Re-habbing old, turned porch posts ??

[Kathie in Thorp]

We've got old, turned posts holding up our front porch roof. This is the 3rd porch they have served -- originally, they were installed on my husband's grandparents' Missouri home well over 100 years ago. When that house was torn down, hubby brought the porch posts to his first home in WA. When that place sold, he replaced the old posts with new ones, and brought the old ones here. They sit on concrete bases with a layer of black roofing material between the post bottoms and the concrete. The bottom 8" or so of each post are weathered/cracking. They need some help! I thought I read somewhere that if you wrapped those base areas with fiberglass, that would strengthen them -- and of course, a good stripping/sealing/re-painting. But someone told me the fiberglass was a terrible idea. Any ideas for me?

 

[wbvs58]

I wouldn't wrap them in fibreglass especially polyester resin, it won't stick and will look horrible. We have a product here in marine chandlers called "Everdure", basically it is epoxy resin that has been thinned right down and the first coat or two you thin it down even further so it soaks into the timber. It is made to treat dry rot in timber boats and will virtually turn soft soggy timber into hard sound material to fill and fair. A good filler can be made with the resin by mixing with microballons, aerosol and even talc to fill cracks etc.
Go to a Ships Chandler and I am sure they will have some epoxy resin products that will suit.
Ken

 

[Philip-TX]

I was talking to a painter last week, actually a couple of 'em, that said they use Bondo for patching wood. Like at the bottom of the 2x8s, at the side of a garage door, that gets wood rot. (In cases where the board doesn't need total replacement)

I'd make sure it is well dried out.........

 

[M.Magis]

I think perhaps they suggested coating in fiberglass resin? When mixed it’s similar to epoxy. Wrapped in fiberglass would just hold in moisture, but sealing wood with fiberglass resin is very common in the marine industry. You can buy fiberglass resin and the hardener at any hardware store, or even Walmart.

 

[M-5]

yep bondo works really well for fixing cracks. an old trick I was shown years ago was to treat the wood with borax let dry and then fill with bondo

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

Thanks for the tips, everyone! Will run this by the handy son. Need to patch them and then seal them really good. I've used the marine epoxy paint before in an aquarium application, and that's pretty good stuff -- might be good primer. ??