Installation Guidelines

C e r t a i n Te e d

E x t e r i o r Tr i m

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Restoration Millwork cellular PVC trim looks and feels liketop-grade lumber. It installs like lumber and can be cut,shaped, routed, or milled with ordinary wood-workingtools. All our trimboards, sheets, and specialty millworkhave a Natural White surface that does not need painting.

SafetyRestoration Millwork exterior trim is a cellular PVCproduct and cutting it will create PVC dust and particles.

• Cut cellular PVC trim in an open, well-ventilated area.

• Always wear safety glasses,goggles or a face mask whencutting Restoration Millwork.

• If you cut the trim with a power saw, wear a dust mask.

Storage and HandlingRestoration Millwork is more flexible than wood, so it mayconform to uneven surfaces, particularly in warm weather.

• Store Restoration Millwork up off the ground on a flat, level surface.

• Trimboards are packaged in CertaPak™ shrinkwrap forprotection from scuffs and dirt. Once opened, protectthe trim from dirt and debris. If it does get dirty, cleanthe trim with a soft bristle brush and mild soap andwater before you install it.

•When moving and installing Restoration Millwork,handle it the same way you would handle soft pine lumber.

Cutting, Routing, and Finishing

CuttingYou can cut Restoration Millwork with

a conventional carbide-tipped blade thatis designed for working with wood. Do not

use fine-tooth metal-cutting blades. Do not use plywoodor metal blades because the kerf of the blade is too thinand can cause heat buildup in the material. For bestresults, use a 32-tooth (or higher) blade designed forwood-working. To maintain a smooth edge, support thetrim across its entire length when you cut it.

When it is cut properly, Restoration Millwork will have asmooth edge. If you get a rough edge from cutting, checkfor excessive friction, a worn saw blade, or badly alignedtools. Rasp and sand the trim to restore a smooth edge.

DrillingYou can drill Restoration Millwork with standardwoodworking drill bits. Do not use bits made for rigidPVC. Avoid heat buildup from excessive friction, andremove the shavings from the drill hole frequently. Toavoid injury, take precautions when using a hole saw.

RoutingFor crisp, clean edges, use a sharp carbide-tipped bit on a router.

Installation Guidelines

These Installation Guidelines are a general resource in standard installation techniques andprocedures for working with Restoration Millwork® cellular PVC trim (for non-load bearingapplications). They are meant to be as thorough as possible. For up-to-the-minute installationinstructions, please access our website at www.certainteed.com/products/trim.

FinishingYou can use machine edging, sanding, grinding, or filing tofinish the edges of Restoration Millwork trim. The finishededges will have the texture of the interior cell structure,which is a cosmetically smooth surface.

• Do not allow excessive heat to build up.

• For a smoother edge, spackle, sand, or paint the finished edge.

Expansion and ContractionVinyl building products expand and contract as thetemperature changes. You must allow for this movement when you fasten Restoration Millwork. You can minimize the movement of PVC trim by observing proper fasteningtechniques along the entire length of the trim.

• Allow 1/4" per 18' of product for expansion andcontraction (1/8" at each end).

• Scarf joints work well to minimize seams and allowexpansion and contraction.

• Gluing scarf joints between the trim pieces will helpcontrol separation caused by expansion and contraction,moving it out to the ends.

FasteningUnless you are usinglarge fasteners orinstalling RestorationMillwork in unusuallylow temperatures (lessthan 40°F), you willnot need to pre-drillholes before fasteningthe trim.

Use stainless steel or hot-dipped galvanized fastenersdesigned for wood trim and cladding. For best results, use fasteners with thin shanks, blunt points, and full round heads. Finish nails are acceptable provided theypenetrate 1-1/2" through a flat, solid wood substrate into a framing member.

• Standard pneumatic nailerswork well, generally at apressure between 70 psi and100 psi, depending upon thetype of gun, the type of nail,the air temperature, and thedensity of the substrate.

