Repairing Exterior Woodwork

[cowfoot]

I've set myself the task of renovating all the doors and windows in my new house.
This will involve cutting out some areas of rotten wood, replacing and filling with Dry Flex.
I'll then be fitting draught excluders.

A few questions -

Is it worth investing in a Dremel type tool?
Should I try and replace the wood with a similar type?
What's the best method/brand/type of draught exclusion?

 

[Doug71]

For cutting rotten timber sections out of window frames etc the best type of tool is a fein multi master or equivalent, every tool manufacturer makes their own version these days but the fein version is good.

I would replace the rotten parts with Accoya or a hardwood as these will be the places that will be prone to going rotten again in the future.

There are lots of different draught strips out there so it is hard to recommend one without knowing exactly what you are using it for. The problem is a lot of them are designed to fit in a groove in the frame so are hard to retro fit. Have a look at http://www.reddiseals.com they do a good range.

Make sure you get rid of ALL the rot or you will be doing it again in a couple of years.

If you do have to leave any soft bits of wood in Ronseal brush on wood hardener is good stuff.

Doug

 

[Dan j]

A multi cutter will definitely be the most useful tool on a job like this.

Glazing beads and sills are often the first thing to go so its often worth using a durable wood for these even if the window frame is something less durable.

If you can, get the timber in the windows/ doors dry before splicing new wood in. Sealing moisture inside will speed up the rot more than just leaving them.

Accoya is good for these kind of repairs as it is less prone to swelling, and if you're just using small quantities wont be too pricey.

Dan