Using Wood Epoxy

Damaged wood windowsills, door jambs and moldings can all be repaired with wood epoxy. With the right tools and techniques you'll be able to achieve a long-lasting and good-looking patch.

You can't top wood epoxy for permanent repairs to rotted wood. You have to mix the two-part wood epoxy like cookie dough, mold it like modeling clay and then when the wood epoxy hardens you can carve and sand it just like wood. Keep in mind that wood epoxy sticks like crazy and it's formulated to flex and move with the wood, so epoxy wood won't crack and fall out like some other wood fillers. Wood epoxy shouldn't be used for boards or moldings because there are easily and cheaply replaced, wood epoxy is the perfect fix for windowsills and door jambs that are difficult to remove, and for moldings that would be expensive to duplicate.

Once you learn a few tricks for mixing and applying wood epoxy, you'll find that wood epoxy is as easy to use as PlayDoh. Most repairs will only take you a few hours, using tools you probably already own. You'll need a hammer, a chisel, a drill, and wood rasps and files, depending on your repair.

The two-part wood epoxy system actually consists of two types of epoxy, a syrupy liquid consolidant and a putty-like wood paste filler. The liquid consolidant is meant to soak into the wood fibers and hardens to form a solid base for the wood filler. As with any other epoxy, both the consolidant and wood filler consist of two parts, the resin and the hardener. Mixing the two parts according to the manufacturer's instructions starts a chemical reaction that causes the wood epoxy to harden. Keep in mind that if you're not careful, wood epoxy can make your problem worse.

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