• In-line pressure gauges will help maintain even pressure to the nail gun.

• Some trim pieces, such as Quarter Round, Base Cap,and Drip Cap, may not require a 2-1/2" fastener.

• Fasteners should penetrate a minimum of 1-1/2"through a flat, solid wood substrate into a framing member.

• Apply trimboards over framing no greater than 16" on center. If framing members are greater than 16" on center, provide additional bracing for fastening.

Fastening Smaller, Lighter Profiles

Many of the Restoration Millwork profiles are narrowerand lighter than trimboards, making it difficult to followthe recommended fastening schedule. When applyingsmaller profile pieces like Base Cap, Quarter Round, DripCap, Shingle Mould, Bed Mould, Lattice, or 356 Casing,you can use a shorter and/or thinner gauge fastener, suchas a 4d finish nail, to apply the profiles. You may have topre-drill the profiles, and CertainTeed recommends usingadhesives or glues to provide additional holding power.

Touching Up Fastener Holes

Fasteners driven beyond the surface of RestorationMillwork boards can leave unsightly holes in the finishedproduct. To touch up small holes in Restoration Millwork,we highly recommend using Bond & Fill® TrimStick™.Once the product has set up, you may have to sand thearea to achieve a finished appearance. When used withreasonable care, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) also serves asan effective solvent to clean up Bond & Fill. You can alsouse caulking or glue products designed for use withcellular PVC millwork to touch up holes, but they maycreate less than desirable results.

Small dents in Restoration Millwork can sometimes beremoved using a hair dryer or heat gun. We recommendpracticing on a test piece first.

No closer than3/4'' from end

3/4''

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• Fastener headsshould be flush withthe surface of thetrim or slightlyindented and nocloser than 3/4" fromthe end of the board.

1-1/2"

3

When you install Restoration Millwork, use the followingfastening schedule.

Do not use brads, staples, wire nails, ring-shank nails, or fine-threaded wood screws.

Fastening Schedule

Bonding and Adhesives

Gluing Restoration Millwork to RestorationMillwork or Other PVCNever use adhesives alone to fasten Restoration Millworkto a substrate. However, to bond joints such as corners,window surrounds, and long fascia runs, use productssuch as TrimTight™ cellular PVC cement or Bond & Fill®

Structural Adhesive and Filler, which are available throughyour local CertainTeed distributor.

• Before you attempt to glue Restoration Millworksurfaces, make sure the surfaces are clean, dry, and incomplete contact. Scarf joints work well when gluinglong runs.

• PVC cement and other solvent-based adhesives havedifferent working times, which vary from product to product.To allow sufficient time for a full cure,mechanically fasten the joint through the joint or on each side of the joint.

• To ensure complete curing, make sure the glued pieces are kept clean and adequately ventilated. This is particularly important when bonding largepanels face-to-face as inadequate ventilation of solvents can interfere with proper bonding.

Bonding to Other Surfaces

Restoration Millwork can also be bonded to a variety ofsubstrates. Specific substrate combinations require specificadhesives: contact cement, epoxy, rubber-based adhesives,or urethane-based adhesives. Use the proper cement foreach substrate. Always follow the adhesive manufacturer'sinstructions, and check the bond on a test piece beforeproceeding with the installation. Also, be aware of thetemperature and humidity, as they can affect theperformance of the adhesive.

SpanningRestoration Millwork must not be used in load-bearingapplications, but it may be used in spanned applicationssuch as soffit and ceilings.

SoffitTo span 16" to 24" with Restoration Millwork, use a mini-mum 1" thick (nominal) board or 3/4" (actual) sheet.Install Restoration Millwork Beadboard perpendicular tothe walls and fasten it every 12" or less.

CeilingsTo span 16" to 24" with Restoration Millwork, use aminimum 1" thick (nominal) board or 3/4" (actual) sheet. If the temperature is 40°F or below, do not spanRestoration Millwork beyond 12". In any case, do not span Restoration Millwork more than 24".

