3 Signs You Need Exterior Trim Repair & Why It Pays to Get It Done

Most Texas homeowners want to keep their house in excellent condition, but when it comes to repairs and maintenance, exterior trim repair may not be very high on your list. After all, it's just a barely-there cosmetic addition to your house, right?

Actually, your exterior trim does a lot more than just keep up appearances. Its most critical function is to help prevent moisture from entering your home and cause a lot of trouble related to the homeowner's natural enemy: water damage.

But how do you know if you need exterior trim repair? And can it really save money to get it professionally repaired? This guide covers three signs that the embellishments on the outside of your house need attention from the experienced service professionals at Mr. Handyman of Keller, Flower Mound, and Alliance, and the reasons why repairs are more cost-effective in the long run.

What Is Exterior Trim?

When people talk about the exterior trim on a house, they mean the parts such as window sills and frames, door frames, and other elements that embellish your house to make it look complete and polished. Some styles of house, such as Victorian, have more elaborate elements such as corbels, scalloped gables, spindles, and shutters.

It also includes trim boards, which cover joints where different surfaces or materials meet, along with fascia and soffit boards. Fascia is the part of your roof eaves that cover the edge of the roof overhang (parallel to your exterior wall, where rain gutters are attached) and soffits are ventilated boards underneath your roof eaves (what you see if you stand against an exterior wall and look straight up).

How to Tell When It's Time for Exterior Trim Repair

Wondering if your house is due for some TLC? Here are the warning signs that indicate your damaged wood trim needs repair services:

Rotten Wood

Like so many home repair issues, especially on the exterior of a house, these repairs tend to revolve around timber's one big weakness: wood rot. If you notice patches of rot-softened wood that have become discolored, are crumbling apart, or have a spongy, stringy texture, it's important to get it treated by a service pro who has experience with rotten wood repair. This type of decay, which is caused by wood-eating fungi that require a high moisture content in timber to begin growing, can spread to other parts of your home and cause expensive structural damage—not to mention make your house a lot less comfortable to live in.

The most effective solution to treat wood rot is removing the affected piece of wood entirely and replacing it with new, pressure-treated lumber, followed by painting and sealing to make it impervious to water. However, if the damage is very minor or removing the wood would be prohibitively difficult, your handyman may be able to do an epoxy repair by scraping out the rotten spots and replacing them with epoxy filler.

Peeling Paint or Wood Stain

Is your trim covered in loose, peeling, flaking paint or wood stain? This is a clear sign that water damage is on the way. When moisture is trapped in the wood, it swells and pushes against the paint, causing it to peel. This removes the protective barrier, allowing even more moisture to infiltrate the timber—and as we just saw, timber with a high moisture content soon begins to rot. Your handyman can remove the remnants of old paint or stain, and if the wood is still in decent condition and now dry, it can be repainted and sealed to prevent further moisture incursion.

Excess Moisture Inside

When your exterior trim is damaged, it can't do its job and seal out moisture. Water creeps into the inside of your wall and creates telltale signs such as mold and mildew growth, condensation on window panes, moisture stains on walls and ceilings, and rotted wood on the inside of window and door frames—causing you to need interior trim repair as well.

Why Exterior Trim Repair Saves You Money

Want to find out how getting your exterior trim professionally restored back to perfect condition can actually keep money in your wallet? Here are three key ways it does exactly that:

Decrease Utility Bills

Your decayed trim isn't just letting in moisture—it's letting air drafts into your home as well which ends up forcing your HVAC system to work much harder in order to compensate for the cool air that's getting in. That extra work causes your utility bill to skyrocket, costing you money month after month and making your home uncomfortably chilly.

Maintenance is Less Costly Than Replacement

While this trim repair project may feel like a major chore with a minor reward, regular maintenance is far less costly than replacing it altogether. You don't have to take our word for it—according to The Washington Post, delaying exterior trim upkeep could cost you big bucks. The article notes, "the cost to belatedly fix exterior trim could be twice as much as what it would have been had the owner tended to the painting and caulking all along." Don't have the time or ability to climb a ladder and maintain trim? No problem—Mr. Handyman will take care of your annual maintenance so you can rest assured that you won't have to deal with a big repair bill in the future.

Increases Value of Your Home

Thinking of selling your house in the near future? Damaged exterior trim may not seem like a curb appeal issue, but prospective buyers—and home inspectors—will definitely notice rotting wood, peeling paint, and other signs of disrepair. On the other hand, trim that is in excellent shape is a sign to buyers that the house is move-in ready so they won't need to worry about repairs, which raises the final selling price.

Mr. Handyman Is Your Local, Trusted Exterior Trim Repair Expert

Need repair, improvement, maintenance services for your home? Whether you're in Keller or a nearby area such as Westlake, Justin, or Roanoke, you can rely on Mr. Handyman of Keller, Flower Mound, and Alliance for quality workmanship, outstanding customer service, and expert advice.

Give us a call today. We'd love the opportunity to give you the info you need to make an informed decision about the care of your home.