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The Global Insight

What is a frieze board?

Author

James Williams

Updated on April 18, 2026

Frieze board is a type of trim that is typically installed between the top of a home's siding and the soffit. It's normally installed flat against the home, but it may be installed at an angle if installed on a gable. Frieze board may also be used as a decorative, horizontal trim anywhere in or on the home.

What is a frieze board in construction?

So what is a frieze board? It is a kind of trim that is usually installed between the soffit and the top of a house's siding. The primary function of the frieze board trim is to finish and beautify seams and corners of the house's exterior.

What is the difference between fascia and frieze board?

Soffit and fascia are important parts of a roof system, while frieze is purely for looks.

What is frieze board made of?

The material of which the frieze is made of may be plasterwork, carved wood or other decorative medium.

Should you caulk frieze board?

I also use caulked frieze boards to help determine if foundation movement, uplift, etc., may have occurred. They are good markers for where the frieze board may originally have been positioned before other problems occurred.

Frieze Board - Your Home’s Least Noticed Most Important Part

How wide is a frieze board?

A frieze board is essentially a horizontal board that is between 2 inches and 6 inches wide, but this can vary for certain types of applications. A brick box is a type of house that is made mostly of brick.

Why is frieze called frieze?

The frieze that we are featuring as our word today is from the Latin word frisium, meaning "embroidered cloth." That word evolved from phrygium and Phrygia, the name of an ancient country of Asia Minor whose people excelled in metalwork, wood carving, and (unsurprisingly) embroidery.

What is a fascia board?

It may not look like much, but a fascia board is an essential component of your home's plumbing and gutter system. A fascia board is a thin longboard that runs along the lower outer edge of your roof and covers the entire roofline.

What is a freezer board on a house?

Frieze board is usually installed in between the soffit and the top of a house's siding panel. Its primary function is to give a finishing touch to the house's exterior, and they come with a variety of options. The market has various types of options available for frieze boards.

What is the board at the bottom of siding called?

Buttlock. The bottom portion of a panel of vinyl siding that locks into a previous panel that was just installed. This keeps the siding from moving around.

What is the board under the eaves called?

The vertical board that hangs down from the edges is called the “fascia board”. The Fascia, which derives from the same word in Latin (meaning doorframe), serves as a finishing edge that serves both as a decoration and protector for your roof.

What is the board under the gutter called?

The fascia board is the long wooden board behind the gutters on a house. It connects to the roof rafters, closes off the attic and serves as the mount for gutters. Clogged gutters, animal infestation in an attic area and other roof problems might leave you with a damaged fascia board.

What is a soffit board?

Soffit boards are the horizontal boards which fit under the roofline which together with fascia boards or capping boards finish off the roofline in a weatherproof seal. They are available in 3 different styles, standard utility board, vented soffit boards or lightweight hollow soffit boards.

What is soffit and fascia?

An exterior soffit is located on the span beneath the rafter tails, while the fascia is the exposed horizontal band you see at the end of the rafters. These architectural elements found along the eave area do more than just add visual interest and give a finished look to your home.

What is the wood under the roof called?

Sheathing

The sheathing is the layer of flat wooden boards that attach to your home's rafters or trusses. The most common materials used for sheathing are plywood and oriented strand board (OSB).

What is the difference between fascia and trim?

Trim is the material used to encase windows and doors, among other features, on a home's exterior. Fascia is a horizontal or angled board that encloses the edge or face of the projecting eaves.

What is fascia board attached to?

The fascia board is nailed to the rafter feet and usually has a rebate or lip for the soffit boards to slot into. They are then either fixed to a batten that is attached to the brickwork, or sat on top of the last course of brickwork.

What is the main purpose of frieze?

In the classical architecture of Ancient Greece and Rome, a frieze is a long and narrow sculptural band that runs along the middle of an entablature, used for decorative purposes. It sits on top of the column capitals, in between the architrave on the lowest level and the cornice at the top.

What size board should I use for fascia?

Fascias are typically made from 1-inch material, with the width being enough to cover the rafter width. Typically rafters will range from 2×6 to 2×8, although some are larger depending on the roof construction. Therefore, the more common fascia board sizes are 1×6 or 1×8.

Is Subfascia required?

Though not required by building codes, the reasons for subfascia have more to do with evening out the rafter tail irregularities and providing structural support for the roof edge and gutters. Not all rafter tails are exactly the same length.

Can you use Hardie board for fascia?

HardieTrimboards can be fastened directly over a 2x sub-fascia or directly to rather tails.

Where should you not caulk?

What must be caulked

  • Caulking Corners.
  • Butt-joints…. ...
  • Trim boards & Wood Windows.
  • Garage door trim – but never any part of the garage door itself.
  • Imperfections on the Siding.
  • Window weep hole should not be caulked.
  • Garage door panels should not be caulked.
  • The bottom of siding boards should not be caulked.