How to Repair Rotten Wood Without Removal

You don't always have to tear out rotten wood. Sometimes you just have to deal with it. Especially if it's part of an antique, or there's only minimal damage on an area that would be impossible to remove. Rot occurs when wood begins to deteriorate at a cellular level. This results in hollow pockets in the wood that cause the wood to flake, or break off, resulting in a honey-comb appearance. You can fill those pockets with color-matched resin glue. This type of glue penetrates into the wood and hardens like glass to provide protection from the inside out.


Clean the rotten area thoroughly with a stiff wire brush. Brush off all loose fibers, debris or chips. Use an air nozzle hooked up to an air compressor to finish blowing the debris and dust off the rotten wood.


Mix the powdered resin glue with water according to manufacturer's directions. Dip a putty knife into the wet glue. Using the putty knife like a trowel, smear the wet glue onto the rotten area.


Force the syrupy glue deep into the pockets, seams, cracks and splits of the rotten wood with the putty knife until it's completely saturated. The glue will begin to thicken after a few minutes. Its OK if the glue is actually built up on the rotten wood. Wait 24 hours for the glue to dry.


Sand the dried glue off using a hand block with 100-grit sandpaper. Use short strokes parallel to the grain to scrub and sand the surface of glue flush with the wood. Sand the wood until it's smooth and the glue has taken on the shape and contour of the wood.


Place 180-grit sandpaper on the hand block and sand the wood again until smooth.