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Let’s be honest. Whenever you are asked, “What makes your home a well-built house?”, the term frieze board’ is the last thing that comes to mind.
Usually, the roof, wall, siding panels, and doors receive major credit. The frieze board goes unnoticed, almost akin to the privacy policy for houses.
Believe it or not, the frieze board plays a huge role in keeping the house intact and well-protected from potential damage.
While often a missed detail, the frieze board dramatically affects the overall integrity of your home’s exterior.
What is Frieze Board?
So what is a frieze board? It is a kind of trim that is usually installed between the soffit and the top of a house’s siding.
The primary function of the frieze board trim is to finish and beautify seams and corners of the house’s exterior. In addition, these materials and styles come in different forms and variations.
Instead of having the soffit and the siding (e.g., attic ventilation) meet from edge to edge, the frieze board trim acts as a bridge for the two materials.
This provides better protection and stability for your house’s exterior as it gives an aesthetic appeal to the home’s appearance.
The Importance of Investing on your Frieze Board
As overlooked and underappreciated this part may be, the frieze board trim plays an integral part in keeping your home’s exterior intact. This trim board has two very important roles.
First, a frieze board ensures that the empty gaps and spaces between the underside of the soffit material and the sidings are filled.
This trim board prevents moisture from either snow or rain from seeping down beneath the sidings. If this happens, issues such as mildew, mold, and rotting beneath your siding are inevitable.
Second, the frieze board gives the exterior of your home a more polished appearance.
Not having this trim, regardless of its material (e.g., brick frieze, aluminum, etc.), makes your home feel unfinished due to the exposed gaps.
Inserting a frieze board creates a smooth transition between the siding and soffit.
In short, your frieze board stabilizes the house from top to bottom as well as provide a decorative feel to it.
Choosing the Right Materials for your Board Frieze
The frieze board can come in different forms and elements. Here are two of the most commonly used materials for frieze board trim construction.
Cedar Wood
One of the standard materials used to make this trim is wood, usually cedar.
One advantage of cedar is its thermal mass. Its heavy log structure makes a cedar-based frieze board trim capable of storing, absorbing, and releasing heat at any given time.
As a result, this thermal mass enables energy-saving benefits due to its ability to release heat back into the house once the weather starts to cool down.
Consequently, this material is able to adapt to various weather conditions.
Another advantage of Cedar Wood is its low moisture content.
Cedar usually undergoes air-drying, which enables the “green log” to naturally lose moisture without subjecting it to artificial stress. Therefore, less waste is created.
The only downside is that most board trims require painting. This may result in rotting from the moisture’s residue or insect activity.
Fiber Cement
The frieze board trim can also be made out of fiber cement. An alternative to the common cedar-based board trim, particularly cement trim, has its own advantages as well.
Just like cedar, Fiber Cement is capable of adapting and adjusting to the external conditions brought about by the constantly changing weather patterns. However, unlike most cedar products, fiber cement is made from sustainable materials.
Cement, wood fiber, and other additives containing recycled wood make up this type of frieze board trim.
In addition, this type of cement requires very low maintenance. This means it does not require daily pressure washing, unlike other materials such as vinyl and aluminum.
Lastly, this material has been around for about 100 years. In 1901, the product was initially patented under the name “Eternit”, which means “everlasting” in Latin.
This may be a random piece of trivia for some, but it proves the material’s longevity and reliability over the years.
A drawback of this material is its high density, thus making it difficult to cut and install. Another disadvantage is that it requires painting, which adds to cost, in order for the frieze board and its respective siding to meet its final form.
Finding the Ideal Freeze Board Trim
There are quite a number of frieze board options at your disposal. Therefore, before ordering the trim board of your choice, you must do your prior research and ask yourself the following questions:
- How long is the frieze board’s life span?
- What are the required steps for its installation?
- Will it connect smoothly to each siding?
- Is the frieze board immune to external factors (e.g., rain, heat, insect rot)?
- Is there a warranty and privacy policy to follow once I’ve finished ordering?
It is also important to note the name of each company and its respective email address.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the frieze board is arguably the most crucial element of your house’s exterior, regardless of style, material, or brand. The choice is still yours.
Make sure you invest in a board that consists of high-quality materials.
Moreover, go for the product that will give you minimal problems in the long run. Indeed, you can thank your frieze boards for making your house feel like home sweet home.
