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How to repair verandah fascia?

Hi,

I have a deck fascia clad in Hardie board (I believe). Beneath the Hardie are various lengths of timber, some of which has rotted, that is then attached to timber beams on the end grain (see attached photos). I recently noticed water has been seeping in and the fascia has come loose. I want to repair this properly and seal the fascia from the tiles above, which seems to be missing.

What would be the best materials and method to fix? I want something that won’t rot eventually, so are there any other alternatives (at least for the timber packing behind the Hardie board).

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MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @RaymondJ. It's wonderful to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about repairing a fascia.

This appears to be an aesthetical fascia enclosing the ends of the deck bearers. As it's not structural in nature a D.I.Y. repair would be possible. If you suspect the deck bearers have suffered any decay I'd encourage you to seek the advice of a professional for assesment.

You'll need to begin by removing the cement cladding, and a wreaking bar will come in handy for this. There's a good chance you'll break the cladding in the process, so it must be replaced. Behind that will be your fascia board, which must also be removed with the wrecking bar. A mini-sledgehammer will help knock the fascia off if attached with nails. If the fascia has been attached with screws, you'll need to undo those.

Once you've exposed the ends of the bearers, check for decay. If no decay is found, you can simply reinstall a new fascia board. I recommend painting the fascia board on all sides with an exterior paint prior to installing. These fascia boards are already treated for external use, but the layer of paint will add another layer of protection.

After the fascia board is installed, you can move on to installing the new Hardie cladding boards with nails and then painting.

The timber fascia is purely there to pack out the ends of the bearers so the facing material ends flush with the edge of the compressed sheeting surface of the deck. You could choose not to reinstall the fascia and just attach the cladding directly to the end of the bearers. Your deck's compressed fibro surface will then overhang the cladding beneath. That might not actually be a bad idea, as it will create a drip edge. I believe the rotting issue you've experienced is due to water running off the deck and making its way between the cement cladding's top edge and into the timber fascia.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

RaymondJ

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/38796#Comment_38796

Thanks so much, Mitchell!

In terms of fasteners, what would you recommend if I was attaching the Hardie cladding directly to the bearer ends? Given its end grain, what screws be better as opposed to clouts/nails?

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/81585#Comment_81585

Hello @RaymondJ

It would be best to have the fascia board installed so that the Hardie cladding boards will be at the same level as the others. Plus, it adds an extra layer of protection for your deck. If you were to use screws, I suggest using Buildex RapidDrive Treated Pine Screws.

If you need further assistance, please let me know.

Eric

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