I may need to replace a small section of wood on an external window frame, approx 2x2 x 3 inches. I have stripped the paint off and allowing it to dry just now. If I need to replace it should I treat the end grain before painting? I currently have some varnish, wet rot hardener and epoxy filler.
Thoughts?
Many years ago I did a similar repair except the section damaged was about
6” long.Cut out as much damaged wood as you can ideally back to sound wood. You may not be able to do that completely so aim to get back beyond any spongy wood then apply the hardener. When I did it there was not the selection of waterproof glues there is today but I used Cascamite which I believe is still available but under a different name. I glued the replacement piece in place and 24hrs later filled with the epoxy resin. The repair lasted years and did not give even when the frame was raunched out to be replaced with UPVC.
Getting the rotten wood out and leaving a uniform and flat section to fill was the hardest part using chisels but a multi tool should make a quicker and better job.
Richard
Cut out the wood so you can get back to sound wood, and leave square flat faces to match your donor piece of wood. Treat anything soft with the wood hardener. I normally bond in the new bit by bedding it into a two part resin wood filler. (possibly with countersunk screws if needed for extra support - you can fill over the heads).
A multimaster style oscillating tool[1] is ideal for this type of job since you can plunge saw into small awkward spaces.
[1]
Thanks all for the info. I will leave for a further couple of days for drying out and then decide what needs to be done. I have a multi tool so the cuts should be ok.
This.
According to Google Streetview, the job I did this way back in 1985-ish is still going strong.
Nick snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.ca
Is it structurally important, and does the wood swell and contract? If yes then you could be chasing this until the whole late is made of fibreglass or something. Car body filler works for small bits and if sanded and over painted then it would probably be OK for a few years. I have a couple of windows we did this for but the inner frames are ally, so the wood is sort of decorative in many ways. Brian
When I had wood window frames and had rot I cut out the rot, treated with wet rot hardener, used a suitable bit of wood as a filler and embedded it in car body filler using the car body filler as the 'glue'.
The wood was used so I didn't have to use so much expensive car body filler. I also treated the wooden filler piece with wet rot hardener and allowed it to dry before fitting.
The whole lot was over painted and lasted 5+ years until the whole house was treated to uPVC framed double glazing.
One thing I would recommend when using car body filler (or the equivalent two part wood filler*) is to rough sand down the surface after the filler has gone off but not fully cured. Leave fine sanding to later in the curing process.
*Just purchase whichever is cheaper.HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.