Fastening Diagram

16" Max

4" Apart around Perimeter

4'

4" Max

8'

Width ofTrimboard

Fasteners per Framing Member

Less than 6" 2

6" to 12" 3

Greater than 12" 4

Sheets16" on center horizontally, 4" oncenter vertically, and around theperimeter of the panel

Miter Joint (Front View) Scarf Joint (Top View)

Scarf Joint (Top View)Fasteners

FastenerFastener

ORFastener

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Window and Door Trim

Creating a Pocket to Accommodate a Nailing FlangeNailing flanges around windows and doors can affect theinstallation of Restoration Millwork by preventing thetrimboards from laying flat against the wall and causingpoor miters at the corners. Using a table saw, you canquickly and easily correct this condition.

1. Measure the width of the nailing flange of the windowat the opening where you plan to apply trim.

2. Set the blade depth of your table saw approximately1/8" higher than the width of the window nailing flange.

3. Set the table saw fence so youare cutting away only thethickness of the saw blade fromthe trimboard.

4. Make one cut from the backside of the trimboard on yourtable saw.

5. Check to be sure the trimboardwill lay flat against the wall andthat all joints are tight prior tofastening. If the boards do not lay flat against the wall or jointsare not tight, repeat the aboveinstructions starting at step 3.

Flashing Windows and Other Openings

Cladding and trim are not meant to be watertight barriers.Before you install any cladding materials or trim, flash allopenings so that they shed water to the exterior of thecladding and trim materials.

1. Install flashing along the bottom of the opening. The width of the flashing must extend beyond the width of the trim being installed. Be sure the bottom flashing is long enough to direct water over the cladding material.

2. Install flashing along each side of the opening. Be sure to overlapthe bottom flashing. The width of the flashing must extendbeyond the width of the trimbeing installed.

3. Install the top flashing byoverlapping the tops of the side flashing.

4. To install the trim, miter thejoints and use a PVC adhesive to adhere the joints. Fasten thetrim to the substrate on bothsides of the miter. Use at least two fasteners per board. (See Fastening on page 2.)

Corners

One-piece Outside CornersRestoration Millwork is available in a one-piece wood-grain corner and a one-piece smooth corner with orwithout J-pockets. Available in 10' and 20' lengths, one-piece corners create a straight, professional-looking cornerwhile reducing job-site labor.

1. Flash the corners of the home by bending a 20" piece oftrim coil 90° so you have two 10" legs. Cover the entireheight of the corner, lapping the upper pieces of theflashing over the lower piece.

2. Position the corner with the top of the post spaced atleast 1/8" from the underside of the eave. The distancefrom the top of the post to the underside of the eavedepends upon the length of the corner. Allow 1/4" forexpansion for every 18' of corner. Leave the bottom ofthe corner 3/4" below the starter strip if you will beinstalling vinyl siding, and trim to length.

3. Make sure the post is straight and true before nailing.

4. If you are using the J-pocket version, nail the corner thesame way you would a standard Restoration Millworkcorner. The fastener must be long enough to penetratethe substrate a minimum of 1-1/2". Nail no closer than3/4" from the edge, and fasten the corner every 16".

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Field Cutting a J-channel PocketRestoration Millwork J-pocket trimboards and outsidecornerposts are factory routed to accept siding materials.They ensure a consistent fit and speed installation of thesiding. However, occasionally you will need to create a J-pocket receiver in the field. Using a table saw and acircular saw, you can quickly and easily create the required pocket size.

1. Determine the depth of the pocket needed for expansionand contraction (the standard vinyl siding is 1")

2. Determine the height necessary to accommodate the butt edge of the siding being installed (e.g. Monogram is 3/4").

3. Set the table saw blade height to the necessary depth ofthe pocket plus 1/8".

4. Set the fence of your table sawto the height necessary toaccommodate the butt edge of the siding. Be sure to leave a minimum of 1/2" of materialfor the face of the J-pocket.

