Hello all. The trim around the sides of my garage doors at my 18 year old house have rotted. Its the bottom 6 inches or so where it was touching the concrete below. I'm sure the builder did not put wood preservative/sealer or primer/paint along the bottom edge or backside. So I am going to replace but would like some advice on what to use. I am not a huge fan of the appearance of the PVC trim such as Azek, but obviously it has some benefits. In terms of wood, any advice? Saw a product at Lowe's called Armourwood. (Fletcher Armour Wood). Looked interesting, claims to be a higher quality PT wood with two coats of primer. It is radiata pine. Very nice appearance. Their website says not to install within 6 inches of the ground or their 25 year warranty is voided due to fungal growth and insects. I'm not worried about the warranty, I just want the product to perform well.

Any other install tips you guys have would be appreciated! I imagine I want to leave a 1/8 inch gap in between board and ground? Is that sufficient or do I need a bith more?
I have been told to caulk in that space by some, others say not to so that air movement can take place.

THANKS!!!

 

If your talking about the brick molding, I's for sure just replace it with PVC brick molding.
It will never rot or need painting.
Any box store stock it.

 

Anyone else have any advice? If I was to use wood what kind of gap would I want to leave at the bottom so it doesn't contact the concrete?

Thanks!

 

Most Azek gets installed with the ugly fake woodgrain surface to the back, so that the trim appears smooth on 3 sides (S3S). A 1/2" gap to grade is usually enough that the trim won't sit in water, provided you keep leaf trash and dirt blown out of the gap.

 

I like pvc for the brick molding and the door jambs on garages. You can put it right on the ground or leave a gap, it will never rot. If you try to make it too tight, it may expand in the heat and bow out. It is not the best choice if you plan to paint it a dark color that will be exposed to the sun. If using real wood I would leave a 1/4" gap minimum and make sure the bottom edge is painted or sealed.