UNDER-EAVE PEELING

	Pealing paint from the substrate indicates moisture problems. The wood substrate will be visible.
	Pealing paint from underlying paint is most often due to improper surface preparation

All portions of the exterior finish, other that the wall covering, are generally classified as exterior trim. This includes moldings and sills around windows and doors, fascia boards, soffits, louvers, shutters, and decorative columns. Trim does not serve a structural function. It is used as a finishing around openings and to protect joints, edges and ends. Most exterior trim is made of wood or wood products, although aluminum and vinyl trim have become quite popular. Many older, traditionally designed homes have decorative sheet-metal cornices, which are considered part of the trim. The problem with sheet-metal trim is that if it is not maintained and kept adequately painted, it will rust and deteriorate.

Wood trim that is exposed to the weather should be decay-resistant so that it does not rot. Some types of preformed trim are factory-treated with a water repellent preservative to make them water and decay resistant. When the trim is cut to size during construction, the ends or miter joints must be treated to make them water resistant. All too often the they are not treated and the joints, which readily absorb water, begin to rot.

When inspecting wood trim, pay particular attention to the joints that are vulnerable to decay. A house with a wide roof overhang at the eaves and gables provides greater weather protection of the site walls and trim than than one with with no roof projection beyond the walls. All nontreated wood continually exposed to moisture is prone to decay. The trim around the edge of the roof is particularly vulnerable. Although the asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association recommends the installation of a metal drip edge along the eaves of a roof deck, in practice it is often omitted. The drip edge is designed to allow water runoff to drip free of the underlying trim. Without it, water tends to curl back under the shingles, wetting the edge of he roof sheathing and trim.