# trick to getting soffits down..



## windowguy (Jan 27, 2009)

so soffit pieces (the kind with perforated venting in them) are held up in place via aluminum "channels" on either side. one channel/lip is against the house, the other is flush to bottom of first row of siding.

I want to yank down all the soffit pieces under my 2 foot bump out overhang and spray foam up in the space. (don't worry this has nothing to do with roof venting, this is just a second floor bump out).

for the life of me I cannot figure out how to remove the soffit pieces without mangling the aluminum trim that is holding it up in place. I know siding is like a jigsaw puzzle and they installed it in an order.. but there is literally no opening or "end" piece anywhere I can undo to start them sliding out. I'm dumbfounded. Again, if I get physical with it I know when I try to reassemble the trim holding it up (floating) in place will be severely bent/wavy it will drive me crazy. Any ideas how to disassemble a soffit while keeping in mind how to put it all back together nicely.

here is a similar picture for reference. 

http://biytoday.com/Soffit2.jpg

edit: I guess the channel on the house is a J/F channel.. and the edge away from house just looks like right angle aluminum trim. I don't think its as simple as just yanking down on the F channel. I really feel like the siding was placed neatly OVER the channels, so I'm trying to figure out how to get to the channels without undoing my siding..


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

The outside trim is FASCIA, it is often the last item installed.

The inner channel is put up first, then the soffit is installed in it one at a time, and nailed at the outside corner, then the next soffit, etc until all soffit is nailed.

Then the FASCIA is put on to cover the ends of the soffit.

If you start yanking anything you will be buying new material, So look carefully at the FASCIA and see how it is nailed up, remove there and you find the soffit.

ED


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## firehawkmph (Dec 12, 2009)

If you look at the pic I posted, the side of the soffit without the nail flange is the trailing edge. This is the edge that starts off in the side channel. Then it's nailed through the slots provided. Next piece goes on the same direction, and so on. When you get to the other end, the last piece is usually not full width, but cut to fit whatever dimension is left. If you take a close look at your soffit, you should be able to spot which end they started on and which end is the finish. The finish piece probably doesn't have a nailer flange. Many times the last piece is either cut snug to fit so it can't fall out, or it is held in place by a couple of trim nails placed so you have to look real close to find them. If there are no trim nails, the last piece can be slid over, towards the center, and flexed enough to pop it out. Once you do that, you'll expose the nailer flange of the next piece. Pop the nails out and give that piece a wiggle and a flex and it should pop out, and so on. Im assuming from the pic you posted its vinyl soffit. That's what it looks like. Really not that difficult.
Mike Hawkins:smile:


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

You posted a picture of the wrong end.
We need to see the other end.
Most often the fashia holds up the other end.
Most often the gutter if there is one needs to come off first, nails holding the fachia in place get set in with a nail set.
Remove that then you can remove the soffit.


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## windowguy (Jan 27, 2009)

de-nagorg said:


> The outside trim is FASCIA, it is often the last item installed.
> 
> The inner channel is put up first, then the soffit is installed in it one at a time, and nailed at the outside corner, then the next soffit, etc until all soffit is nailed.
> 
> ...


 Okay so I'm guessing its THIS above.. the fascia trim is covered FLUSH with the first coarse of vinyl siding. so It goes in order from inside out: the F/J channel (against house) then the soffit, then some sort of fascia trim and then the J channel bottom first course of siding. there is no gutter, its a bump out. 

so I'd need to figure out how to peel up the J channel and first bottom row of siding to expose a nailer for that alumimum trim/fascia part. I know I will mangle that trying to do it..


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

Vinyl siding installers used to have a tool that they called a Zipper.

It is basically a flat hook thing used to un-zip a course of vinyl from it's lower partner.
Then the nails of the lower can be removed and taken out of the area.

So try to unzip a vinyl siding piece in that area, and find the nails for the inner F track.


ED


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