How To Repair Damaged or Rotted Wood Without Replacing It

Abatron wood restoration example

Rotted or otherwise damaged wood in your home can be a real eyesore. Whether it’s furniture, flooring, outdoor columns, paneling, or window sashes, you want to get them fixed. If you’re looking for a more cost- and time-effective solution than completely replacing the damaged pieces, consider using a wood restoration product!

rotted wood to repairWhat products are out there?

When filling holes in wood, there are two basic types of commonly used products (although there are several different brands of each): wood filler-type products and wood restoration products or kits.

Wood Fillers

Wood fillers are products such as Bondo and Minwax that are designed to be all-purpose fillers for gaps, holes, and rotted wood. Their application is simple, they cure quickly, and they’re not supposed to shrink once dry. However, they will shrink slightly and sometimes begin to pull away from the edges of the wood, especially in exterior applications where they are exposed to the changing weather. These kind of products are common for a variety of uses, but may not always produce perfect or long-lasting results. They do have their place, though–they can be used for quick short-term fixes and are great for small tasks like filling nail holes and such.

bondo vs abatron vs minwax

Wood Restoration

The bigger the project or the more serious you are about getting a professional-looking finished product, the more likely it is that a wood restoration product or kit is the better option. One of the most well-known options (and the one that we here at CSHardware recommend) is Abatron’s wood restoration kit. These work for just about any project that requires filling in wood (although filling nail holes with the stuff would be overkill). You can use it on projects as small as filling in missing chunks of damaged floorboards, or as large as repairing rotted portions of wooden columns or logs! One of the most common applications of wood restoration products like these is repairing window sashes with severe rot damage.

Abatron wood restoration example
Abatron WoodEpox application

If you have any rotting or damaged wood that you need to repair, take a look at our selection of Abatron wood restoration products. To learn more their products and how to use them, visit Abatron’s YouTube channel as well.

Good luck on your restoration project!