How to Paint Wood Fascia Boards

Fascia boards are the thin wooden boards that run along the roof of a building under the gutters. Their purpose is to protect the air vents leading into the roof space from rain and debris. Because fascia boards are exposed to the weather, they need regular maintenance to prevent them from rotting. This means repainting them every six years or so. This is a job for the summer since it needs dry weather.

Step 1: Tarpaulin

Start by spreading the tarpaulin under the work area. Scraping off old paint is a messy business. You don’t want to have paint scrapings all over the yard.

Step 2: Guttering

If it's at all possible, remove the gutters first. It isn’t essential, but it makes the job easier. Be careful and clean them out before you start. You don’t want all of last winter’s wet leaves to get in your way.

Step 3: Paint Removal

Use the heat gun to soften the old paint and scrape it off the fascia boards with your scrapers. This is a messy, but essential job. If you discover that the scraper goes right into the wood, the wood is rotten. If this is the case, you will need to replace the entire board.

Step 4: Filling

Fill any small holes in the fascia board with wood filler. Keep it aside for an hour and let it dry. Once it's ready, it's time to sand it down.

Step 5: Sanding

Sand down the boards until they are smooth and ready to receive the paint. You will need to start with a coarse disc and then change to a medium one.

Step 6: Preservative

Treat the fascia with a wood preservative. You can either spray it on or use a brush to apply it. Keep it aside and let it dry overnight.

Step 7: Primer

Now comes the fun part. Paint the fascia boards with primer. Don’t overload your brush—the rule is “little and often.” Read the instructions on the paint tin to find how long it needs to dry—some times run up to 16 hours. Clean your brush after use in a jar full of paint cleaner. If you don’t clean your brushes, they will become useless.

Step 8: Sanding

Once the paint is dry, sand the boards lightly with a medium sanding disc.

Step 9: Undercoat

You now give the fascia a second coat of primer and then clean your brush. After the primer is dry, sand down the second coat with a fine sanding disc. The fascia boards should now be smooth, clean and ready for the paint.

Step 10: Final Coat

Now apply the final gloss coat, clean your brush, replace the gutters once the paint is dry, dismantle your scaffold, fold up the tarpaulin, and then stand back and admire your handiwork!