How to Repair Small Patches of Wood Rot

Wood is an attractive material for things like siding, window frames and floorboards. It’s attractiveness comes with a significant drawback though; it’s also the most vulnerable material – getting easily damaged by water and heat. Rotting wood is unsightly, and we recommend you address it before the rot spreads and becomes bigger. Handyman Connection® of South Shore discusses how to repair small patches of rotting wood.

The First Steps

The first thing you need to do is remove the rotted piece of wood. Use a sharp tool or a 5-in-1 to safely remove it from the rest of the surface. Once you’re done, coat the area with a wood hardener, and mix some wood filler with polyester. Press it deep into the recesses of the damaged surface with your putty knife.

You can actually use epoxy instead of wood filler. WoodEpox®, for example, is a good alternative. However, temperature can negatively affect epoxy performance and make it sag. Polyester is generally a good all-round material.

Shape and Smooth the Surface

Once you’re done filling the recesses of the damaged wood with the wood filler, you now have to shape it into place. Use your putty knife or a small chisel to carve the filler in place. Make sure to fill the entire space carefully, and, if necessary, add another layer of polyester mixture if the first layer was insufficient. Just make sure to even out the surface properly.

Next, you’ll want to let the mixture settle and harden. Once you’ve done that, all you need to do is apply the final touches. If the original wood surface had paint on it, we recommend you let the wood filler settle for at least a day before you repaint it so that you don’t accidentally mix the paint with the still-sloshy wood filler.

Handyman Connection of South Shore can help you fix your rotting wood surfaces. Fill out our form, or give us a call at (781) 829-3030 for more information on our services.