Barn Restoration wood rot repair

[BILL CLAYLAND]

We have an old Bank Barn built over 100 years ago its all post and beam.
It has an overlap siding, the frame is strong and it does need some louvered window repairs and replacement. lots of siding missing or has fell off.

It has huge beams maybe 12 inch round logs hand trimmed flat top and bottom, they are generally in great shape. I pulled the 1st three rows of siding away because it was loose on the corner and the end beam has some rot in the middle about 3-4 inches deep. Anybody got a good homebrew for exterior wood filler or other suggestions?

I will be repairing and and painting this to keep it from deteriorating any further so if you have any experience doing this I'm all ears!!

Thanks, Bill

 

[backhoeboogie]

50% bleach / 50% water is great for old wood. Spray it and let it soak in and dry. Then put in the filler if you must

 

[Anonymous]

Don't let the bleach sit on the wood without rinsing it. A better mix is more like 25% because bleach will eat up the softwood sections in between the harder grain. I use a pressure washer with the soap tip to spray the bleach. Soak it from the bottom up and do it evenly. Do one whole side. Then go back and rinse. It's not about the pressure it's the amount of flow. In fact, I would just stand back and let the water blow on it from top to bottom. That way you don't fray or streak the wood with the pressure tip.

 

[LazyARanch]

VERY neat old barn Bill....

 

[CottageFarm]

very cool barn!!

Depending on how big the hole is, we usually do one of two things to repair wood that can't be replaced.

If it's small and just needs fill for paint/stain we use the plastic wood filler from Dap. Home centers have it in the paint department.

If it's a large hole, we use epoxy tile grout. I like the laticrete product because the sanded grout gives you more body & strength. If gravity is working against you, we tack a piece of plywood lined with culinary parchment paper (for release agent), over the hole in the timber. Drill a 5/8 hole in the plywood and use a grout bag to pipe the epoxy into the hole in the wood, then plug the drill hole with another wad of parchment paper. It takes several days to cure. If the hole is very large we'll do it in layers.

 

[BILL CLAYLAND]

Cottage too funny I own a tile shop.

I think i can get by with a quart of epoxy wood filler though, I need to be able to attach some siding boards thru the filler with nails, I was thinking about taking a little chunk of wood and epoxying it in.

 

[CottageFarm]

I thought I remembered reading about your tile co. at some point.
We were tile contractors in another life. Carpentry is a bit easier on the body now!
If you have a decent surface to bond to, a dutchman (pc of wood) filler is a good option. Chisel away as must of the rotted wood as possible so you can get maximum wood/wood contact. I would use wood glue for that application rather than the epoxy however. Titebond 2 & 3 will bond wood better than epoxy or urethane glues, even on end grain.

Good luck!

 

[novatech]

I have soaked rotten wood with epoxy then filled with Bondo auto body filler (any other exterior filler would work). The epoxy will soak into the wood. It must be kept painted as UV rays will break it down. I once restored an old lightning sailboat with nothing but epoxy injection. After a few races I was totally convinced as to how good it is. We now use it for restoration of old historic buildings, especially where structural beam have rotted or been termite eaten.

 

[12251HD]

My full use 115 year old bank barn is slowly coming back in shape. A few years ago, I had a local Amish sawmill cut me a 12 foot oak beam to replace a badly deteriorated one. I have since acquired some beams, if I need them, from a nearby bank barn that was torn down. I have found my first lesson in engineering--get the drainage right--is the key to preserving bank barns.