<p>Our house has a lot of wood trim that is rotting and needs to be replaced. We had already done some of this several years ago (around 6 years ago?) but with what needs to be replaced now I want to use a composite. I’ve heard that there are some that are practically indistinguishable from wood and will last. Does anyone have experience with this type of product? Any recommendations? We’ll be having a painter come to give us estimates, but I’d like to get an idea of what others have used first.
Thanks!</p>
<p>[What’s</a> the Difference: Wood-trim alternatives - Fine Homebuilding Article](<a href=“http://www.finehomebuilding.com/departments/what-is-the-difference/wood-trim-alternatives.aspx]What’s”>Wood-Trim Alternatives - Fine Homebuilding)</p>
<p>I’ve used Azek and Hardieboards. No complaints so far. Hardieboard has the advantage of being fireproof.</p>
<p>If the wood is not really at eye level - if it’s up on a house - you can’t tell. You can if it’s near you unless it’s of the kind that is painted so the grain doesn’t show. The stuff doesn’t look real but it looks real when it’s not that close to you. So I would use it high up and in trim pieces that are painted but not as a board replacing one or two wooden boards.</p>
<p>We replaced all our exterior wood with composite. It is mostly trim and looks great. The bonus of not having it rot out was what sold us.</p>
<p>When we did an extensive restoration to our 100 year old lake home 12 years ago, we used Hardy Plank as siding. Fantastic decision. I insisted everything else be “authentic,” so all decks, railings, corbels and other trim was done in wood. That was not such a fantastic decision. Four years ago we redid all the decks in Azek, back to a fantastic decision. We did not redo the railings, because of the limited profiles Azek had available, but after 4 years of weighing the look of the ( now rotting) profile versus the endurance and maintanence free nature of the Azec we settled for simpler railings and will redo all the wood trim this summer.
For us it is an unqualified endorsement.</p>
<p>Thank you…that was good info, especially in the article from mathmom. Very helpful. I’m waiting for calls back from painters for estimates, so I’m glad to be able to know (a bit) of what they are proposing.
VAMom - I’m in your geographic area and the amount of wood rot on houses built in the last 25 years or so (and mine is not even close to that old) is really unbelievable.</p>