I have a couple of small areas of dry rot (that I know of --- I'll be doing more investigating over the summer to make sure I've found it all). The rot was caused by leaks from the roof and in windows over a period of years. I've corrected those problems (new roof that sticks out a ways , putting up awnings, etc.) Now I want to tackle the dry rot. It's in 3-4 spots and is relatively small. I found this stuff, an epoxy for fixing wood: http://www.rotdoctor.com/products/product.html and am sure there's a mess more like it. I would much rather do this than cutting out the areas and replacing them. If these products don't work, however, I don't want to use them. ??? So the question is ... do they work? Or do i have to cut out and replace the dry rot?
I used some stuff that looks very similar to this but I got it at Lowes. The spot was a couple of feet wide and up to an inch deep. I chipped out as much 'bad' wood as I could and basically painted this stuff on. It soaks in and hardens. It said to use several coats - which I did - and it seemed to work quite well. But it's only been about six months so I can't vouch of how well it holds up long-term.
Good. That's exactly what I wanted to hear. The epoxy stuff may be expensive but it's a lot cheaper than cutting out floors and replacing bit by bit.
Dry rot is a fungus (poria incrassata). It is most commonly introduced to a structure during construction by using infected wood rather than airborne spores. Structural damage can be significant before evidence shows. Although your damage appeared to be from the window, the fungus may have originated from below that point. You may have significant damage that you haven't uncovered. If the house is old and the foundation allows wood close to the soil, you may have just seen the tip of the iceberg. I believe the directions on the type of products you are considering will tell you to remove the damaged wood. If the product does not encase the fungus completely, it is still alive and breaking down more wood. Carefully read the label. Disclaimers will give you a clue to where/when it doesn't work so well. I've seen it used on foundation timbers, but there was good access to all the damage, and still good wood on the timber. Window casings and the adjacent wall structures have many separate pieces. Moisture can wick and move along these joints and intersections causing damage hidden from view. The fungus follows the moisture path. Also, be certain it is fungal damage. It could be termites. The conditions that allow the rot also attract termites. Dry rot has a checkerboard appearance. Termites eat away the soft wood and leave "grooves" running with the grain. Rotted wood crumbles, termite damage will splinter. I suggest you look further before you try to cover the problem.
coutry - you gotta do some figurin - after you remove all the damaged areas, will there be enough left for structural integrity - if so, the plastic products will make it easy to restore cosmetic requirements and might also give you some strength for a while - but, they're no substitute for the work required for a permanent fix - guess i'm lazy by nature - hate, simply hate, to do the same task more than once and have found that doing it right the first time saves a lot of aggravation and even money in the long run
:waa: I know, I know. :waa: It's just that I have so much work to do here and it would be so much easier if at least one of the things I'm doing were - well, easy. :waa: I'm quickly finding out easy is too much to ask. :waa:
If you do a repair instead of a out and out replacement, make sure you use a product that is EPOXY based not Polyester based. Polysester ( stuff like bondo) will do little to nothing to put strength back and will actually cause further problems by holding moisture in which is the cause of wood rot to begin with. Dry rot is a misnomer. Rot in wood is caused by a fungus which needs wood satruated at abaout 20% moisture content in order to thrive. When people see the end result of the rot fungi at work, the remaining crumbly wood has quite often had the opportunity to dry out- thus the misconception that it is " dryrot" Epoxy will work- but in order to prevent further rot, you Must stop the wood from getting soaked . In order to get a hold on wood, wood rot needs -- 1. food ( the cellulose in the wood), 2.temperatures above about 45 degrees, 3.oxygen, AND 4.wood with a moisture content of about 20% Of couse different species of lumber have variable levels of durability ( ie rot resistance)
My mom used some of this type stuff on the sills at our house in washington and it is still going strong nine years latter.
Well. I think it's actually mold. Between running outside to finish painting my ex-really-ugly-shed being transformed into a combination compost-building/planting-shed attached to soon-to-be-raised-beds-with-grape-trellis AND repotting plants AND planting seeds AND whatnot ... I scoured every picture I could on the internet. It's not dry rot. I'm positive it's mold. I don't think I have termites but i was planning on spraying for termites anyway here in about a month, so ... in case there are also termites, I was planning to take care of that anyway. This is why I'm not a contractor. *bluch* I already knew I was going to have to replace some walling and insulation because I likely have mold back there (thanks to roof leaks which are now fixed because ... I have an attractive new tin roof!). So ... it's mold and not dry rot.
Paint the mold with KILZ. Well actually Follow the instuctions on the KILZ can. Make sure you work in a well ventilated space unless you are looking for a good buzz to go with all the hard work. Kirk
Just surfin the web when I ran into this. I am a boater and boats like to live in the water and water and wood, in the right combination, results in rot. I have read in a number of boat related posts that there is something in the chemical makeup of automotive anti freeze (like you put in the cars radiator) that will kill fungus. On poster claimed that he even used an eyedropper to put anti freeze on his toe nails to kill that nasty ailment - took about six months. I'm trying it on a counter top (rotting plywood covered by formica). It is too early to predict the results. I injected it with a large hypodermic needle. Suggest that you do further research before trying this. Looked interesting to me.
