Question: Hi Robert, Fred here. I’ve written in previously and been helped by your advice, so here I am again to see if you can help. We have more time before the possible rains will hit so we would like to fix the trim on our house, as it is over 20 years old and it shows. The stucco still looks good but the trim around the doors and windows is dry-rotted and needs replacing.
Anything you can recommend for us on this that will save us maintenance over the years? Thank you for your help.
— Fred
Answer: Fred, thank you for writing in again, always a pleasure to help. Yes, I have a product that I like to use when budget allows, it is foam trim commonly called, Plant On. This is a very lightweight foam product that can be installed to look like any wood trim. It is applied with adhesive and is coated in a sand-finished, dyed stucco, and you will not have to perform maintenance on it at all.
It is less expensive than wood trim and the fact that you won’t have to pay to have maintenance done on it, it makes it an even better value. It does need to be installed correctly with the proper adhesive but once this task is performed, it is covered in the sand stucco finish, which is dyed to your choice of color. It will transform the look of your home and provide you with a maintenance-free, fresh look.
If you don’t care for the options on the stucco dye colors you can paint this afterward. However, you will then need to perform maintenance to the paint after a few years and beyond. Best to choose a color from the stucco dye selection if you wish to keep the maintenance-free aspect. Best of luck to you.
Robert Lamoureux has more than 40 years of experience as a general contractor, with separate licenses in electrical and plumbing contracting. He owns IMS Construction Inc. in Valencia. His opinions are his own, not necessarily those of The Signal. Opinions expressed in this column are not meant to replace the recommendations of a qualified contractor after that contractor has made a thorough visual inspection. Email questions to Robert at [email protected].
