What is a fascia board?
Short answer. A fascia board is the long, flat board that runs along the edge of the roof, nailed across the ends of the rafters or trusses. It closes off the roof edge, gives the drip edge something to lap over, and is what your gutters are fastened to.
The board itself
- Common sizes: 1x6, 1x8 and 1x10 boards are typical, with the size picked to cover the depth of the rafter tails. Some homes use a 2x sub-fascia with a thinner finish board over it.
- Thickness: a 1x board is actually about 3/4 inch thick; a 2x is about 1 1/2 inches.
- Length: runs the full eave in pieces joined with angled scarf joints so the seams shed water.
What it is attached to and what attaches to it
- Behind it: the cut ends of the rafters or trusses, called rafter tails.
- On top of it: the drip edge, which laps over the top of the fascia so roof water drips clear of the wood.
- Below it: the soffit, the horizontal panel under the overhang, which often tucks into a groove or sits behind the fascia's bottom edge.
- On its face: gutters, held with hidden hangers screwed through the fascia into the rafter tails.
Wrapped fascia
On many Georgia homes the wood fascia is covered with bent aluminum coil, so what you see is metal. The wood behind it can still rot if water gets past the drip edge or a leaking gutter, and the metal hides it until the gutter starts pulling away.
Signs your fascia board needs attention
- Peeling paint and dark, soft wood, usually behind gutter corners.
- Gutters sagging or pulling away.
- Gaps where squirrels or birds get into the attic.