Five Must Know Tips for Installing Soffit

Installing your own soffit can be great DIY project to get the most savings from your renovation, remodeling or home improvement project. But without the right inside information, there could be many pitfalls and speed bumps down the road that could sabotage your project. Use these five tips for installing soffit and you'll be on your way to getting the job done efficiently, safely and affordably.

1. Level Up- When you have to level across from the subfascia to the back wall to attach the j-channel, it's in your best interests to ensure that the j-channel line is slightly up higher than level. This will make sure that any water runoff has to go uphill before reaching the exterior of your home, that way; all of the water will end up on the ground and not running down your wall and undermining footers or infiltrating the basement.

2. Cut the Soffit at Once- Cutting the soffit pieces one by one can be tedious and time consuming. To make the most out of your production work, cut the materials right out of the box. This can really speed things up without decreasing accuracy. Stack the pieces towards one side of the box, then make the measurement on the box and cut through the entire stack using a circular saw with the blade turned backwards.

3. Attach a Nailer- When you're installing the j-channel to a concrete wall, getting it to stick can be tough. Attach a 1x2 nail board to the wall with a few hard case nails from your nail gun and you can easily attach any type of j-channel with ease. Once the j-channel is in place, immediately install any stucco, stone or siding to prevent any stucco or other siding materials from coming into contact with the soffit.

4. 45 the Corners- When you make it to the end of the soffit, it's best to add a 45 degree to each corner. This will allow you to save materials by ending your j-channel at each end precisely. Also when you cut the soffit, you can use the waste pieces on the opposite side, ensuring you waste nothing on extra materials.

5. Staple Gun- Using a staple gun instead of hand nailing each individual strip can allow you to install two pieces of soffit at the same time, greatly increasing the production time of your work. Whether you use a pneumatic stapler or a hand powered one, staple the inside groove of the soffit piece so that no part of the staple will be exposed once the final piece of fascia covers the soffit.

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