Wood Rot Repair and Replacement
Rotted wood, or dry rot, is a common occurrence on Northern Virginia homes. It is often inevitable on the exterior because of continued exposure to the elements, and it can potentially damage the structural integrity of your home.
At All American Painting Plus, we offer wood rot repair and rotted wood replacement, in addition to our painting services.
What Causes Dry Rot?
Dry rot is caused by a fungus. If certain spores on the exterior of your home come into contact with moisture, they can turn into a wood eating fungus. Signs of wood rot include white, grey, or mushroom-like growths, blistering or peeling paint, and/or dark spots on the exterior paint.
Wood rot is common on windowsills, door frames, decks, and wood siding, but it can also be found on the interior of homes as well, in places such as beams and joists in the attic. To test for dry, damaged wood, insert a screwdriver or putty knife into the suspect wood. If the screwdriver goes in easily or the wood feels spongy, you most likely have dry rot. The good news is that rot damage can be fixed!
Repair Versus Removal of Rotted Wood
Replacing wood involves removing the rotted wood and replacing it with a new piece of wood or other material (such as PVC). Repairing rotted wood requires filling the affected area and then smoothing, sanding, and painting over it.
If wood rot is on or near any structural elements, the wood needs to be replaced, not repaired. Removing what you can see does not ensure you have cut it all out. That means you have to remove “good wood” in the surrounding area to be sure you have solved the problem. It’s possible small areas of wood rot can be repaired, but removal of the wood area is a far more effective way to fix the problem.
Call a Professional for Your Rotted Wood Repair and Replacement
At All American Painting Plus, we have helped homeowners solve their dry rot problems all over Northern Virginia. On our free estimates, we do our best to identify all rotted wood that can be inspected and seen from the ground. We are usually able to catch 75%-80% of all rotted wood on our initial hour-long estimate appointments, and we itemize all the pieces that we find in a written estimate.
A complete inspection would take multiple hours and require getting up on ladders and roofs, and even then, additional wood rot may only be found after power washing occurs.
Therefore, once your home improvement project starts, you may be presented with a change order for approval if additional pieces of wood rot are found.
If you suspect your Northern Virginia home has rotted wood, call All American Painting Plus to help take care of it!
