be a difficult task.

Source: https://www.wcmanet.org/pvc-window-trim/

Posted by: scottdregat.blogspot.com