Our new house will have cedar siding exterior with one 32' x 5' front porch covered and one 16' x 10' covered back porch. Could I use cedar for the soffit or should I stick with perforated aluminum. We would like to keep the wood look as much as possible. Also what kind of sealer/perservative should I use on the siding to keep the natural look of cedar.
Answer:
I would use cedar for the soffits but in keeping with the rest of the exterior, I would want to have a 2" wide strip all around the house. This can be covered with a vinyl window screen strip held in place by a surface-mounted frame. For aesthetics, I would also want the screen to be immediately next to the structure or the fascia rather than down the centre of the soffit as most used to be done. The sealer you use should be biodegradeable now that we have all kinds of these on the market.
