How To Repair Rotted Wood Siding

Dig out any rotten wood.

How to repair rotted wood siding. Use a ruler and insert it in the rotted wood. To learn how to repair wood siding remove rotted boards with a flat pry bar. Place the new wood piece under the lower edge of the blank in the upper plank. When you come across rotted wood in your old house projects instead of replacing the damaged wood you also can repair it with specialty epoxy penetrants also called consolidants and fillers to make repairs.

The nails should be placed into each of the individual wall studs. After you remove the rotted courses use a small hacksaw to cut any protruding nail shanks or if you have a very strong grip use a good pair of wire cutters. Using 2 inch siding nails attach the new wood piece. On the exposed wood photo by brian wilder a two part epoxy primer brushed on the exposed wood ensures that the final repair will bond to the surface.

It is a good idea to fill areas of rotted wood when pieces of the original wood remain for the filler to adhere to. Protect sound siding with a scrap piece of 1 4 in. If it goes in further than an inch or penetrates the other side then you may be better off replacing the wood. Then pull it off after the filler hardens.

Mix up two part automotive filler. Pry off the rotted boards. However by waiting to replace the one or two rotten boards this problem can lead to more significant damage in time. Many people delay getting new wood siding when one or two boards are rotted out because it can be hard to match new materials to the wood species and the same look of the existing siding.

Press the form against the filler and attach it with screws. As the filler starts to cure shape it to conform to the molding. Not only is this faster but the fixed wood is stronger than the original. After waiting about 15 minutes for the thin liquid to penetrate stahl wipes off the excess with a paper towel.

If your home has wood siding examine the siding around and beneath the windows for signs of swelling or discoloration. Position the groove along the bottom part of the new wood piece onto the upper edge of the wood piece. One trick is to build a form and line it with plastic sheeting.