Q: My home is 4 years old and already the exterior window trim is failing. What can I do?
A: Many builders use pine trim on the homes exterior. It’s cheap, and easy to work with. It also rots if not kept caulked and painted. That which is already damaged must be replaced, and caulk and paint will help extend the life of anything you don’t replace.
During replacement, consider these good, better, best options. Pressure treated pine is more weather resistant than what you have, but is still wood. Fiber cement boards also come in exterior trim dimensions. This option is twice the cost (per linear foot) of PT pine. PVC Trim is also becoming popular and is approximately 3X the cost of PT pine. PVC does not need to be painted, as long as you want white trim. All options must be caulked and maintained.
