Mitering Fascia for Dummies

fascia vs. soffit

Here at the Antisocial Network, it's the staff's considered opinion that people who attempt to write how-to guides should know enough about their topic to be to be able to define the terminology they use. When a freelancer at a place like, off the top of our collective head, eHow.com, fails the knowledge test we're loath to take any ensuing advice. That's exactly what got eHowian Kimberly Johnson in trouble when she attempted to tell people "How to Miter a Fascia Board" at HomeSteady.com.

Johnson opened by telling people what (she thought) a fascia is:

"Fascia boards are wide, flat boards that install vertically under roof eaves. The fascia board enhances the appearance of the roof line and it help [sic] hold the soffits to the home, which are located perpendicular to and under the fascia."

No, Kim, the fascia is found on the ends of the rafters (or trusses), behind the gutters. As for holding the soffits in place, who knows? It depends on the roof design. Whatever the case, the soffit isn't "under the fascia," it's behind it. And with that misinformation right up front in the first paragraph, we figured we had ourselves a nominee.

Yep, we did: it was obvious that Kimberly was utterly ignorant of construction and roofing based on her first three steps: 1) set up some ladders, 2) pick up the board and carry it up the ladders, 3) "Examine your end of the fascia board where it extends over the end of the last rafter." That's as opposed to, "Mark the board." She also wanted her readers to,

"Climb carefully down the ladder and lay the fascia board on a work table. Set a miter box on the work table and slide the fascia board into it..."

At that point it was pretty obvious that Kim had never actually looked at a roof. You see, according to her,

"...the fascia requires miter cuts at the corners. These are 45-degree angle cuts that allow the board to fit flush with the fascia on an adjoining side of the home or with the rafters..."

...but one of those boards (actually the rake board) will require a COMPOUND miter cut unless the roof is hipped or mansard. There are calculators real carpenters use to determine the necessary angles. Kim didn't know that... She also didn't know that the vast majority of fascia joints are butt joints.
Then again, someone whose instructions for mitering a board are,

"Look at the top or side of the [miter] box where the slits are labeled with degree numbers. Locate the slit that is labeled 45 degrees and insert a miter saw into it. Cut through the fascia using the saw and then remove the board from the miter box..."

...is not, in our opinion, qualified to be giving carpentry instructions. Instead, Johnson – J-school degree or not – is more qualified to be a Dumbass of the Day.

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