Wood column, structural, supporting a small roof over an entry. There were obvious cracks in the paint where the staves were joined, and I thought it would be simple to sand off the paint, then prime and repaint.
I discovered that there are several punky places in the wood. It looks like there are two plugs, on opposite sides, where there was access to bolt the column in place, and that’s where most of the rot is. The base is slightly elevated and appears to be in good condition. My guess is that there is not a hole in the base to vent the bottom of the column.
Can I drill a hole at an angle, like toe nailing, through the column into and through the base, then fill the hole entrance, prime and paint? Will that do any good?
I’m sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
Replies
ACK!!! Flashbacks. I rebuilt two like that last yr. and have 2 more to do..soon.
I had to totally remove them and fab new bases as well as reglue ALL the staves. where the punky rot is, I cut it out and dutched in new wood, and hand carved the flutes..about 8-10" up about a 1/3 of the dia.
I suggest you remove the column and get it up where ya can work on it..you'll see what I mean if ya dont. Dollars to donuts, the base has some interior rot as well...I remade the bases outta chestnut for the ones I did.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Sell your cleverness, Purchase Bewilderment"...Rumi
Obviously that's not the answer I was looking for. Fortunately, these columns are smooth, no flutes.
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
Maybe it would be worth it to try to remove that base, the main column may be wicking from the porch surface, or the water is collecting around the collars and soaking in.
-zen
Right, that's why a high-quality caulk is needed where the column joins the base. Also, many wood columns use a fiberglass or composite plastic base. Many times the diameter of the hole in the center of the base is smaller than the diameter of the hole in the center of the column. If the top of the column is not flashed correctly then water runs down the inside of the column and puddles on the base right at the bottom of the column and it gets sucked up by the unsealed end grain. I always seal the end grain and I cut out the hole in the composite base so that it is larger than the column inside diameter. This means that any water that runs down the inside of the column will drain straight down instead of puddling on the top of the base inside the column.
Ideally the top of the base or molding on the outside of the column would have a slight taper for water drainage as well, but most do not.
Billy
Edited 3/28/2005 2:23 pm ET by Billy
Ed,
I've repaired these using epoxy, but maybe you have a big area to repair.
I use the epoxy system from Abatron http://www.abatron.com/ but others use West Systems or other epoxy systems (or Bondo).
Make sure you:
- use flashing over the column cap
- have ventilation from the bottom to top of the column
- paint everything with a penetrating oil primer (such as Ben Moore) and cover with a high quality latex or oil topcoat (there is some debate about which is better)
- swab the inside of the porch column with Boracare -- use a 1x2 with a rag wired to the end as a long-handled swab. First clean the mildew inside the column with a swab soaked in Clorox.
- use a high quality flexible caulk such a polyurethane caulk where the base joins the column. Don't use acrylix-latex caulk.
You will need to fill and sand several times to get a smooth surface. The epoxy is easily shaped with a rasp or Sureform plane.
Or get them to buy fiberglass columns. It may be cheaper than paying for your labor, and they will last forever.
Billy
ed.. looks like a classic rotted trim due to wicking..
View Image
i dare say, when you open it up , the base will not be properly drained nor vented
water .. either thru condensation , or leaking..is getting into the colum and wicking up thru capillary action..
the venting must be continuous from base to top.. and the bottoms of the staves have to be sealed so they will not wick