5. Make one cut, keeping thetrimboard against the fence of the saw.

6. Using a circular saw, set the blade depth to the heightnecessary to accommodate the butt edge of the siding.

7. Lay the trimboard flat on awork bench or saw horses, thenmeasure and mark the pocketdepth along the entire trim-board. Placing a trimboard ofthe same thickness parallel tothe board you intend to cut willhelp to provide a stable surfacefor the circular saw to ride on.

8. Align the circular saw blade along the mark and make acut the entire length of the corner. (NOTE: If either cutwas not deep enough, there may be a small amount ofmaterial to clean up on the inside edge of the corner.This can be removed easily with a wood chisel.)

It is possible to use a router to make the J-pockets and get the same results. However, problems may occur if therouter base is too large to get close enough to the cut line.If this is the case, you may have to make more than onepass through the material.

Packing out Trimboards to Create a J-pocketIf you are using a siding product like CedarBoards™

Insulated siding, which requires a 1-1/4" pocket height,you may have to pack out Restoration Millwork trim-boards to achieve the desired pocket size. CertainTeedrecommends using a low-maintenance, durable packingmaterial like Restoration Millwork® to avoid potentialfuture decomposition. For complete instructions toproperly pack out Restoration Millwork trimboards, see Technical Bulleting “Packing out Trimboards to Create a J-pocket” at www.certainteed.com/resource/trim/technical-information.

Two-piece Outside Corners To fabricate your own corner, miter or butt the trimboardstogether and seal the joint with a PVC adhesive likeTrimTight™ cellular PVC cement or Bond & Fill®

Structural Adhesive and Filler. PVC adhesives have a very short open time, so when gluing PVC trim, do notapply the adhesive until you are ready to bring the twopieces together.

• For butted joints, apply adhesiveto the end of the trim, and fastenthe corner pieces together. Use afastener through the butt every16". Let the corner cure, andinstall as described for one-piece corners.

• For mitered corners, assemble thecorner before installing it. Cut themiter angles, apply adhesive to thelength of the miter, and fasten thecorner pieces together.

• Let the corner cure and install asdescribed for one-piece corners.

Rakes, Fascias and BandboardsFor best results, create a scarf joint by cutting a taper onthe end of the trim pieces. Gluing the joints between thetrim pieces will help eliminate separation caused byexpansion and contraction. Place fasteners either throughthe scarf joint or on both sides of the scarf joint. This willhelp minimize expansion and contraction.

• Allow 1/4" per 18' of product for expansion andcontraction. Allow 1/8" at each end of a long run.

• When you apply trim that is less than 6" wide, use twofasteners. For trim 6" to 12" wide, use three fasteners.Trim wider than 12" requires four fasteners.

• Fasteners must penetrate the substrate a minimum of 1-1/2".

Butted

Mitered

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PaintingRestoration Millwork® comes inNatural White and does not requirepainting for protection. If you want topaint it a custom color, follow theseimportant guidelines:

• As with any surface to be painted, the trim must beclean, dry and free of chalk, grease, oil, dirt, and moldand mildew. To ensure good adhesion to the surface,scuff sand Restoration Millwork before you paint.

• Verify that the coating manufacturer requires orapproves of applying primer prior to paint application. Applying primer may reduce the drying time of the topcoat.

• For the highest quality finished appearance, use anairless sprayer to apply paint to all Restoration Millworkproducts. You can also use either a roller or brush, but a roller produces a more consistent appearance. Surfacesmay be rolled then brushed to speed application, butavoid leaving some areas brushed with other areas rolledas it will affect the finished quality.

• Ambient temperature, humidity, and other location-related factors can affect the drying times of coatingsapplied to PVC millwork. Discuss these factors withyour paint distributor when choosing coating products.Good planning for jobsite conditions will lead to great results.

