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I am considering using Boral TruExterior trim on a new house in lieu of Azek board

chuckplaisted | Posted in Green Products and Materials on

I am considering using Boral TruExterior trim on a new house in lieu of Azek board. I have been told that the product offers equivalent performance for less money.

Anybody have any opinions regarding this product?
Thanks.

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Replies

  1. JayMart | | #1

    Great question, would love to know the same.

  2. user-6623302 | | #2

    I have used it for projects on my house. I have also used their siding. It is nonstructural but for window trim or corner board, etc it works great. It will dull you saw if you have a big job. I like it better than Azek. I am not one for plastic siding or trim.

    1. JayMart | | #4

      I'm looking to use it to cover my subfascia in my new home. So I understand correctly, is Azek plastic? (I didn't think it was)

      Is the Boral closed cell? In other words if you cut it, is it sort of open cell where it can get dirty and yellow after time?

      1. Patrick_OSullivan | | #7

        > I'm looking to use it to cover my subfascia in my new home. So I understand correctly, is Azek plastic? (I didn't think it was)

        Yes, it's PVC (i.e. a type of plastic).

        > Is the Boral closed cell? In other words if you cut it, is it sort of open cell where it can get dirty and yellow after time?

        Cut ends need to be painted. If you do that, it shouldn't have any problem.

  3. Patrick_OSullivan | | #3

    Wow. This is an old question, but since folks dug it up...

    > I am considering using Boral TruExterior trim on a new house in lieu of Azek board. I have been told that the product offers equivalent performance for less money.

    It's great product. However, it's not cheaper than Azek (at least in NJ). It's about 15-20% more, last I purchased.

    Downsides:

    - It's brittle; be careful when walking with long lengths
    - The dust is absolutely nasty
    - It's very rough on blades
    - It must be painted

    1. JayMart | | #5

      I haven't done the price comparison yet. I'm looking for material to cover my 2x8 and 2x10 fascias on my new build. Does it need to be painted if I want white?

      1. Patrick_OSullivan | | #6

        > Does it need to be painted if I want white?

        Yes. It's not white from the factory, but even if you wanted exactly the color it comes in, it needs paint for warranty.

  4. user-6623302 | | #8

    I comes primed, so you need to paint. It is a solid product. No grain like Azek.

  5. user-7513218 | | #9

    I have not run a cost comparison, but the Borral is a blend of polymers (plastic) and fly ash (as pozzolan) with glass fiber. It works very well, moisture-proof even in freeze-thaw climates because glass fiber will not absorb water (unlike fiber cement), and it's fire-proof. Royal makes a polyash siding, too. Like wood you can tool the material, for example, you can cut a miter into the corners. I would presume it costs more than Azek, but would not know for sure.

    1. JayMart | | #10

      Boral is less expensive than Azek by about 30%. Do you, Patrick or Johnathan have an opinion on using Aluminum in place of a PVC or Boral product?

      1. Expert Member
        MALCOLM TAYLOR | | #11

        Jay,

        If you use Aluminum you might consider adding another backing piece to the rough fascia (say a 2"x4" at the top) first. Without a profile and hems it will oil-can and look pretty poor.

      2. Patrick_OSullivan | | #12

        Quite surprised to hear that price difference. One thing to double check... PVC often is stocked in 18' lengths whereas Boral comes in 16' lengths. If Boral is 30% cheaper per linear foot, I'm curious where you're located!

        For what it's worth, I just checked both at my lumber yard in NJ and Boral was 18% higher than PVC (per linear foot) for a 5/4 x 4 board.

  6. capecodhaus | | #13

    I installed tons of this stuff on a very large project.

    It is heavy and a bit brittle if not carried on edge. Carrying more than one 16 foot length is about max for a worker and a bit of a circus act. The dust created from cutting is horrible to the "cut-person" not that PVC trim dust is a dream job. Boral needs a sturdy cut station to support it from breakage, PVC can be flopped over the cut station without care.

    I miss the days of all Cedar exteriors.

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