Exterior PVC Trim: Joining Long Runs

Lead carpenter and project manager Dan Booth of Niche Design Consultants makes his living in the precarious and often extreme weather conditions of Nova Scotia that vary from from blasting sun to extreme cold. On this project, Dan is restoring the entryway to an old general store that sits on the back of his property. He will likely use this space for a shop and personal space. As a material choice, Dan selected PVC, provided by VERSATEX, for its durability and workability.

In this video, Dan walks us through his preferred method for installing a long run of PVC trim when joining two pieces: the shiplap joint.

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[ryansoo]

One thing I've always wondered: With the recent upswing in massive wildfires occurring all across North America, why would you use a "probably" highly flammable plastic trim on your exterior instead of a fire resistant cement product like Hardie Trim or a wood trim covered in a protective metal sleeve?
I know fire professionals say that a metal gutter is safer than a plastic one because the plastic gutter will melt in a fire and rain flaming plastic onto the ground at the base of the building so why use plastic trim that will probably do the same thing in a wildfire?

[jamesroscoe]

Well done tutorial series. The question I have is where to source the PVC glue you are using, especially in Canada. Do you have a local supplier in the Valley? There seem to be very few suppliers even online and of those, few actually have it in stock (none that I have found at the moment). Shocking considering the amount of PVC trim available at big box stores. I suppose most hacks just fill the gaps with caulk and call it a day...

[CMCraftsman]

I square cut, pocket screw and glue my joints when using PVC. I’ve never had it pull apart. I’ve also never used Versatex though either. Here in VT I use Wolf, Kleer, and Azek depending on the supplier I’m dealing with.

[darrenmackenzie]

Why isnt there any u.k installations of pvc trim and cladfing??

[LuminairPrime]

Great vid, short and sweet! The future is now with PVC. Looks good and doesn't rot!