Repairing wood rot on a window

4 years ago

Hello. I discovered some wood rot in a sliding window. I'm getting the house ready to sell. Normally, I would hire a carpenter to cut out the rotted area and replace it. However, it could take six months for a local carpenter to get to the job. So I would like to repair the damage with epoxy, if possible. Have any of you ever done this? My concerns are these:

* The sliding base is tiered, as you can see from the photo. I'm wondering if I could put folded-over packing tape (with no sticky sides) under the window so it would be flexible enough to allow me to create a create a tiered, rather than flat, window base that would still slide.

* Will epoxy stick to itself so that I can apply it in layers if necessary?

* Do you have any tips for doing this properly? I've watched videos, but they deal with flat, rather that tiered, surfaces.

* Am I completely insane for even attempting this?

I would appreciate your input.

Featured Answer

PRO

Ripped Jeans Construction

4 years ago

If you're fairly handy with a putty knife, you can get it close; then when it's hardened, use sandpaper on a block of wood to shape/blend in. The WoodEpox has the consistency of a lightweight modeling clay - I would expect filling a temporary mold won't give you the best results.

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Comments (7)

PRO
Ripped Jeans Construction
4 years ago
You can use an epoxy wood repair product - get your hands on Abatron's products, if you can. The WoodEpox is sandable, so you don't have to be absolutely perfect with your profile when you fill. It can be layered.

As far as tape to create your profile, it's certainly not ideal. Is it not possible to remove the window?
Deb
4 years ago
Thanks, Ripped. I have Albatron consolidant and wood epox on the way from Amazon. The window can be removed, but I don't know how to make a pattern for the window's profile.
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Deb C
Original Author
4 years ago
Thanks for your encouragement, Ripped! I popped the window out of the frame and went to work. I used the far end of the frame to create a pattern, which I cut from a plastic putty knife. Diluted the WoodEpox with a teaspoon or so of Liquid Wood solution to make it less thick, then went to work with my putty knife. Cured the patch overnight by putting the frame next to a space heater. Sanding was really easy--I was able to 120-grit sandpaper. Popped the window back into the frame to make sure it would slide back and forth. The results are less than perfect, but pretty decent. Tomorrow night, it's supposed to get down to 26 degrees, so I don't have time to refine my work, cure it and paint it in the next 24 hours or so. So I'm painting it and leaving it as it is for now. If I get ambitious in the spring and still own the house, I might go back and tweak my work.

I don't know if I would have tried all this without your support. Thanks again!
PRO
toddinmn
4 years ago
Perhaps a little insane, I woould kust replace it. I think it would be easier to cut back the sash to where it is solid and use that as your template to make a replacement piece out of wood and epoxy the voids .
Deb
4 years ago
That might be easy for a carpenter, but it's above my pay grade.
PRO
Ripped Jeans Construction
4 years ago
@Deb C Alright well done! I'm glad the Woodepox worked for you. It's come in really handy for a number of difficult repair situations for me.