# Forum Home Renovation Cladding  Replacing a weatherboard, or part of?

## renov8or

Hi  
I have never had anything to do with weatherboards before. Zilch! 
I have a board which has some rot in it. Of course it is one story up and I'll have to borrow a tall ladder! It is on a closed in section of a rear stair landing so I suspect it only butts up to the wall of the house as an afterthought - the wall end is hidden behind a vertical support so I cant see it. The outer end has a corner trim covering the ends of the boards which I think night be fibro??? There is plenty of fibro elsewhere around the house. This extension would have been done prior to mid 80's. 
Help! 
Issues: Removing the corner cover trim without damaging it as it will be nailed from 2 sides.Do I replace the full board which will avoid a join with potential for water to get into it and I am back to square one, (just read the thread on butt or 45 joins)If I just replace the damaged section of the board I figure I am going to have to go through almost the same process anyway, and trying to cut a board in place and matching a perfect butt join to the new section would be frustrating.I guess I have to dislodge the board or two above it (hammer them outwards??) so new board can tuck up under. Nailing new board????  
The boards seem to vary a little in height and the one in question has a fancy round profile on the bottom edge - pretty sure it is the board and not smooth filler. It measures 132 mm including funny bottom edge. I guess these are planed to fit on the back side where they stack rather than overlap on front face? 
As you can see I have little idea how to do this  :Redface:  I think the job is going to be a PITA. 
Can someone give me a step by step guide and down to what nails to use and if I pre-drill the board and hardwood support frame. I guess I just get hardwood weatherboards? The one thing I know is to seal the timber end grain with oil based primer.  :Biggrin:  
In attached photos:
Rot pointed to from weather side of encloser.
Rot from standing on stair landing looking into corner

----------


## toooldforthis

to get the 'fibro' (ie probably asbestos) trim off, you can gently prise both sides to see if you can get the clout nail heads raised a bit then pull then out with either a hammer or pincers. Alternatively a sharp cold chisel to hit the head off the clouts. The trim can then be lifted off - to be disposed of.... 
that internal corner looks like a timber trim? prise it off. (bit odd that, normally that trim is put on then the boards abut it)
lever up the board above the rotten one - it is probably nailed thru the top/hidden part of the board you want to replace. remove the nails once the head is proud.
once that bad board is off you can assess any hidden damage that was not obvious and you have a good idea of the profile of the board you want to replace. one board from a demolition/salvage yard is probably the easiest path. 
actually, looking at the 2nd photo... are the boards overlapping each other? maybe each board is rebated to get the weatherproof overlap?

----------


## r3nov8or

How about - Cut out the rotten areas, apply wood hardener, bog, sand, paint. Done reasonably well, you'll be the only one who knows  :Smilie:  
Less impact to surrounding boards and trim, and will last a very long time too.

----------


## gpkennedy

This is not really a hard job, it depends on what tools you can get your hands on. The corner cover trim could be removed carefylly with a claw hammer and a chisel. Once removed check id there is any other damage to other boards, it is possible that this cover is not sealed at the top allowing moisture to enter: use a screwdriver and push it into the edges of the weather-boards. Identify the scope of the damage.
To remove a damaged board you need to loosen the board above. Work with a chisel and a claw hammer on one nail at a time and gently ease the board out and remove or cut the nails. I reciprocating saw comes in handy to cut the nails if they are difficult to remove.  Remove the damaged board/s . I would also paint all faces of the new board, including the back. Pre drill the new board before using gal nails to hammer it back on to the studs, one nail each stud.

----------


## justonething

Can you get replacement boards of the same dimension? If not you're forced to use the wood hardener trick, I'd use epoxy though.  Use reciprocating saw to cut nails rather than trying to pry out boards. Remove at least 300 beyond the rotted area. Use multi-tool to do vertical cut. Replalcement board cut at  a 25 deg bevel so the bottom end is relieved to help it fit tightly in.

