Thursday, June 16, 2011

Wood Rot

ROT not associated with the Administration
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Went to do some painting and noticed a little damage.  Next thing I'd Sawzalled and chiseled 12' of moisture rotted door sill, down to white meat.  What I'd like to do is replace it with concrete.  My question is this, are there any new wood applications I can put on the wood so I can concrete over it?  I think I got all the rot, but was thinking of dousing it with wood petrifier first.  Suggestions welcome. $1200 so I can hire it out also welcome.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lots of good epoxies out there. I'd have to see more of the damage. But first, make the water go somewhere else. That door is pretty rough looking too.
Tim

Jess said...

They make a product that's designed to stop rot and treat the wood. I've seen it at Lowes, so you might look when you have a chance.

If you decide with a concrete product, go with a non-shrink structural grout. Mix it dry and trowel it in. Slope it so it drains. After it cures, caulk around the edges.

If you feel creative, you can use a piece of wood to imprint a pattern in the grout before it sets.

Grout - $10 to $35 at a contractors supply.

Caulk - $3 to $8 a tube.

Wood Treatment - (from memory) about $8 a pint.

Your time - Priceless.

Anonymous said...

I do windows for a living and have fixed many similar situations.
Don't concrete that. You will be asking for more trouble. You'll end up with studs and the wall below rotten. The sill of the window needs to be replaced. The problem is that it looks like the rest of the window is starting to rot also and may complicate that. For a temporary solution try to recreate the sill profile as much as possible out of wood. Cut the rest of the sill out that is under the side jambs and try to slide new sill in from the exterior making sure to get out onto the brick as far as the original sill. You may have to create the new sill out of a couple of 1 bys as getting the whole thing in at once is tuff. Some aluminum flashing cover the whole deal and to keep the water to the exterior would also help.

You really need to replace that whole window. If you got a price of $1200 for replacement windows that is way to high. $600-800 should be more than enough. I am a local and always willing to work let me know.

Anonymous said...

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Boaters use a product called git-rot. It's a liquid expoxy

1. Drill holes in the wood
2. Mix the Git-rot
3. Inject the git-rot into the holes
4. Let cure

It kind of 'expoxyizes' the wood.

bullseye

PS - if you are landlocked, you might need to order that online.

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Scott said...

Whoo boy! My heart goes out to you, sir. When the ex and I lived in MD we had a similar experience. Three story townhouse with the deck and two sets of french doors on the second story. Short version: the water damage under the door sill was so extensive that it caused an electrical fire in the breaker box on the first floor; just underneath one of the french doors. Ended up getting about $30,000 in damage covered by our homeowners policy. New doors, new j-box, and new hardwood throughout the first floor.

My suggestion would be to drop the dough on new doors. Hire a good contractor (I know, hard to do out there) to handle the work and make sure he's bonded and insured.

Anonymous said...

Shit Scott, I thought you were going to tell him how you started the fire.

Casca

hellferbreakfast said...

Try red Cedar or Cypress next time. Don't rot. Termites don't like it.

I-RIGHT-I said...

Mmmmmm....fire. Failing that get yourself one of our temporarily displaced Mexican craftsmen. Sixty feet of rot will be cured for....about $600.00 plus material. Just do it and take the money out of your “crappy gadgets I just had to have” budget.

Anonymous said...

Tim nailed it. West Marine Epoxy. Two coats, then whatever. It will out live you.-Anymouse

Rodger the Real King of France said...

Thanks all, been a big help.
I've already got the wood rot hardener and a garage full of lumber and tools. Gonna replace the 1x4 and thass it. By the time the sumbitch rots again I'll be planted. BTW, that's one panel of a three panel 12' atrium door, so you don't replace a panel, you replace the door. $$$$$.$$ No way.

Anonymous said...

Why is everyone overlooking the obvious?
Duct Tape

Angus
Barn Army Sous Chef

Anonymous said...

Like anon said, don't do concrete. Good chance that it will crack, and concrete passes water. The wood under it will rot again. For a new sill, red cedar and heart cypress are rot resistant, but a litle soft for a threshold IMHO. They will wear and dent. A piece of white oak is very wear and rot resistant, not as expensive as the other two, and will be even more water resistant if you seal the end grain with your epoxy, paint and caulk it well. Whatever wood you use, be sure to seal the end grain wherever you make a cut.
And look up. It's rain splatter bouncing off the deck or patio there that's rotting the wood. If you can scab on a little 'stub' shed roof over the door that sticks out from the wall above the door about 18", and go ~1 ft past both ends of the door, it will carry the rain spatter or roof drip line out from the sill. You can toe nail or screw 2x6 stub rafters to a ledger screwed to the wall above, sheath it with 1/2 ply, roof paper and shingle it, carry a piece of aluminum or copper flashing that matches other flashing on the house from the top of the shingles up under the first row of siding, or caulk it to the brick, whichever you have.

If you make an effort to s-curve or bevel cut the rafter tails as appropriate for your architecture, and use the best side of the ply face down, once painted the little shed roof can be very attractive. Moving the splatter out will make a huge difference in the longevity of your door, floor and framing.
Lt. Col. Gen. Tailgunner dick

hellferbreakfast said...

Dayum. I'm impressed by the 'Yankee Carpenter". I believe this ain't his first rodeo. w/ all due respect, Lt. Tailgunner. Dayum, the word defication gets harder & harder.

Timbeaux said...

You don't want to put cement directly onto wood, cement is too porous and you are asking for more rot since the wood will get wet every time it rains.

1. Cover wood with a moisture barrier (visqueen in a pinch)
2. Nail down some cement backer board (like for tile) to support the cement. If your really slick you will sink the nails through wet silicone.
3. Apply cement.
4. Paint cement to reduce porosity and water intrusion.

Done

hellferbreakfast said...

Duct tape, paint, & a "For Sale " sign. Dammit!!! the word verification!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Yeah, concrete sounds like a bad idea to me, too. It'll go south faster than you think, even if you do as Timbo says. Your Local Anonymous and the Lt. Col. Gen. give good advice. Also, you'd be wise to get a pro to at least look at it first. How about it Anonymous? Rodge will buy you a couple of beers to come have a look.

Besides, what makes you so sure this has nothing to do with this administration?
GrinfilledCelt

Louisiana Steve said...

For persistent applications such as this, I use composite plastic lumber such as that found in synthetic decking material. I found sizes and lengths that rival real lumber. It nails and cuts like real wood, but it does not rot.

Anonymous said...

Algae on the brick and mortar indicates poor drainage. Water is pooling or splashing in that area, making it permanently damp. This is the source of the rot. As part of the repair please consider altering the ground level, adding a drainage pipe, paving the area with a sloped surface, plantings, awnings, etc., etc. Observe the area closely when it rains, and take it from there.

If you can put an end to the pooling moisture there, a simple patching type of repair to the door frame will hold until the time your heirs have to deal with it further.

Rodger the Real King of France said...

Louisiana Steve, I'm really liking that

Anonymous said...

How 'bout spraying couple cans of DAP window & door foam sealant to fill up the air gaps?
oy vey ole'

Rodger the Real King of France said...

that too!

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