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I just want to run this past some folks who know better than I. My contractor has framed the Hardie Plank lap siding of my exterior addition with a synthetic board (that I don't know the name of) but the exterior window of the project is framed in finger jointed pine board enter. The pine board seems to not be pressure treated and my concern is eventual rot, whereas the synthetic board maybe UV damage? I don't know much about these things so I want to make sure that this is a standard practice. We're in the Mid Atlantic region of the US for anyone with knowledge of code and standard practice.

exterior addition

synthetic board

finger jointed pine board enter

isherwood
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Jon
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1 Answers1

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The issue is not that the board is finger-jointed. That's a common strategy to arrive at boards that are clear (knot-free) and stable at a reasonable cost. It's what's commonly used as basic brick mold on exterior door kits, for example.

The issue is that untreated softwood is used in a situation where you have maintenance free fascia and soffit and long-duration siding. That doesn't compute. Unless there's a metal wrap in the works, I'd ask for something else, such as trim by Hardie or vinyl board stock.

FYI, code doesn't address exterior treatment in general and trim boards in particular.

isherwood
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  • thanks for the insight! What is the material used around the edges of the wall? I want to be able to speak intelligently when I go to him for a change. I suspect he will push back because it will eat into his profits and isn't explicitly asked for in the contract - although the HardiePlank is. this is the problem for folks like me, I didn't know to ask for this explicitly. Any advice for me on approaching them? – Jon Nov 09 '23 at 23:23
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    That could well be Advantage Pine tm, which is pretty decent for exterior use. Ask the contractor what it was. If it wasn’t an identifiable brand, ask if it was backprimed. The absence of backpriming, more than anything else in my experience is the root of exterior wood rot. – Aloysius Defenestrate Nov 10 '23 at 04:39