Acceptable pvc construction?????

[Chuck Keysor]

Hello Shopbot Friends:

Concerning the old house project I am working on, I am wondering if there are obvious problems or not with this assembly and its installation. (The old time attached photo shows the intended end result). Your comments would be welcome.

Someone else made the lattice, from 1" thick exterior grade PVC. They will also install the completed assembly onto the house. It is my understanding that the lattice will be heavily screwed onto the house. (I have only made the flower/diamonds, and have no responsibility for the integrity of the end project.... but that doesn't mean I don't care if the job is going to hold up.)

I was asked to fit the flower diamonds into the lattice, and to glue them to the lattice. My flower/diamonds are made from the same exterior grade PVC as the lattice. (If this were made out of wood, I know I'd have to leave expansion gaps around each flower/diamond, and hold them into the lattice with a 1/4" molding strip. But this is all PVC.....)

Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks, Chuck

[joe]

Congratulations on the work.

I'm fairly comfortable with the success of this project. It's so unusual. Does the panel face the south and what color will it be?

If this was my installation I'd not use screws to affix it. One option is to use loose fitting exterior aluminum clips. That way all the construction materials are allowed to move a little.

Please show us how this project comes out.

[Chuck Keysor]

Hello Joe. Thank you for your kind words.

This installation does in fact face directly south. While I don't know the final colors, the homeowners will be working with what they have used on the rest of the house. So the lattice and diamonds will be painted with dark greens, purples, and some lighter shades.

The PVC used is "Veranda HP" cellular PVC exterior trim. I looked on their website and found some cautions on using dark colors, so I forwarded that to the homeowners. They have since told me they went to the local Benjamin Moore store for consultation. But I got the impression they weren't very confident of the information they got.

a) What source would you recommend that the homeowners go to in order to get sound painting guidance?
b) As to the loose fitting exterior aluminum clips, it seems logical to provide for expansion and contraction of the PVC. Are these clips available at the big box stores? If not where? Do you have a brand name for these clips, so I can look them up on the Internet?
c) I'll be glad to provide pictures when it is all done. The plan is that the homeowners will clean up each diamond (sanding as needed) and paint them. Then they'll give them back to me, and I will glue them into the lattice, as well as fit in the 1/4" wide bullnose molding around each diamond. Then I give them the entire assembly back, and the man who made the lattice will install it.

Thanks again, Chuck