Hello,
I was wondering if anyone on the forum has done any work with PVC dimensional lumber or fiber glass reinforced plastic lumber? If so how hard is it to work with?
I am fooling around with the idea of purchasing an older home that has box gutters on it that haven't been maintained and have rotted out in several locations. Box gutters are normally made of wood that is lined with either copper or tin sheeting that is then soldered together. They can be quite elaborate in design and the home that I'm looking at has corbels added to them as well.
Since these gutters are almost three stories above the ground, and I hate to have to hang off of a ladder to paint; I was wondering if it might be possible to rebuild these gutters using plastic lumber? I know that it has been used for exterior trim, and that it really can't be used in a structural situation, but for a box gutter that is supported ever sixteen inches I was thinking it might work.
The biggest concerns would be creating water tight joints between the pieces, and the amount of expansion and contraction that the material supposedly goes through. I could see that being a problem since it moves in all directions. The gutters across the front and back of the house are forty feet in length and the sides are thirty-six feet so expansion along the length could quickly kill this idea.
I know that we are suppose to be 'wood'workers here, so I maybe asking the wrong group. But if anyone has worked with this material I would like your insight.
Thanks,
Jim