It’s just a fact: as homes mature, wood that has been exposed to the elements can start to show signs of deterioration and will need to be replaced. As a part of our full-service exterior painting, we are happy to provide wood replacement and repair for many of our customers. We want your home to be protected, look great, and stay in great condition for years to come!
We discovered wood rot on the fascia and gutter board in this area. Our carpenters replaced the wood before our painters came in to finish the painting.
What is Wood Rot and What Causes It?
Wood rot is just the natural process of wood decomposition. It’s caused by moisture and many different types of fungi that work together to cause the wood to decay. In nature, it’s an important process that returns the nutrients from the tree back to the soil. In your home, it’s not as welcome and can cause serious problems if left untreated.
Different types of fungi cause different reactions in the wood, and the way the wood rots can vary because of this. This means that wood rot doesn’t always look the same, and it’s important to have a professional check your home thoroughly for signs of damage.
We are looking for a few different signs of wood rot when we inspect your home, including:
- Swelling
- Discoloration
- Soft spots
- Mold
- Missing paint and raw wood
Wood rot is often hiding behind paint, so our team will be inspecting visually and by touch at key points around your home.
As you can see, the previous paint job covered most of this wood rot so that it wasn’t immediately visible. Upon closer inspection, there was considerable wood rot, and our carpenters replaced all of the rotten trim and siding with new wood.
As part of your free painting quote, our painting expert will survey your house to discover any wood that needs to be repaired before painting. In addition to showing you the wood rot at the time of the quote, we will make a detailed Wood Replacement sheet. This sheet shows the location of each board that needs to be replaced and pictures of those areas.
An example of a wood repair quote. We show where each board is that will be replaced so that everyone is on the same page. Our carpenters will further inspect the house, paying extra attention to anything we marked to survey.
How to Fix Wood Rot
Unfortunately, the only thing to do with rotting wood is to replace it. There’s no cure for the decomposition, and the potential for further damage increases the longer the rotting wood is left in place. The rot will start to spread to nearby wood, and can get into the house and start to affect structural components of the home.
We are often able to replace or repair many wood items on homes before we complete a painting project, including:
- Wood Siding – including lap siding, sheet siding, board and batten, shake, and more
- Wood Trim
- Wood Soffits
- Wood Fascias
- Wood Gutter Boards
- Wood Band Boards
- Wood Door Frames
- Wood Windows and Sashes
We discovered wood rot on the trim board above this window. The wood just appeared dirty, but upon closer inspection, there was wood rot and the board needed to be replaced by our carpenters.
We found wood rot on the vertical trim board behind the downspout. The wood appeared discolored and misshapen, and easily crumbled when touched.
Our carpenters came in and removed the rotten wood trim boards. We replaced the boards with the same material, pre-primed, and our painters are seen here finishing up the painting project.
The Process
We have incredible carpenters on our team! Before we start painting, one of our skilled carpenters will come to your home to complete the wood replacement and repair.
The wood we use on your home will be pre-primed, meaning that it’s ready to withstand weather conditions from the moment that it’s installed on your home. The material will match whatever material already exists on your home. Our goal is to make the wood repairs blend perfectly with your home.
Once our carpenters have finished the wood replacement, our professional painters take over. They will power wash any of the existing boards or siding that we will be painting, and then they start the prep work for painting. Our Quality Managers will monitor the progress and quality of your home from start to finish!
The wood replacement process.
The Finished Product
The best part of the process is the end: taking a step back and admiring your newly refreshed home! Whether the color stays the same or you make an update, we love to see the end result of our work.
Before and After wood replacement and painting in this Westfield home.
Every homeowner is given a Grade Card at the end of the job so that we can get honest feedback. For us, this is one of the most important parts of the process! We want to know how the experience was, and every member of our team reads every grade card. Our priority is customer satisfaction, and we work hard every day to earn your trust and business.
Another 5-star Guy Painting review!
If you’re thinking about your next painting project, give us a call! Let us help you create an incredible home that you’re sure to love.
