Epoxy for Rotten Wood
I came across this post at www.woodcentral.com in regards to repairing rotten wood. I have used lots of different epoxy products so that's nothing new but I found the fact that you can thin it to where it will wick into the rotten wood interesting and would save quite a bit of money. After treating you can then make your larger repairs with the Bondo-type epoxy. I also like the idea of adding sawdust to the regular strength epoxy to make a wood filler. By the way, woodCentral is a great website for woodworking information. See excerpt from their post below.
The product you're thinking of is called C.P.E.S. (Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer) and it's common in the boating industry. It's a thin, two-part epoxy that wicks itself into the compromised wood fibers before hardening. It's not the be-all to end-all, but it can buy time until permanent repairs are made.
If you can not find C.P.E.S. or if the price bothers you (and it probably will), you can achieve similar results by thinning a standard two-part epoxy. If you go this route, use acetone as the solvent (please wear gloves and make sure the area is ventilated) and don't dilute any more than 30%. This is a case where less is more and any further dilution will alter the product to the point where it may not pop (harden). Even at 30% it may be a problem (depending on the brand of epoxy you get) so be sure to experiment a bit first.
Epoxy can also be a bit picky on the temperature and humidity it likes. You want warm (70) and dry. If the humidity is too high the epoxy could blush as it cures. This blush is an opaque coating. If this occurs, wash it off with water and it should go away.
The advantage of rolling your own thinned epoxy is you'll have "regular" thickness epoxy left over. You can then mix it with sawdust to thicken it and use it to fill any voids etc. in the wall.
Lastly - minimize sanding (eliminate it if possible) and make sure you're work area is extremely well ventilated.
The product you're thinking of is called C.P.E.S. (Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer) and it's common in the boating industry. It's a thin, two-part epoxy that wicks itself into the compromised wood fibers before hardening. It's not the be-all to end-all, but it can buy time until permanent repairs are made.
If you can not find C.P.E.S. or if the price bothers you (and it probably will), you can achieve similar results by thinning a standard two-part epoxy. If you go this route, use acetone as the solvent (please wear gloves and make sure the area is ventilated) and don't dilute any more than 30%. This is a case where less is more and any further dilution will alter the product to the point where it may not pop (harden). Even at 30% it may be a problem (depending on the brand of epoxy you get) so be sure to experiment a bit first.
Epoxy can also be a bit picky on the temperature and humidity it likes. You want warm (70) and dry. If the humidity is too high the epoxy could blush as it cures. This blush is an opaque coating. If this occurs, wash it off with water and it should go away.
The advantage of rolling your own thinned epoxy is you'll have "regular" thickness epoxy left over. You can then mix it with sawdust to thicken it and use it to fill any voids etc. in the wall.
Lastly - minimize sanding (eliminate it if possible) and make sure you're work area is extremely well ventilated.
posted by Erie's Argonaut at 12/22/2006 03:30:00 PM
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