Aluminum soffit installation question
I'm removing plywood soffits and replacing them with vented aluminum. I've screwed J trim to the aluminum house siding. I'm about to slide one side of my 1st piece of aluminum soffit into the J channel and nail or screw the other side to the bottom of the fascia board. And that's my big question: nail or screw? The literature says 'nail' the soffits and never says 'screw' them (but doesn't say not to use screws). The idea of hammering nails skyward, over my head, makes me ill, and I've got to avoid that no matter what!! I guess the issue is aluminum expansion/contraction which I assume nailing allows for, provided the nail head isn't tight against the material. Even more confusing - why do leading hardware stores carry Soffit Screws all nicely packaged with white painted heads? (That too is odd because heads would be covered by the aluminum fascia I'm also installing.) I've screwed the J trim right through the channel onto the house siding and I wonder if that's also going to be a problem, because the screws are plenty tight, and the literature also says 'nails' for J trim. Gulp. One other solution may be to attach J channel to the inside of the fascia board and not use *any* nails/screws and just let the aluminum pieces, locked to each other, rest in the J channels. But I'd like to avoid that extra work. I've just joined this forum and I'm looking forward to reading any feedback on this troublesome question. BigN, welcome to the forums. You will be adding a fascia that will cover the ends of the soffiting and will not present any problem if you want to use screws. Whatever you do, don't just slide the soffiting in the groove of two j's. When the wind blows you will only hear thunder as the panels will vibrate horribly. Good luck with the project. I don't mean to scare you, but you probably should have used f-channel against the house instead of j-channel. High winds could possibly cause a j-channel screwed in such a manner as you describe to flip up and let the soffit out. It would be a good idea to install some solid blocking periodically above the j-channel to prevent this. An f-channel (shaped just like an F) can be screwed upside down so that the nailing flange points up, and it's a better trim to use in such a situation. Regarding the use of nails or screws, expansion and contraction with aluminum soffit is not an issue. Personally, I staple it, and I think most pros do. If you don't have a stapler, short trim nails are probably better. Screws would stick up in places you don't want them to. xsleeper your last said just what I was gona say. Good edvice!!! I like the idea of the stapler, and I am assuming you are referring to a pneumatic stapler, rather than a insulation type stapler. I think you would be ok with that on aluminum, but vinyl, kiss it goodbye anytime it gets near a nail gun. Unsure add a thank you post to my own thread here, but maybe this'll do it. Anyway, just want to say how pleased I was to get your replies, particularly those supporting screws, and so quickly too! This is one great forum folks! XSleeper, I can't quite visualize how the J trim might flip up. I've driven a self tapping 1/2 screw through the bottom of the J (the non-parallel section) into aluminum siding of the house. But you're right, the material is aluminum and plenty 'bendable' given sufficient force so I may apply flip-stop-blocks as you suggest. A pneumatic stapler sounds perfect as long as I can apply the staple deep into the soffit grooves without kinking the material. I'm looking for reasons to invest in an air compressor because I'll have some spray painting to do later on (and some questions to go with it - never done any of this kind of work before!!) Chandler, XSleeper, Bridgewater - big, big thanks to you all! bigN Nope, just a stalper as long as im under two feet, and two trim nails in a panel here and there along the run. I'm having a hard time visualizing these J and f channels and fascias and so forth. I want to remove aluminum soffit covers to get underneath and do some wall insulating. But removing the aluminum pieces comes first. Anyone know a place that has good photos of these different pieces and how they're normally assembled and attached? On my house, there is one row of nails holding up the soffit cover below the roof, and about five pieces between that and the first line of aluminum siding, which I need to remove in ordere to insulate. I hope, there is a way to remove all of these pieces and replace them afterward, without too much denting~ J Originally Posted by jurched I'm having a hard time visualizing these J and f channels and fascias and so forth. Anyone know a place that has good photos of these different pieces and how they're normally assembled and attached? J Try this site - it has lots of detailed photos of aluminum soffit and fascia installation: http://www.rd.com/content/openContent.do?contentId=18262 bigN Thanks a lot for that link. They do have a lot of good photos and descriptive text! J
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