Exterior wood trim failure is one of the most common issues that the exterior of a home will face. In the early days house trim was usually made of wood. It surrounds the more vulnerable areas of the home, such as windows and doors, breaks in the siding, and the edging where a course of siding ends. Some of these spaces may become gathering places for moisture buildup, allowing the wood to absorb water over time, causing cracking, peeling, and blistering of the finish and softening, cracking, and rotting of the wood itself.
Even when expensive, lower maintenance woods are used, such as cedar or redwood, problems still tend to develop over time, such as bleed-through, darkening of the finish, and eventual rotting. On homes and properties that have a lot of trim, it often makes sense to replace it all at once for consistency, even if it’s only rotting in a few places, which can lead to high costs for the homeowner, and additional headaches for the builder. This is mostly due to the way that many popular trim materials require callbacks for color inconsistencies, bleed-through, and cracking (in the case of some synthetic materials).
Therefore, it’s important to choose a wood trim replacement material that’s going to minimize these issues. One material worth considering is preservative-treated wood trim.
What Is Preservative-Treated Wood Trim?
Preservative-treated wood trim is an alternative to the standard wood trims that help eliminate many of the problems builders and homeowners can encounter. The wood is first kiln-dried for stability, then given a surface treatment of preservatives that contain carbon-based fungicides and insecticides. The preservatives are absorbed into the wood, which is then graded for quality, and finally given an acrylic-latex primer before being packaged for delivery. This makes the wood trim stable, lightweight, easy to work with, and longer lasting than most other wood trims products on the market. It’s also lower in cost than cedar and other commonly used woods.
Why Preservative-Treated Wood Trim Is the Best Replacement Option
When a homeowner makes a call regarding having their trim replaced, they want the job done quickly and they want it done right. They don’t want to have to make multiple callbacks about their new trim, and they don’t want to have to replace it again in just a few years. Contractors want these things, too; they want the ability to quickly get the job done, and not have to return to the jobsite again and again because of the common problems associated with some wood trims.
Preservative-treated wood trim is lightweight when kiln dried and easy to install. Types of wood like cedar and particularly redwood will experience fiber movement that creates splits, loose knots and through holes and if they don’t have the right moisture content at the time of installation.
The same applies for the color. If you don’t prime the trim, you’ll likely see bleed-through from the oils in the heartwood and sapwood working their way out. Field priming will take additional time, which takes both man hours and adds costs to the final project.
Preservative-treated wood comes already primed with a tough acrylic-latex primer that is tested to withstand excellently against high air moisture and rain, abrasive scrubbing and other issues before it arrives on the jobsite. It’s durable and uniformly coated, eliminating the need for you to prime on site. Without the bleed-through or darkening of the finish that often comes with redwood, you’ll have fewer callbacks about the trim.
Preservative-treated trim is designed to last. XT Trim from Belco Forest Products includes a 20-year limited warranty. This gives both you and your client peace of mind about the trim, its quality, and its ability to outlast other wood trims. It’s available at a lower cost than cedar, so you can maximize profits and grow your reputation with homeowners at the same time.
Choose the Right Exterior Wood Trim Replacement
You have a lot of options for wood trim when the time comes for choosing a replacement or updating your design. Make sure that you choose trim that will give you long-lasting results and fewer callbacks, while remaining easier and faster to work with. Contact Belco Forest Products for more information on their trim and other products to get the best wood trim replacement for your project.
