Historic HomeWorks Forum

TideWater · Joined: 03 Aug 2014 Posts: 46

I'm working on a rotten porch and have been following the advice in John's Wood-Epoxy Repairs report. I drilled holes in the rotten wood and filled them with Abatron Liquid Wood consolidant. Today I tried filling some of holes with WoodEpox. But I'm concerned that I'm not filling the holes completely -- probably just the top 1/4 inch at best. I've tried thinning the WoodEpox as much as I dared (to a mayonnaise consistency) but I'm still not confident that I'm filling the drill holes.

Does anyone have a technique for doing this better?

JLee · Joined: 06 Nov 2006 Posts: 79

I'd use a pencil or narrow wooden dowel to cram it in there.
If you give the epoxy a few minutes to firm up it should be easier to pack.
just do a layer at a time. make sure to over fill at the end.

JLee · Joined: 06 Nov 2006 Posts: 79

also a tooth pick, but if they are that small then just wood filler may be good enough

TideWater · Joined: 03 Aug 2014 Posts: 46

Sounds like a good idea. I'll try it. I'm also thinking of using a caulk gun. I've found empty, fillable caulk tubes online.

TideWater · Joined: 03 Aug 2014 Posts: 46

I tried the empty caulk tubes today and it worked fairly well in combination with the tip above. The keys are to thin the WoodEpox well enough and to be patient. I thinned it with LiquidWood until I could pour it into the caulk tube. Then I very slowly filled the holes. Air bubbles form pretty quickly because no air can escape from the bottom of the holes. So I used a very small hole in the spout of the caulk tube and let a thin bead of WoodEpox drizzle into each hole until it looked full. Then I'd move on to other work and come back in a few minutes to fill each hole further. If an air bubbled formed that was blocking the hole, I'd pop it with with a stick.

When it dries, I'll top the holes off with a thicker mix of epoxy.

One other tip - the caulk tubes are not reusable. It's just too hard to get the piston out when you're done. Maybe there's a way but I don't think it's worth the effort.

TideWater · Joined: 03 Aug 2014 Posts: 46

I thought I'd update this thread with some more recent experience: I've decided the easiest way to fill drill holes is by taking some WoodEpox (without any dilution) and rolling it into thin rods narrow enough to fit into the holes. Then you put a rod into the hole, pack it firmly with the head of a roofing nail, then add another rod and repeat until the hole is full.