• Apply a 100% acrylic latex paint with an LRV (lightreflective value) of 55 or higher. Generally, the higherthe LRV, the lighter the color.

• For paint colors with an LRV of 55 or lower, you MUST use a paint that has been specifically developedfor application on PVC. Using paint with an LRV below 55 allows the product to absorb excessive heat, whichmay cause PVC millwork to bow, buckle or deform.Sherwin-Williams® manufactures a line of VinylSafe™

Technology paints that are available in their SuperPaint®

and Duration®.

• Always follow the paint manufacturer’s recommenda-tions for use and application of the paint.

• Due to the extended cure times of paint applied to PVC cellular trim, we recommend installing RestorationMillwork first and then painting it, unless the trim ispainted in a professional prefinishing operation andallowed to cure completely. Sherwin-Williams providescolor-match paints for WeatherBoards™ ColorMax®

fiber cement siding (for details, see document RM048,WeatherBoards and Restoration Millwork VinylSafe PaintColor Guide) and CertainTeed vinyl siding (for details, see document CTS359, Siding & Trim VinylSafe PaintColor Guide).

CertainTeed is not liable for paint used on RestorationMillwork and/or the results of its use.

BendingConvection air circulating ovens, strip heaters, and radiantheaters can be used to successfully bend RestorationMillwork exterior trim. These proven methods willproduce a minimum amount of deformation in the shape and finish of the trim.

Heat guns can also be used to bend small areas whereappearance and uniformity are not critical. However, someexperimentation may be necessary to perfect this “art.”Take care not to overheat the material, as overheating canproduce a rough texture and discoloration.

When you bend textured cellular PVC, the wood grainmay distort depending upon the radius of the bend.

Sheet goods can often be used in a cost-effective mannerto create the shapes needed for trimming out geometricareas of design on a project, eliminating the need to heat-bend trimboards.

To bend Restoration Millwork trim:

1. Control the temperature of the surface and the amountof time the material is heated—the surface temperatureshould not exceed 300°F for more than 10 minutes.

2. To guarantee uniformity, gradually increase thetemperature, and heat both sides of the material simultaneously.

3. In general, heating time is about 3 minutes for each 1/4" of thickness of material. When the trim's shape is irregular or the heat is not uniform, heating times may be longer.

4. Apply the heat evenly until the trim becomes flexibleand easy to form.

Take care when handling heated materials, as hot PVC canproduce severe burns. Wear protective gloves that are thickenough to avoid burns.

CleaningUse a soft bristle brush and a bucket of soapy water toremove normal dirt and grime. For especially stubbornstains or for mold or mildew, use a cleaner suitable forPVC products. Your local building materials retailer cansupply several different brands, but test any cleaner on an inconspicuous area before you use it.

Restoration Millwork® Product Line

Traditional Profiles

All trimboards and outside corners are available in smooth and woodgrain.

Specialty Profiles

Consult the product catalog for the latest SKUs.

ASK ABoUt oUr otHEr CErtAIntEED ProDUCtS AnD SYStEMS:

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CertainTeed CorporationP.O. Box 860Valley Forge, PA 19482

Professional: 800-233-8990Consumer: 800-782-8777www.certainteed.com

Code No. RM003, © 1/11 CertainTeed Corporation, Printed in U.S.A.

#49Crown

#47Crown

RamsCrown Bed Mould

Quarter Round Base Cap BrickmouldJ-Channel

Brickmould Drip Cap

Shingle Mould Back BandAdjustableBack Band Sill Nose

Rake

Sill

#356Casing

#RB3Casing Lattice

TrimboardsOne-pieceCornersSheets

J-pocketTrimboards

J-pocketOne-piece Corners

BeadboardBeadboard

Panel Inside CornersCustomCraft™

TrimboardsCustomCraft™

Sheets

#45Crown