As exciting as it was to remove the sliding glass doors from our sunroom, the next task was far less glamorous but absolutely necessary.
Taking out all the metal door frames exposed raw wood along the edges of each opening. Not only did that unfinished wood look unpolished, it was vulnerable to moisture and eventual rot. Since our exterior had seen a fair amount of rot repair when we had the house painted, we wanted to address these openings right away to prevent future problems.
Rather than filling the gaps with traditional wood, I opted to use PVC trim pieces for the exterior-facing sections. PVC is more resistant to moisture and won’t rot like wood, so it felt like a small upfront investment for long-term durability. The PVC pieces cost about five dollars more per board, but I figured that price was worth it for decades of low maintenance. For the tops of the door openings, where water is less likely to pool, I saved some money by using pre-primed wood boards instead.
Each board I purchased measured 1″ x 6″ x 8′, which was slightly wider than the gaps I needed to fill. That meant each piece had to be trimmed down. In addition to cutting the lengths shorter, I ripped a small amount off the sides using a table saw to get an exact fit. Once the fence was set to the right measurement the cuts went smoothly and quickly.
After cutting everything to size, I applied construction adhesive to the backs of the boards and used a nail gun to secure them in place. It had been a while since I used the nail gun, and the whole process felt satisfyingly practical. For the ceiling boards I added a few screws in addition to the nails and adhesive—better safe than sorry when something is overhead. The screws give extra reassurance that the trim will stay put and won’t come loose over time.
Installing the boards took a couple of hours, and the cleanup and finishing steps took just as long. Caulking is not glamorous, but it’s critical for keeping moisture out. Our main goal was to seal the gaps around the new boards so water couldn’t sneak in, and while we were at it we ran a bead of caulk into any visible cracks around the room to make the trim look finished.
When caulking where the new trim met brick at the bottoms, I chose clear silicone rather than white latex caulk. Brick has an uneven surface, and it’s difficult to create a perfectly straight caulk line against it. Clear silicone provides a tight seal while letting the straight edge of the trim remain the visual boundary, so the finished look reads cleaner. At this stage the caulk looks lumpy before smoothing, but once you tool the bead with a finger or a caulking tool it flattens out and looks neat.
I realize this is the kind of detail work that doesn’t make for thrilling reading, but it makes a real difference in both function and appearance. The room immediately looks more finished and protected from the elements, which is what we were aiming for.
Someone in the house is already enjoying the new open feel of the sunroom—and judging by the relaxed posture, the space is working exactly as intended.
We still need to paint the interior trim to match our updated palette—the inside is currently a cream color while the exterior trim is white—but before touching up the paint we got curious and started exploring the ceiling cavity. There’s a bit more to investigate up there, and we’ll share what we find once we’ve finished poking around.
More on the ceiling and what we decide to do with it coming soon. For now, the newly trimmed openings are doing their job: keeping water out and helping the room feel complete. That small upgrade is already paying off in peace of mind.