Glue- don't use plumbing pvc glue. My supplier was out of Azek glue and told me to use it, it didn't hold
I miter all my ends
Cortex screws and plugs worked good, just drive the screw all in one motion, no stopping or slowing down. If the screws do snap, they are a pain to get out without marring the pvc.
Be careful with mitered edges, they will cut your hand and you won't even know it.

 

Glue- don't use plumbing pvc glue. My supplier was out of Azek glue and told me to use it, it didn't hold

Interesting...I've used it with great results. The manufacturer (I called Azek directly a few years ago) told me plumbers pvc glue works just as good as their own but is more of an instant bond rather than giving you open working time.

I prefer the manufacturers glue as it it dries white.

 

I prefer Christy's Red Hot for adhesive. it skins quickly, so not much open time, but it does what it's supposed to and the color match is good. It's not good for filling though, because it softens the product and will leave a recessed dimple.

Because it's porous in composition, the core of the product will hold dirt. Sanding will help, but not eliminate the problem.

For paint, there are products that are high in reflectivity and specifically designed for the application. Anything that absorbs heat will create extreme thermal expansion of the product. I don't recommend anything darker than white personally.

When I do mitered corners, I quickly remove squeeze out with a rag wet with Goof-Off, then drag my knife blade backwards on the miter at a 45 degree angle. This will knock the sharp edge down and help to hide the glue line by rolling the edge into any imperfections of the cut. Once you get the hang of this, the mitered joint is almost impossible to find.

Do not sand the factory finish, unless you are painting.

 

i found that ''misting'' a freshly glued joint with water turns any squeeze out rubbery and can be carefully wiped off without harming the finish..worked for me once anyway

 

For small pieces, like crown returns, loctite superglue works very good for assembly with no need for nailing.

 

Make this thread a sticky!

Wiping the cut ends with Acetone is supposed to reseal the end.

 

MEK works a little better

 

Ex-Cell is now making all sorts of trim, pocket trim, sheets, and mouldings in 15 stock colors plus they will do up a batch in any color you want. They are also coating the cortex plugs to match as well.

I should be getting a delivery of a bunch of their trim in Quiver tan, in about 2 weeks.

The color has ceramic in it and is baked on and then coated with a UV blocking urethane top coat. They are backing the colors with the same warranty as their white trim.

Colors cost about 5% more then white.

 

some good answers already. i tried the CA glue on the baord and it held very well but almost zero working time. as soon as you touch it toegther its stuck. i tried thin, medium and thick and all stuck quick and fast but stuck very well. only down side is i know from experience that CA glue is lucky to get 2-3 years before the glue starts to degrade so in this situation from not a food idea to use.

i did find a company called extreme adhesives who make a PVC glue system. its def not the cheapest option but it looks the best. its called PVC welder http://www.pvctrimwelder.com/

 

Aren't they all just acetone with PVC pellets dissolved in it?

 

Hey guys I have a few questions I'm sure some of you lot can answer. So thought it would be a good place to have all the info and more in one place.

My questions are below but any tips you have add them as they may come in handy.

What's the best glue for PVC? Actual azec glue, or flex 9000 window and siding caulking

How do you finish cut ends and pieces? touch sand

What's the best products to paint them? we leave it unpainted
Is there a filler made for PVC?

What's the best screw and plug system for PVC? cortex

It it easy to keep looking clean, including the cut ends? cut ends will darken but the face is easy to clean

Can surfaces be sanded?

sanding dulls the finish, we touch sand joints and ripped edges though

 

Any more they are making PVC trim s4s (finished edges). Before that I just sanded the raw edges with 150g and it made them nice and smooth.

 

What do you guys think of PVC in a climate like that of ours here in hot Arizona? Would it hold up?

 

My guess is it would move too much daytime and night temps.

 

I have only recently started to use a lot of pvc trim. Got a lot of advice here. Any cuts and or routed edges are not gonna shine like the factory glossed edges. I use the clear pvc glue on mitered crown and it seemed to bond very well. We also use a lot of the Climatech screws to draw in the edges. We recently switched from the stainless screws, as they tended to strip out often.

 

The white head SS screws are not discrete at all. At this point I use the regular 4d SS trim nails. I have used the cortex on 1x stock but sheet goods 1/2 or less is no good. Im not even a fan of using it on 1x. You bore through half of the material.

I have not yet painted any of this stuff, they say it takes as long as 30 days to truely dry since it doesnt absorb.

 

The bottom line to the customer is this, you don't HAVE to paint this stuff, but at some point you will want to. Maybe if your only doing simple window trims or some posts and beams, you may be able to get by with all concealed fasteners and smooth factory edges. But with the many profiles of the trims, your gonna have some fasteners showing, and any cuts you make will not look like the factory edges no matter what you do.

 

Generally, the paint will last longer on PVC trim because you don't have the same moisture issues wood will experience. Which is also a good selling point.

 

Just buy it pre-finished if you don't want white.

I have had some ex-cel up for 8 years, still nice and white. I have been painting all cut/exposed edges too and it holds up nice and you can two coat it quickly.

 

meh,ive done enough pre finished stuff to know the exact color doesn't run through the entire line,i can see having mixed lots on a job causing problems

 

I will see. Never had the chance to use any pre-finished PVC.

If they wanted a color, I always used miratec, PVC for white. I hate white trim though.

I have to paint some PVC pink here pretty soon, I will see what that does. Well, it will be pink so that is a demerit from the get go.

 

I also use Kleer and use their product for glue etc.

Cortex screws are the bomb. Expensive but worth the cost.

Giving the whole job a final coat of paint makes it look sharp.

My in laws have a couple of outdoor rocking chairs made out of PVC material. After a couple years they are having trouble with the pores collecting dirt. Besides painting it I didn't know how to deal with that. Maybe pressure washing...???

 

If your ripping it with circular saw I do not hold the trigger down for max speed/ power. I "throttle" the trigger to about half speed, the full speed seems to heat up the material makeing a straight line wavy

 

Variable speed circular saw??

 

I like grk brand trim screws t 10s and t9s.They have good grab and allow for adjustment. Have found Bondo to work well for filler.

 

the polishing pads for rotex (vlies) work great on pvc (and solid surface)

 

Soft scrub with bleach works great to cleaning. Use a heat gun to take out any scratches or dings, but be careful not to overheat. We use medallions over the seams in a pattern over a long run and nail on one side- helps to hide the joints during long runs of expansion/contraction. Good paint adhesion works best with light sanding or good primer. Wear safety glasses, dust hurts bad in the eyes.....

 

Best trick I know it to not use the stuff....

 

i'ts not easy being green

 

All the tips have been covered. I have found nothing to reseal the ends up to my standards. I like to use a combination of glue. The Azek brand glue I put in little glue bottles to make it easier to apply. But it takes a while to tack and cure so for that reason I like to get the joints set with CA glue. Holding it in place until the Azek glue cures.

Here is a picture of our azek work.

Cole

 

Cole have you had any experience with painting it yet?

 

boss of awesome:thumbsup: