Back Porch
Giving the Old Window Trim Another Go
The old PVC trim gets cleaned, modified and put right back to work as the back porch finally starts looking finished.
We're really coming down to it now it seems! All the siding is up, the band boarding is in and we just need to put the trim up around the windows, then it's just punch list items. It's exciting to see it all come together and, while it's not an overly obvious change to the casual observer, this project on the back porch has really given 173 a much more "finished" look. Let's get into it...
Where We Left Off
Last weekend we left off with the siding on the East wall completed and a band board added to the bottom of the wall. At that point we started to get that feeling that we're getting close to finishing up.
Maybe We Don't Need New Trim
When it came time to figuring out the materials to replace the trim around the windows, I was faced with a couple options. Initially I thought I would buy all new PVC boards to replace the old ones.
But then one evening during the week, I was looking at the old PVC boards and realized there really was no need to replace them. They just needed to be rehabbed, cleaned up and, in some cases, made longer.
And really, this is exactly the kind of thing I've gotten much better about over the years. There was absolutely nothing wrong with these boards. They weren't rotten, they weren't cracked, and being PVC, they hadn't suffered much from sitting outside all these years. They simply didn't fit the new configuration anymore.
Twenty years ago I might have automatically headed to the store and bought new ones. These days I'm much more likely to stand there staring at the old stuff for ten minutes thinking, There's gotta be a way I can use this.
In this case, there was.
I know, I know... just keep reading!
Making Old Boards Fit New Work
Once I decided to give the old PVC boards a second chance, the first thing I did was clean them up really good. First I gave them a good scrubbing with just soap and water. Then I cleaned them with some Simple Green.
Because the window sills had changed, I had a sneaky suspicion that the length of the boards might be an issue. So I went out and measured all the windows to get a sense of how long each board would need to be because, oddly enough, the trim openings weren't all the same size even though the windows themselves are. I don't understand it either. It's f$%#@&$ geometry...so leave me alone!
After measuring and dry-fitting the boards, I measured their actual length so I could figure out if any didn't need to be cut or, like I mentioned earlier, maybe made a little bit longer.
I know that last sentence sounds a little crazy. How do you make a board a little bit longer? Well, much the same way that I made a one-piece window sill for the East wall by marrying 2 boards together. In this case, I had heard great things about Titebond's PVC glue. So I took some scrap PVC board and cut out a couple blocks to add to a couple of the boards.
I used to hang out in my dad's workshop on weekends. Later, when I was starting out as an actor, I became a roofer and a framer to make money. But what I really enjoyed was the finished work. I like the longevity. - Mark Harmon
In so doing I didn't need to buy new boards, which wasn't a problem financially, it just seemed silly to go out and buy brand new boards when these were perfectly fine.
And while it turned out I only needed 2 of the boards to be elongated, The PVC glue didn't work for me at all. So, since these little extensions weren't carrying any load and would ultimately be secured as part of the trim installation, I clamped everything to the sawhorse and used a few nails to hold the added pieces in position.
After that, I could just sand the end down with my orbital sander to bring them to the actual size that was needed. That took a couple of minutes on each one, but it was well worth the effort. By the time all the caulking and painting is done you'll never even know the difference.
And that's probably my favorite kind of repair. Not one anybody notices. Nobody walking past 173 is ever going to stop and admire the fact that two pieces of window trim were made a couple inches longer. They're just going to see finished trim around the windows.
Works for me.
A Little More Prep
Once all that was done I decided to cut the bottom of the boards at roughly the same angle as the window sills so they would sit on the window sills neatly. I used my little digital angle finder, then ran the boards through the table saw. And we are off and running.
Once outside, I used my random orbital sander to give the boards a quick sanding down. Number one, to make sure that they are good and clean.
Number 2, because we're going to paint these boards after they're up, I thought it would be easier to kind of degloss them and give them a little bit of teeth for the paint to bite into.
