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I need to repair damage to the wooden window sills on my stone house. I have read articles on using epoxy wood fillers (expensive), but have also read an article on using automotive fiberglass body repair material to do this job. I would clean out the damaged area and paint the repair quickly (yes I should have done this on the original wood). Will this repair procedure hold up to differences in shrinkage rates between the wood and fiberglass over time without breaking down?
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Carl - Welcome to Breaktime. For a time-tested material this is the stuff to use. Yes, epoxy materials are expensive, but usually less costly than replacement. Many have regretted cheaping out by using the kinds of products that you mention only to have them lose bond to the wood in adverse conditions.
If you use the above material here's a good trick - it doesn't stick to plexiglass. If you cut a piece of plex the shape of the sill, then fill with the material and press the plex in place over the patch (assuming most of the width of the sill is damaged) you can leave it there for 24 hours until cure has progressed and then 'pop' off the plex - leaving a very smooth surface to prime and paint.
Jeff Clarke
*I have used epoxy products from The Rot Doctor http://www.rotdoctor.com/house/Hmain.html which are probably similar to the products given in the link by Jeff. The idea is to remove as much rotted wood as is feasible and then inject a really low viscosity epoxy solution into the remaining wood to consolidate with the remaining wood fibers and build strength. A thicker epoxy formulation is then spread over the area to build up the surface. I then used the body putty to smooth out the surface for sanding down. I hadn't though of Jeff's idea which would have saved me a lot of work as I was not able to get a very smooth surface on the epoxy using a putty knife. Someone posted some additional links of suppliers for the epoxy products in an earlier discussion and I think one of them had posted prices that were somewhat cheaper than the posted prices at Rot Doctor. You may want to do a search of the Breaktime archives. Even if you buy the epoxy products elsewhere, you may want to read the Rot Doctor information pages for their ideas on dealing with this type of repair.
*I use Bondo brand filler for wood. It works and cures just like automotive Bondo, but is made specifically for wood. Waterproof, bug proof, and hard as a rock when cured. It can be sanded, drilled, and holds screws and nails well too. It is a lot cheaper than epoxy type fillers, although it is very close in make up of an epoxy filler.Just a little more info for the pot...James DuHamel
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I need to repair damage to the wooden window sills on my stone house. I have read articles on using epoxy wood fillers (expensive), but have also read an article on using automotive fiberglass body repair material to do this job. I would clean out the damaged area and paint the repair quickly (yes I should have done this on the original wood). Will this repair procedure hold up to differences in shrinkage rates between the wood and fiberglass over time without breaking down?