----------


## renov8or

Thanks all, god I love this forum!  :Smilie:  
The timber trim on the inside corner is actually the frame that it is nailed to, about 65x65mm I'm guessing. 
Matching the board profile for a patch at a butt join might be hard, replacing full board easier even if not exactly the same. I would have to remove the board first or part of to have something to try and match, which is a bugger because once I start there is no backing down. (I could make a cardboard template of the front profile, drill a small hole through board to determine thickness and measure distance above and below on backside and distance below on front side to give me a reasonable idea of full profile.) As for overlapping, they do on the front which I assume is a stepped rebate to fit over the board below but have no idea if any tongue and groove also. 
If prising up the board above to access the rotten board, how would I renail/hammer back down the prised up board because its nail head would be hidden by the board above and so on up to the top of the wall  :Frown:  
It did occur to me afterwards that possibly patching the section by digging and cutting out the bad section, which may only be 6", then patching with a piece of board beveled on edges where necessary to poke into place might be a way to go, I could afford to frig around a bit to try and get a good butt join. If doing this what is the best way to seal/glue the join to prevent moisture getting in. 
Bogging, I had heard of timber hardener and then bogging as a way the British patch up their rotten window frames - ex girlfriend  :Smilie: . It would take a lot of bog and sculpturing, not difficult, but what is this wood hardener actually called (please don't tell me Wood Hardener), what brand, is it available at Bunnings etc? 
I don't have a reciprocating saw or multi tool (don't have much need other than the odd job like this) but the multi tool sounds like a good tool for this job to do dentistry on this board in finer detail - based on adds on TV I have seen. Of the various ones sold, including in Woollies, what is the recommended one to go for. I hope this does not send this thread off on another tangent - which is highly possible  :Rolleyes:

----------


## justonething

No card board cut out necessary get one of these https://www.masters.com.au/product/9...less-steel-pin, together with a caliper or ruler to measure the thickness at the bottom edge. 
No builder's bog either. try out the epoxy Product Information Pages and http://www.boatcraftnsw.com.au/wotrot/index.html

----------


## gpkennedy

Earls 1L Wood Hardener I/N 1585291 | Bunnings Warehouse

----------


## r3nov8or

> Earls 1L Wood Hardener I/N 1585291 | Bunnings Warehouse

   No need to dig out the rot! Makes filling far simpler, and less product required.

----------


## justonething

> No need to dig out the rot! Makes filling far simpler, and less product required.

  http://www.renovateforum.com/f216/li...38/#post969586

----------


## renov8or

Hmmm.  :Smilie:  The wood hardener or Wot Rot is looking good. Not the way I would normally do a repair as it is bodging it up, but prepared to give it a go. A more expensive alternative but less potential friggin around removing board and trying to find a replacement with a similar profile.  
I would still have to remove some of the surface rot and paint to allow it to penetrate into the rest of the rot, and the board being vertical rather sitting flat on a bench limits how much epoxy I can get to penetrate into it as I can't shore up the edges and flood like was done with the RANSA door in the example. It will soak into the rot until solid timber is found but if dabbing with a paint brush there is bound to be a limit of how far it will soak up and sideways into the rot. I will have a hole through the board after I remove some of the rot as the acrylic paint skin is holding it together at the moment - front and back. In some ways I hate this new generation external paint which is like a membrane - protects, but if moisture finds its way into the timber it can't get out and causes rot as in this situation. The house is 40 yo, previously painted in oil paints and no rot when sanded back to bare timber and painted with acrylic paint in 2008. It only took 3-4 years for this rot to then appear.  :Mad:  The photos are 3 yo. 
As the Earls Wood Hardener is water based I assume it is not an epoxy. Difference in end result? The Earls being water based might soak up and sideways into the weatherboard easier than a slightly thicker epoxy which is more suited for soaking downwards where gravity is its friend rather than wicking upwards??  
 I also have to replace some rotting decking boards and there is a little rot in the top of the outer joists exposed to most of the weather so I think one of these products would be ideal. I assume this would then make painting with oil based primer to seal the wood from further rot redundant before filling with a little bog.

