Fascia, Soffit & Guttering - PVC orAluminium?

Cal

Well as the title reads... Should I go for PVC or Aluminium when getting my Fascia, Soffit & Guttering done. Is one better or longer lasting than the other? Or should I go for PVC fascia & soffit and Aluminium guttering?

Opinions appreciated.

Cal.

yop

In our situation we got alu-minimum facia boss, but PVC soffit and downpipes

Cal

Any particular reason you decided not to go all PVC or all Aluminium?

The Aluminium guttering seemed to be a big craze a few years back but from looking around at newer jobs it seems people are going PVC on their guttering. Is it not true that Aluminium means less joints and therefore less chance of leaks?

Cal.

yop

Cal,

We were told by the supplier and people here that since we were going black, that UPVC facia is prone to fading so aluminimum was a better choice.

Builderwoman!

We were told uPVC was better even though we were going for black! Guess it depends who you talk to. We got a good price too.

yop

Builderwoman, I think even RooferPete suggested we did not use the pvc facia, I think

Builderwoman!

Hi Yop, ah well ours is in now. I guess we will have to wait and see what way it goes. The black looks great though doesn't?

yop

Ya, very happy with it alright, I would have loved a cedar wood soffit but worked out too expensive.

Sleipnir

My neighbor did their extension using PVC fascia and it looks damn cheap and horrible to my eye.
I replaced my old wooden ones with new wooden ones! Sanded, Primed x2, undercoated x1 and painted x2 with good quality gloss.
It may not last forever but it'll go at least 10 years before it needs a sanding and another coat. plus it looks great!

rooferPete

Hi yop,

I take it you had a look at the work done by the gents with aluminium facia to make sure the corners, joints etc were not depending on basic silicone ?

My advice where black or brown pvc is concerned is to make sure you know where he product is coming from, the chances are the best manufacturers can have proplems in the pigments used for the colour and the black can start turning grey in a few years.

Even the best manufacturers will only guarantee the product as colourfast for seven years, there is plenty of cheap and cheerful pvc on the market that looks great when first installed only time will tell if the material was good or not.

.

Cal

So based on the above I think I'm right in thinking that the jury is still out on which better.

My feeling is that Aluminium is better for the gutters as there are less joints. And Aluminium should also be used for the soffit as you don't end up with a pseudo wood finish i.e. lots of fake wood lines. My thoughts on the facia are PVC looks better as it tends to have a sexier beveled/ routed finish.

Thanks for your opinions so far.

Cal