What is Aluminum Capping for Residential Properties?
May 9, 2022
Aluminum capping refers to the trim you place around various spaces around your home’s openings. Window aluminum capping, garage door aluminum capping, and capping windows with aluminum trim is the best way to execute a maintenance-free strategy for those sections of your home that require timely interventions. In the past, windows and garage doors have been capped with wood, a great material, certainly, but in need of regular maintenance to sustain its lustre. Replacing wood capping with aluminum does a couple of things you might not think about; first, it reduces the need for regular paint touch-ups when the paint starts to peel. Aluminum will not shed its coating when exposed to the elements. Remember that there is a financial component to maintaining wood trim, from dollars and cents to time and effort for a homeowner to keep the wood trim in good condition. The efforts made by a homeowner can’t be measured financially but in loss of quality of life. Aluminum trim for your exterior is one way to cut down on home maintenance expenses while presenting the exterior of your home in the best possible light. Let’s define what window trim or capping is and how it will improve your home’s exterior.
What is Window Trim or Window Capping?
Capping and or wrapping is a way to clad your home with materials that are durable, have a long shelf life that looks and feels like the finish and colour of the house where it is installed. Using man-made materials like vinyl or aluminum are cut to size and placed in the opening around windows and doors to secure the openings from the weather. Often, the wood frame that is exposed is covered by durable, weatherproof materials to provide long-lasting protection for the home. In regions where the weather is a concern, aluminum capping has proven effective in keeping maintenance costs down and adding to the curb appeal of any property where the capping is installed. Let’s look at the benefits that aluminum capping provides:
No maintenance for years, wood rot prevention, insulating trim from invasive insects, protection from fire, frost and freezing, the just painted look, pay one price for long-term savings, time/quality of life, and a variety of colours and materials to choose from.
How Does the Capping Process Work?
It is a simple and relatively easy process once you have decided to cover your home with capping. Aluminum is the best trim to use, and it comes in many colours and gauges to satisfy the needs of the homeowner. If aluminum is the choice for your capping needs, know that the kit will come with colour-coded hardware and caulking for the presentation you are looking for from the finish of the aluminum capping. As for the aluminum coating, it comes in a flat, semi-gloss, high-gloss paint and baked-on enamel. Once the installation process starts to move forward, the aluminum sheets will be cut in a break to create a model of the pieces to be installed and dry fitted to ensure that the cuts are accurate. Once the pieces are cut to size, they are affixed to your home using different techniques. Friction is one method that will hold the capping in place – bonding pressure will keep the cuts in place without any joiners to hold the pieces together. Small nails add a secondary level of adhesion to the house; they are driven in to keep the wind from pulling the capping off during weather events. Another method used to secure capping is glue and binding products to keep the capping from lifting. If used, they are to be used sparingly as they are messy, and you could glue yourself to the window if not careful. The last stage of the installation process is inserting caulking into the seams around the area you are capping. It can be colour matched to the exterior to add an aesthetically pleasing vision around the area you are capping.
Difference Between Vinyl and Aluminum in Trim Capping
Vinyl and polyethylene products have come a long way; aluminum capping is the most popular for homeowners. Vinyl can mimic wood finishes through the finishing process and offer colour variations. Vinyl is best suited to siding applications than capping. Aluminum is the best material for garage doors, windows, roof capping, fascia, and soffits due to its durability and shelf-life.
When Should You Install Aluminum Capping?
- The exterior wood is rotting.
- Cracks appear in the wood trim.
- Water stains on interior walls.
- Mould and mildew growth appear around your windows.
- You feel a draft coming from any of the windows in your home.
- Skyrocketing energy bills – especially in the winter.
How Much Does Aluminum Capping Cost?
There are many factors to consider when evaluating the cost of aluminum capping, and like everything, the Devil is in the details.
- Scope of the job.
- The extension of trim profile.
- The choice of materials for installation for the project.
- The area where the trim will be installed.
- The size and length of the trim pieces that will be installed.
- Access to the area and whether it is on the ground or not.
- Time and distance for the contractor.
- Labour and material pricing will drive costs.
- Ability and expertise of the contractor selected.
Hire Us at Integrity Roofers for all Your Aluminum Capping Needs
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