I discovered a huge area of wood rot in the window sill of a house that I was rehabbing. Unfortunately, these window sills were made of 4" x 10" wood, cut with a slanting top.
Replacing the sill would have required that I remove two double-hung windows, the side frames, and the rotted 6 long piece of lumber. Then, Id have to cut a new piece to size and re-install everything.
That seemed like a LOT of work, just to take care of a six inch area where the caulking had failed and the water had been puddling up for the last few decades.
The first step was to assess the damage. Using a wood chisel, I cleaned out the rot back to good wood. I was left with a hole about 4" x 6", and all the way through to the brick below.
It was pretty clear that I wasnt going to be able to fill this up with a little bit of caulk. So I uttered those magic words, known to each and every true rehabber...
"Im off to Home Depot!"
I picked up some wood hardener, bondo patch, and a new tube of construction adhesive. Heres how I handled the patch.
First, using a power mitre saw, I trimmed up a wood plug that was about the same size and shape as the hole.
When inserted, it left about 1/4" to 1/2" around the edges of the plug, and the surface was about 1/2" lower than the top edge of the sill.
I glued that sucker into the hole with a big glob of construction adhesive.
The next step was to paint the wood in the hole VERY liberally with wood hardener. This is essentially a clear varnish-like liquid that hardens up any soft or rotten wood, forming a strong surface to which a patch or caulking will adhere.
The final step is to mix up the wood-filler. The type that I use bears the Minwax product brand label, but it is essentially the same Bondo that we used to use to fix the dents in cars.
You mix the bondo with a little bit of hardener, and then trowel it into the hole with a putty knife. I suggest you use the cheap plastic disposable ones, and just toss them when youre finished.
Dont put the filler on too thick. You want it to go on about 1/4" at a time. Make two or three passes if you have to.
Use a 1" putty knife to pack it into edges of the hole, and use a knife a bit wider than the hole on your last coat, in order to get a nice smooth finish.
When its dry (2-3 hours), sand and paint. You should end up with a patch that is permanent, waterproof, and very nearly invisible.
By the way, this is a good method of hiding old hinge mortises if you are changing out old screen doors, so long as you can paint the door frame with a solid color (not wood stain).
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