Frieze Board Replacement & Band Board Rot Repair
The wide board under the soffit is peeling and soft at the ends, or the belly band between floors has a black line along the top where the siding meets it. We replace the run and flash it so it stays dry.
Frieze board replacement and band board rot repair are the same job in two places: the horizontal trim under the soffit, and the belly band between the first and second floor. JMB Builders cuts out the rotted runs, flashes the top edge with a metal drip cap, and replaces the board in cellular PVC or primed LP across the Twin Cities metro. Priced per project by the linear feet involved, quoted from your photos within one business day.
- Priced per project, by linear feet
- PVC or primed LP trim boards
- Drip cap flashed over every band board
- Quote from photos in 1 business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
A frieze board is the flat trim that runs along the top of the wall, right under the soffit. A band board, or belly band, is the same kind of board run horizontally between floors, usually where the siding changes from lap to shake or just to break up a tall wall. Both are wide, both are flat on top, and both were nailed on with nothing over the top edge on most houses built before the last couple of decades.
The band board is the worse of the two. Its top edge is a shelf, and the siding above it either butts into it or is J-channeled into it. Water gets in at that joint, sits on the top of the board, and works into the end grain and the face. The board cups, the paint lifts, and eventually the sheathing behind it is wet. The frieze fails the same way where the soffit leaks or where the gutter overflows onto it.
We replace the run in cellular PVC or primed LP trim board, with a metal drip cap flashed over the top edge and tucked behind the siding above, so the joint that failed is not there anymore. Ends are sealed, butt joints are scarfed or backed, and the corner boards are tied in. A house with rotted band boards on one side usually has them starting on the others, so we look at all four while we are there.
What you supply
- Photos: the run from the ground showing where it starts and ends, a close-up of the worst spot, and the top edge where the siding meets it
- A rough length of the run, or count the siding courses and we work it out
- PVC or primed LP, and the board width you want back (usually the same as what is there)
- Your paint color if you want the new boards painted on the same visit
What JMB supplies
- Removal of the rotted frieze or band board and inspection of the sheathing behind it
- Cellular PVC or primed LP trim board in the matching width, scarfed at the joints
- Metal drip cap over every band board, slipped behind the siding course above
- Flashing tape on the sheathing at the top of the board and at any patched sheathing
- Ladder or staging for second-floor runs, stainless or coated fasteners, exterior sealant
- Corner boards re-tied to the new run where they meet
- Photos of the finished run in your job folder
- Painting the new boards when you want it done, quoted as its own line
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Linear feet of frieze or band board being replaced
- First-floor band board from a ladder vs. frieze at a two-story eave on staging
- PVC vs. primed LP, and the board width
- Siding that has to be lifted or cut to get the drip cap behind it
- Rotted sheathing behind the board
- Corner boards, gable trim or a gable vent replaced in the same visit
Take one photo straight on and one from below looking up at the top edge of the board. The top edge tells us whether it was ever flashed and how far the water went.
How long it takes
One side of a house: a half to full day. All four sides of a two-story house with staging: two to three days.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Band board with new drip cap
The belly band comes off, the sheathing is checked and taped, a new PVC or LP board goes on, and a metal drip cap is slipped up behind the siding course above so water sheds out over the face of the board.
Frieze board under the soffit
The frieze is replaced in the same width, tucked tight to the soffit, with the joint at the soffit sealed. If the soffit panels or the fascia above it are soft, we quote those with it.
Spot repair of a rotted section
When one stretch near a downspout or a corner is gone and the rest is sound, we cut out the bad section to the nearest joint, splice in PVC with a backed joint, and flash just that run. Cheaper, and honest about what it is.
Full trim run with corner boards
Band, frieze and corner boards all done at once so every joint between them is new and flashed together. The way to do it when a repaint is coming.
Frieze Board Replacement & Band Board Rot Repair: questions, answered
What is a frieze board on a house?
It is the flat horizontal trim board that runs along the top of the exterior wall, directly under the soffit, where the siding ends. It covers the gap between the top of the siding and the soffit and gives the soffit something to die into. On most houses it is a wide primed pine or LP board. It rots where the soffit leaks, where a gutter overflows onto it, or at the ends where it meets a corner board.
Why is the band board between floors rotting?
Because its top edge is flat and the siding above it was never flashed over it. Water runs down the upper siding, hits the joint at the top of the band board, and sits there. The board soaks it up through the top edge and the end grain. It cups, the paint splits along the top, and the black line you see is where the water gets in. A metal drip cap over the board, tucked behind the siding above, is what stops it, and most band boards never got one.
Should a replacement band board be PVC or wood?
Cellular PVC for anything that holds water, which a band board does. It does not rot, cup or need the top edge sealed, and it takes paint if you want a color. Primed LP trim board is the lower-cost choice and holds up well when it is flashed and painted, including the cut ends. Either way the top gets a drip cap; the material is only half the fix.
Can you replace a band board without taking off the siding?
Yes, on most lap siding. The siding course above the band board gets lifted enough to slip the drip cap flange up behind it, and the course below is undisturbed. On vinyl siding the J-channel above the band comes off and goes back on over the new drip cap. Siding only comes off when the sheathing behind the band is rotted above the trim line.
Does the frieze board need to be replaced when I get new soffit?
Not always, but it is the right time to look. The soffit panels die into the frieze, so if the frieze is soft the new soffit has nothing sound to land on. When the frieze is solid and just needs paint it stays. When the ends or the stretch under a gutter are soft, replacing it before the new soffit goes up avoids doing the eave twice.
Do you paint the new frieze and band boards?
Yes, painting is quoted as a separate line on the same quote, or leave the boards primed and caulked and paint them yourself. PVC can stay white unpainted. Primed LP should get its finish coat the first season it is on the house, cut ends included, or the board starts to swell at the ends.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 24, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All exterior trim pages
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Exterior trim near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: