CARE
PVC can be cleaned with soap and water. PVC requires no sealing or painting and is impervious to water.
STORAGE, INSTALLING AND FINISHING FAQ’s
Store on a flat and level surface.
Keep product free of dirt and debris. Clean with warm water and detergent.
How do I manage expansion and contraction of PVC trim?
PVC expands and contracts many times greater than wood.
The main consideration is to plan for lengthwise expansion and contraction in boards longer than 12 feet. If not accounted for, PVC trim can buckle or develop unsightly gaps. The key element is to choose the right joints to fasten in place while allowing other joints to move. The movement can be concealed with a shiplap joint or by leaving space for the board to expand behind a butt joint or a feature board. If there will be an outside miter or a fastened joint at both ends of a trim run that is 12 feet or longer, use two boards connected with a shiplap joint to allow the boards to move without exposing the material underneath the joint.
For outside corners, cement and mechanically fasten mitered outside corners together to keep them from opening up as the boards move.
For inside corners, you can use butt joints to hide movement, but you must leave a gap at the end of the longer piece.
To use scarf joints, you must allow for movement in the run. PVC trim boards can be cemented together at the joint and the boards will move as one. Allow for movement with a shiplap. For longer runs, to account for movement, the more the trim is fastened and bonded, the less it will move. Also, you must double fasten on both sides of “pinned” joints.
In temperatures above 80°F, the board joints should be tight. In temperatures of 40°F to 60°F, leave 1/8 inch of space. And when it’s less than 40°F degrees outside, provide for 3/16 inch between boards. Fastening schedule minimum 16” on Center Board Width Fasteners.
For sheet fastening Max 16” on center horizontally Max 12” on center vertically minimum every 16” around perimeter of sheet.
Do you have to predrill before nailing?
If nailing product at 40°F or below, predrilling is required.
How do you fasten trim & mouldings?
There are several manufacturers that produce fasteners specifically intended for use with cellular PVC (see list below).
You can also use fasteners designed for wood trim. They should have thin shanks, blunt points and full round heads. Fasteners should penetrate 1 1/2″ into substrate. Fasteners should be positioned no less than 3/4″ or more than 2″ from end of boards. Fasteners must be weather resistant, such as stainless steel. For interior trim, such as casing, base, quarter round and crown, use 16 gauge finish nails, 6d or 8d finish nails. Pneumatic guns can be used – rubber bumpers on the nail gun tooling will protect the moulding. Air pressure should be adjusted based upon gun, temperature, substrate (80-100 psi is typical). Always use the least pressure necessary to drive the nail into the product.). Trim should be fastened to a flat solid surface. In cold weather below 40°F, predrilling may be necessary. Do not use brads or wire nails. Staples can only be used to fasten beaded planking.
Recommended Screws:
- Fasten Master Cortex Hidden Fastening System (screw and PVC plug system) 5/8” to 5/4”
- Starborn Pro Plug System (screw and PVC plug system) 5/8” to 5/4”
- Simpson Strong-Tie Trim-Head Stainless Steel Screw
- GRK Fasteners FIN/Trim Finishing Trim Head Screws (ClimatekCoated or Phoenix Stainless Steel)
- Kreg Blue-Kote™ Pocket-Hole Screws (for assembling trim with pocket-holes)
- #8-gauge TrimTop 305 SS with sharp type 17 piercing point by Fasten Master
- 305 SS Headcote #7 or #8 trim screws with auger points
For Concrete/Masonry/Brick: – Apply masonry adhesive sealant (always follow manufacturer’s instructions) to the surface of concrete first. Lay the trim board/sheet and secure with Tapcon masonry fasteners.
What should I use to fill screw or nail holes and/or cracks?
- Extreme Adhesives Fill & Flex
- Dap Platinum Patch
- OSI QUADMAX
- Sashco Big Stretch High-Performance Elastic sealant
- Sherwin Williams Shrink Free Spackling
- Crackshot High-Performance Spackling Paste
High-speed bandsaws and circular saws with a cutting speed of up to 3000m/min are recommended.
Depending on the thickness of the sheets, saw blades with a tooth pitch of between 5 and 10mm are used.
Carbide tip blades are recommended.
To obtain clean edges to cuts and to avoid cracking, always clamp the material to keep from vibrating.
Install using conventional woodworking techniques.
Glue all joints to prevent separation.
Clean the surface with warm, soapy water. Rinse thoroughly.
You can use acrylic, urethane, or polyurethane caulk. Mechanical fasteners are always required. The user needs to follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Adhesives are not covered by our warranty. Listed below are manufacturers that have formulated adhesives to work with:
PVC to PVC
- Weldon 717 Clear (our top choice)
- DAP DynaGrip
- DAP Rapid Fuse
- Titebond Ultimate PVC Trim Adhesive & Sealant
- Titebond PVC Trim Joint Adhesive
- Extreme Adhesives PVC Trim Welder
- ZeVo 1 Part Cellular PVC Adhesive for use with Royal Building Products
- FastCap 2P-10 Adhesive & Activator
- OSI PVC Trim Bond
- Weld-On 705 by IPS
- Christy’s Red Hot White Vinyl Adhesive
- Quality Transparent PVC Cement
PVC to Wood
- Liquid Nails Heavy Duty
- Liquid Nails Subfloor
- Loctite PL Premium
- Loctite PL Max
- Loctite PLX8
PVC to Masonry
- NPC Solar Seal 900
- Liquid Nails LN950 Construction Adhesive
- Liquid Nails Fuze* It For
PVC to Steel
- NPC Solar Seal 900
- Liquid Nails Fuze*It
- Liquid Nails LN950 Construction Adhesive
FASTENMASTER
https://www.fastenmaster.com/products/cortex-loose-plugs-for-pvc-trim.html
STARBORN PRO PLUG SYSTEM
Does cellular PVC trim and/or cellular PVC require painting? No. Cellular PVC trim does not require painting but, like any cellular PVC product, it will weather over time and painting will enhance these beautiful products to maintain color consistency for many years. Our cellular trim products are ready for painting and require very little preparation. Painting with good quality, vinyl safe 100% Acrylic Latex paint will further protect products to maintain color consistency for many years. There are several paint manufacturers that will warranty their coating products on cellular PVC trim for 20 years or more. Our Warranty does not cover painted finishes or coating applied to the product by the original purchaser or any third party.
- PPG BREAKTHROUGH Can be used as a single coat primer or (3) coat finisher
- Light Colors: Sherwin Williams Resilience or Benjamin Moore Aura
- Dark Colors: AquaSurTech D100 or TruStain
- SHERWIN WILLIAMS PRO INDUSTRIAL MULTI-SURFACE ACRYLIC
Can you stain PVC mouldings?
Yes, but staining PVC mouldings takes coating applications such as TruStain™ from AquaSurTech OEM and or AWP SPQT Stainable Primer Wood Base Coat for Hard Surfaces. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Failure to comply with Fuller Architectural Panels Guideline will result in voiding of Warranty.