----------


## joynz

With wood harder, you can also drill holes in the wood and syringe the hardner in (I got a syringe from the chemist for this) to stop the harder running down the vertical face of the board.

----------


## justonething

No reason why you can't inject wotrot with a syringe either. Before using either, you should get your hair dryer out to dry out as much of the water as you can from the rot. Rot usually starts when water is trapped. The description here should give you something to go on. Once cured epoxy is completely waterproof. 
Before starting, are you sure those are the only areas that have rotted. I'd get a screwdriver and poke on all the boards at their ends to test them. If the rots are on a lot of areas. Replacement might be your better option.

----------


## renov8or

I've just done a google search on repairing rot and come across many youtubes and forum posts. Some people rave about Earls (most), a few were not happy with result - but that may have been a situation where the rot was too extensive and vulnerable to more moisture. It seems Earls is like a tweaked PVA with something to make it flow/penetrate better, no fungiside. I also came across many posts where tradesmen use PVA glue/Bondcrete diluted 3:1 to penetrate and seal before bogging up, or just to seal timber such as where there has been a little rot starting. This may be a way to seal some of my verandah joists where there is a little rot on the top surface as gravity will help it penetrate, and into old nail holes. This would seem to be even better than oil based primer for protection, and to seal end grain on timber as well. 
I noticed some of the US videos use wood hardener which is a 2 part mix, so probably an epoxy like Wot Rot.  
Some people brush the products on after removing most of the soft rot, others drill 3mm holes and squirt/trickle it in with a squeeze bottle (or syringe) - depends on access to the rot. I realised even on a vertical surface a hole can be drilled on a downwards angle to get the hardener to soak in.

----------


## OBBob

> I noticed some of the US videos use wood hardener which is a 2 part mix, so probably an epoxy like Wot Rot.

  I have used and still have tins of a two part epoxy wood hardener stuff that I believe is meant for timber boat repairs. It works the same sort of way as what you are discussing above but is probably even harder / durable. It was expensive (didn't know about Earls at that stage) and get's very messy and sticky when it starts to go off. It's also not very friendly to some plastics, brushes, etc.  
In short ... I wouldn't go there unless you have to.  :Smilie:

----------


## jimo1965

I would remove the outer corner trim first, which will allow you to assess the ends of all the boards and see the extent of the problem. It is possibly asbestos but I think more likely a 50 x 50 x 6 mm PVC corner. Your inside corner photo seems to show access to the back side of the board, which means hammering and prying from that side to remove it,also pry from the now exposed outside end. The top of the board goes in a rebate at the bottom of the board above which is easily broken, so you need to ease it out at the bottom and slide it downwards. You don't show the other end of the board but just use same principle of getting it out at the bottom then cutting or pulling the nail and sliding the board downwards. You can split the end of the old board to get it off the nails if necessary just try not to split the bottom off the board above. When you have it out, take it with you to the demolition yard to find a matching replacement piece. I call this type of board "Chamfer board" as it is a precisely machined "dressed" board, unlike the old school rough sawn  triangular profile board which is traditional weather board.It is likely soft wood as hardwood doesn't usually rot out on its own like that.Trying to treat it and fill it will be expensive and tedious and not really successful as it's rotted all the way through, leaving nothing for a nail to hold in. As someone else said, you need some kind of flashing or end cap on the top of the corner to stop the water getting in so much. And apply lots of paint, preferably oil based primer to the new board before you nail it on. Good luck!

----------


## renov8or

Thanks for that Jimo. I was actually in your neck of the woods today!

----------


## baileyboy

Hi, 
Throwing a spanner in the works. Would you recommend using pine to repair a hardwood job? I'm doing an extension and just need to cover a 5 x 1.8 wall. Just considering using pine as it is much cheaper. But worried about mixing pine look vs hardwood look. Rest of the house is hardwood...

----------

