PVC Exterior Trim Replacement — Swap Rotting Wood for Cellular PVC
You have painted the same trim three times and it still rots at the bottom. Cellular PVC ends that, as long as it is flashed, glued and fastened the way the material needs.
PVC exterior trim replacement means pulling the wood casing, corner boards or garage jambs that keep rotting and putting cellular PVC in their place. JMB Builders does it across the Twin Cities metro: we fix the flashing behind the trim, cut the PVC to match the old profile, glue the joints with PVC cement, fasten it with stainless ring-shank nails, and leave expansion room at long runs. Priced per opening or per project, quoted from photos.
- Priced per opening or per project
- Azek, Royal, Kleer or equivalent cellular PVC
- Joints glued, fasteners stainless or coated
- Quote from photos in 1 business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Cellular PVC trim is the boards you see stacked at the lumberyard under names like Azek, Royal and Kleer. It cuts and nails like pine, it does not absorb water, and it does not rot. On a Minnesota house the places that eat wood trim, door casings at the step, window sills and bottom corners, corner boards at grade, garage door jambs, are exactly where PVC earns its keep.
It is not wood, though, and it fails when it is installed like wood. PVC moves with temperature, not moisture. A long run installed tight on a cold day will buckle in July; one installed tight in July opens a gap in January. Joints that are just butted open up. Nails driven too close to the ends split it. Dark paint on it can make it warp.
So we install it the way the material wants: flashing fixed first, joints glued with PVC cement so a run moves as one piece, a small gap left at the ends of long runs and sized for the day's temperature, stainless or coated ring-shank nails long enough to reach framing, and paint only if you want color, in a shade light enough for the material or a paint rated for it.
What you supply
- Photos of each piece of trim you want replaced, plus one wide shot of that side of the house
- Whether you want it left white or painted; if painted, the color (we can tell you if it is too dark for PVC)
- Your paint, if we are painting it, or leave it white; PVC does not need paint to survive
What JMB supplies
- Removal and haul-away of the old wood trim
- Cellular PVC boards, brickmould or sill nose to match the existing sizes and profiles
- Drip cap and flashing tape at heads and jambs before the new trim goes on
- PVC cement at every joint, stainless or coated ring-shank fasteners, exterior sealant rated for PVC
- Repair of rotted sheathing or jamb material found behind the trim, quoted from photos
- Photos of the finished trim in your job folder
- Painting the new trim when you want color, 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:
- Number of openings and linear feet of corner board, frieze or band
- Stock sizes vs. a profile that has to be built up or milled to match the old trim
- How much flashing has to be corrected behind the trim
- Rot in the sheathing or jambs behind the trim, found once it comes off
- Working height: second-floor trim and gable ends take staging
- Siding type: vinyl and lap siding lift, stucco and brick have to be cut and sealed
Send a photo of each piece with a tape measure in it if you can. We can quote most trim swaps from that without a site visit.
How long it takes
A single door or window: half a day. All the trim on one side of a house: one to two days. Whole-house corner boards and casings: plan on a week.
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
Door and window casing
Casing, brickmould and sill nose in PVC, with a drip cap at the head and flashing tape at the jambs. The most common swap we do because it is where the wood rots first.
Corner boards and band boards
Long runs where expansion matters most. Joints are scarfed and glued, ends get a gap sized to the temperature, and the bottoms are held off grade so splash does not stain them.
Garage door jambs and headers
PVC jamb stock at the bottoms or the full leg, a continuous drip cap on the header, and vinyl stop with the weather seal built in.
Full trim swap on one elevation
Everything on the side of the house that gets the weather: casings, corners, frieze and band. Done in one stretch so the flashing behind it all gets tied together.
PVC Exterior Trim Replacement — Swap Rotting Wood for Cellular PVC: questions, answered
Is PVC trim better than wood for exterior trim in Minnesota?
For the pieces that touch water, yes. Cellular PVC does not rot, does not swell, and does not need paint to last, which is why we use it at door bottoms, window sills, corner boards near grade and garage jambs. Cedar still makes sense where you want a stain finish or a detailed historic profile. On most metro houses the right answer is PVC at the trouble spots and whatever the house already has everywhere else.
Does PVC trim expand and contract?
Yes, with temperature. A long run gets a little longer on a hot day and a little shorter on a cold one, which is why you see PVC trim that buckled or opened a gap at a butt joint. We glue every joint with PVC cement so a run moves as a single piece, and we leave a small gap at the ends of long runs sized to the temperature the day we install. Short pieces like window casing do not move enough to matter.
What fasteners do you use for PVC trim?
Stainless steel or hot-dip galvanized ring-shank nails, long enough to go through the trim and sheathing into framing. Ring shanks hold in PVC; smooth nails back out. We keep nails away from the ends to avoid splitting and use two per bearing point on wide boards so the piece cannot cup. Trim-head screws where a piece has to be pulled tight.
Do you have to paint PVC trim?
No. It comes white and stays white without paint. If you want color, it takes a 100 percent acrylic exterior paint well. The one rule is to stay with lighter colors unless the paint is made for vinyl and PVC, because dark colors soak up heat and can make the trim move more than it should. Painting is quoted as a separate line, or leave it white and paint it yourself.
Can you replace just the rotted bottom of a wood casing with PVC?
Yes, and it is a common repair. We cut the wood casing back square above the rot, splice in a PVC piece of the same width and thickness, glue and fasten the joint, and fill it. Once it is painted the splice is hard to find. On a piece that is more than half rotten it is cleaner to replace the whole leg.
Is Azek the only brand you install?
No. Azek is the name most people know, but Royal, Kleer, Versatex and the lumberyard house brands are all cellular PVC and install the same way. We use what the yard has in the size and profile that matches your house. The install details, flashing behind, glued joints, ring-shank fasteners and expansion room, are the same for all of them.
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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