Trim Material

The natural choice for exterior trim material in this area is cedar. It is easy to get, easy to work with, very light when dry, resists rot, and is attractive when finished. On the down side, it can be expensive and will require some upkeep over the years. There are other acceptable choices, but cedar has a proven track record in such applications, and so was our first choice. We used 2x4s and 2x6s for the sills and caps, and 4/4 decking for the heads, legs and aprons.

Assembly

As most of my wood working tools were not on site, I opted to construct and assemble as many of the trim frames as possible in my shop, then move them to the job site for installation. The heads are constructed from three pieces of cedar glued and finish-nailed together. The legs are then glued and pocket-screwed to the head, and the sill is through-screwed to the legs. An apron is glued and finish-nailed to the bottom of the sill. All of the nail holes were filled and sanded, and then each frame received several coats of exterior grade polyurathane, to include the backs of the frames. The frames were installed using galvanized finish nails through the head and legs, and screws through the sills.