Wood Repair and Wood Rot

Have ready

Point out the spots you have noticed and clear the area so we can get a ladder or a scaffold to the piece. If you have paint that matches, have it on site; otherwise we match the sheen and the color as closely as the existing finish allows. The first three checks are how far a probe or an awl sinks into the wood, whether the moisture reading is high at the joint or the end grain, and what is above the rot, because water comes from somewhere. We also check the flashing and the paint film.

• Probe the damage
• Splice or replace
• Prime the end grain
• Paint or stain

The visit

We probe until we hit solid wood, then we cut there. Epoxy filler on punk wood is a one-season repair, and it is the repair we get called to redo. A splice or a new piece gets primed on the end grain the same day, because bare end grain drinks water.

Window sills on the east side of a shore house go first. So do the ends of rafter tails and the bottoms of garage jambs. If the rot is only the sill, the sash stays. If the jamb is soft, the sill repair is not enough, and you see both before we build either.

Permit

Replacing a sill, a jamb, trim, or a piece of fascia is a repair and normally needs no permit. A permit is normally required when the rotted member is structural, such as a deck post, a beam, a header, or a floor joist, and most towns want an inspection of a structural repair before it is closed. Repairing siding or trim that is only cosmetic does not trigger one. If the rot came from a roof leak and the roof is being replaced, that is a separate permit.

On the Shore

Rot on the Shore is not a mystery. Salt air holds moisture against the wood, and the sun bakes it dry on the other side, so the end grain and the joints open and take water. East-facing sills, the bottoms of jambs, rafter tails, and the lower rails of a deck go first. Wind-driven rain gets past a tired paint film, and once the water is behind the paint the wood cannot dry. That is why we cut back to dry wood and prime the end grain the same day.

When we leave

The repair gets probed again once it is cut back to confirm the new wood is going onto sound material, and any splice gets fastened and glued so it does not move. End grain is primed before we leave, and the joint is caulked where water could sit. If the piece is painted, we tell you when the finish coat can go on and how long to keep it dry. You get told what the moisture reading was and whether we found the source or just the damage.

Built with

We splice with a species and grain that matches what is there, usually a rot-resistant or pressure-treated piece where it is exterior and near the ground, and a clear or finger-jointed piece where it will be painted. Epoxy is used to consolidate a small check or to glue a Dutchman, never as filler over punk wood. Fasteners are stainless or hot-dip galvanized, and the primer is a shellac or an oil-based exterior primer that seals the end grain.