The single most damaging thing to any wooden deck is wood rot and the longer it is allowed to spread the more damage it will cause. If you are not careful you could end up having to replace large sections of the decking material if you are not careful. If you are able to catch the rot in time before it spreads too far, you can save yourself some money.

By following the five simple steps below you can avoid the high cost of replacing your deck by simply repairing the patches of wood rot that you come across as you are inspecting all of the exterior parts of your deck. If you do come across some areas of wood rot you should follow the five simple steps below to repair them quickly.

Five Simple Steps to Repair Wood Rot in Your Home

Determine the depth of the rot

When it comes to inspecting your deck for damage you want to be sure that you identify all areas of possible damage, do not leave any stone unturned so to speak. After finding all of the bad spots you will want to determine the depth of the rot. A good rule of thumb is if the rot is deeper than one-inch deep you should strongly consider replacing the section of wood. The reason for this is that you will compromise the sturdiness of the wood if you go deeper than one-inch with filler.

Clear out all of the rotted material

It is extremely imperative that you remove all of the rotted wood fibers out of the holes that you discover in your wooden deck. In order to be sure that you are able to restore the sturdiness of the wood so that your deck is able to hold up with all of your guests. Use whatever tools that you need in order to dig out all of the damaged fibers, this includes using a screwdriver, hammer or even your fingers.

Filler material

When it comes to repairing wood rot it is really important that you replace the wood fibers that were lost due to the rot. This will help to restore that strength and stability of the wood planks in your deck. There are two basic types of filler material that you can use to fill in the holes where you removed the rot; liquid epoxy or wood putty. Each one has advantages and disadvantages and you can figure out which will work best for you. Just simply read and follow all of the instructions on the packaging.

Prepare for finishing

Now that the filler material you chose to fill in all of the areas where the wood rot used to be and it is fully cured and dried thoroughly it is time sand it. It is very important that the surface of the filler is flat and free of swirl marks. You want to be sure that you have surfaced to apply the stain or sealer that enhances the original grain of the wood. This means you should always sand with the grain with long strokes.

Apply sealer or stain

One common reason why wood rots are because the stain or sealer is either of inferior quality that cannot keep the moisture out or it was not applied correctly. To ensure that you do not end up with a poor quality sealer or stain you should consult an expert to be sure that you are usually only the best. Once you select the stain or sealer that will do the job it is important that you follow all of the directions on the packaging. Be sure that you completely coat all external surfaces of the wood so that there is no chance of moisture penetrating the wood.