Finally, the Trim Goes Up
Finally, the time had come to start putting the trim on the windows. I used my nail gun, a level and a ladder, and that was all the tools that were needed to get the windows trim in place.
I'll have to look through the blog to see if I've ever mentioned it before but, I love that ladder stabilizer on the top of the ladder, it's really been a game changer.
I'll have to look through the blog to see if I've mentioned it before, but I love that ladder stabilizer. It's one of those things I probably should have bought years earlier. Besides holding the ladder out away from the siding and window trim, the wider contact points make the whole ladder feel considerably more planted. Even on a relatively short ladder like this one, I notice the difference immediately.
Now it Looks Finished
I think this part of the back porch project only took about three hours, which really isn't bad. Of course, it's probably another one of those jobs a professional could have knocked out in 45 minutes.But I'm not a professional.
I'm the guy who measures the same piece four times, carries it over to the window, stares at it, carries it back to the saw, measures it again, and then stands there wondering whether I should cut it.
Eventually I do.
And on this particular beautiful summer day, I wasn't in much of a hurry anyway. It was great just being outside working on ol' 173.
More importantly, this was one of those little stages that made a surprisingly big difference. The siding had already transformed the wall, but putting the white trim back around the windows suddenly tied everything together.
It looked finished.
Or at least almost finished.
And I especially like knowing that most of this trim isn't new. These are the same PVC boards that were already here. They just needed cleaning, a little modification and another chance.
That's pretty much how we do things around here.
There's still a punch list, of course. Caulking. Painting. Touch-ups. Cleaning. Probably some little thing I'll notice three days from now and become completely incapable of ignoring.
But the big work is done.
After eight years of saying we were eventually going to finish siding this back porch, eventually has gotten awfully close to done.
Hey, thanks for stopping by, see ya' next time!
There are few feelings better than needing some odd little piece of material and realizing you've had exactly that piece sitting in the workshop for eight years.
Suddenly all those years of 'Why are you keeping that?' have been vindicated. 😂
And reusing the old PVC instead of buying more? Absolutely. Clean it up, trim it, give it another job.
As for getting everything perfectly square on a 99-year-old house...good luck with that.
Measure carefully. Make it look right. Caulk the evidence.
That's old-house geometry. - Anonymous
Frequently Asked Questions
Can exterior PVC trim boards be reused?
Often, yes. One advantage of cellular PVC trim is that it doesn't rot like wood. If the boards are still straight, structurally sound and reasonably clean, they may be removed, cleaned, resized and reused.
Do PVC trim boards need to be painted?
Not necessarily. Most exterior PVC trim is manufactured white and can be left unfinished, but painting can help it coordinate with surrounding trim and give repaired or reused pieces a more uniform appearance. Use paint compatible with the particular PVC product.
Can old PVC trim be cleaned before reinstalling it?
Yes. Start with mild soap and water. More stubborn dirt can usually be addressed with a cleaner that's compatible with PVC. Test stronger cleaners first, particularly on visible surfaces.
Why cut the bottom of vertical window trim at an angle?
Where vertical casing meets a sloped sill, matching the sill angle creates a tighter, more finished-looking joint and reduces the size of the gap that eventually needs to be caulked.
Should PVC trim be sanded before painting?
A light sanding can remove grime, surface imperfections and gloss while providing a better surface for compatible paint. Aggressive sanding generally isn't necessary.
Why reuse exterior trim instead of replacing it?
If the existing material remains serviceable, reuse saves money and material while avoiding unnecessary waste. It can require more fitting and preparation, but for a small DIY project that tradeoff may be worthwhile.
Why do window trim pieces sometimes need different measurements even when the windows are the same size?
The windows themselves may be identical while their installation, surrounding framing, sill heights or trim openings vary slightly. This is particularly common on older houses where previous repairs and alterations have accumulated over decades.
Keywords
back porch rehab, PVC window trim, exterior window trim, reuse PVC trim, porch window trim, DIY exterior trim, cellular PVC trim, old house repairs, porch renovation, House 173