repairing minor wood rot in window frame?

[Hamilton Audio]

i've got a large but skinny exterior window just to the right of my front entrance door. The bottom sill sticks out more than the rest (design element) and of course holds water when it rains....

so - the bottom left corner of frame (where the left panel meets the bottom sill) has gotten soft. I've read about 2 part products that contain a wood petrifier to solidify the wood (when the majority of the crappy rotted wood has been removed) and then an epoxy based putty that you use to "replace" the wood with.

has anybody had experience with this type of product? any opinions? i'm looking to do some springtime repairs and would like this to be one of them.

b

[Colbyt]

Not sure what you have read.

I have used the "West Systems" 2 part epoxy product with great success. Once you dig out the really rotten stuff it will petrify the remainder. You really have to see this to believe it. I was so impressed I even treated another window sill on the same side of the house that was just a little spongy.

For the one that had the really rotten section I filled the void with bondo ( a fiberglass product used in automotive repairs). This was easy to shape and sand to conform to the existing wood profile. Once sanded and primed you could not tell where the repaired area was. In this case I replaced about

20% of the exterior portion of an old wooden window sill.

I used this process based on information provided by people who should know what they were doing. It has only been 18 months since I did it so I have no long term results to report. At this point it still looks great.

Colbyt

[effi]

read somewhere the "git" stuff doesn't work

heard bondo (car body filler) can be used on rotted wood to some effect, don't know if it works or advisability of it

[effi]

on side of bondo can: "WARNING: This product contains a chemical known to the state of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm."

[tbasc]

I've used two different brands of epoxy for this kind of work. Used correctly, they are first rate. They have to be mixed exactly and applied with care.

The wood has to be dry. That takes time.

We used some on an exterior wood coulumn and didn't account for water penetration above the fix. The epoxy trapped the water in the column.

One worker got creative with the proportions and ruined one job. I would use the consolidant and the filler from the same company.

TB

[scott_z500]

I would add that there are several webpages devoted to this subject, complete with pictures. Do a search for them.

[Lawrence Wasserman]

I have the same warning on a package of DRILL BITS!

[default]

However you fix the wood, it remains true that the bottom sill shoudn't be ponding water. You should fill so that the sill slopes out.

[effi]

wonder what's on the drill bits?

though the bondo can doesn't specify, the offensive material in bondo resulting in its smell and the warning appears to be styrene (same carcinogenic stuff found on styrofoam plates, cups, or food containers - yummy

"please make that order to go in one of your posionous styrofoam food containers"

[Phisherman]

Here's what I'd do. Cut out the sill portion of the window and any soft wood. Cutting away the sill may reveal additional damage that will need to be removed. Use an ice pick or awl to test for soft wood. Using white oak (white oak is an excellent outdoor wood) make a replacement sill that slopes away from the window. Seal the wood, especially the end-grain portions. Use a waterproof glue such as Waterproof Elmer's Carpenter's Glue to fasten wood to wood. Lots of patience (trial and error) will give a good fit. Nail or glue into place. Prime, caulk, and paint.

You can use epoxy auto body fillers. I find this more difficult to shape than wood, but that's my opinion.

[Joe Bobst]

Used the repair kit from MinWax, works pretty well. There is also a step by step article in a "This Old House" magazine a while back. Commercial body fillers (bondo type) work very well if the substrate is decent. They are usually applied and shaped wirh a cheese grater file while partially cured. The final shaping is then relatively easy to do. HTH

Joe

[Duane Bozarth]

The Minwax kit Bondo at roughly 3x the price...

I checked the MDS some time ago as part of a discussion on the FWW board...they share the same one.

[Jim B]

Last year late summer, I started to repaired and paint all rotting woods. It took me 3 weeks to removed and replace section of rotting woods with new lumber on three windows. I decided it's too costly and time consuming, I went to HD talk to the people in the paint section. I asked about various putty. I bought a

16 oz "Durham's" Rock Hard Water Putty and 1Qt "Custom Exterior Spackling Paste".

'Durham" cost more than "Custom..". dries faster. "Custom.." is equally Hard and waterproof. Looking at both finished after he first snow fall late last year. I came to the conclusion "Custom" seem to be better than Durham putty. I will continue with the repairs in spring using both Durham and Custom. on small rots I will use Durham and bigger ones I will use Custom Exterior Spackling Paste.

I think for your skinny exterior windows, Durham should be a better choice.

[m Ransley]

Durham wont last 10 yrs it is a wood-cellolose base product, it will lloosen and pop up ,bondo is best.

[Jim B]

If what you say it is true, and if we properly seal and paint the repaired sections. I believe it should last .......??

[m Ransley]

I used to paint for a living , comming upon repaints of say 10 yrs Durhams never laster the 10. Ive seen it to many times, even if primed and painted it just wont last, it lifts and pops up. Durhams was the only option for years till plastics came into use. For interior use it is OK

[Duane Bozarth]

I'll second Jim B's observation--don't know the other product, but unless it is in an area well protected from weather (like a window behind a storm window, say) it simply will not last more than 5 years or a little longer, depending on the severity of the climate (temperature swings, water, etc.). I'd still not use it for permanent exterior work.

[John B]

[John B]