My exterior wooden windows clearly have some rot - spongy around the stone sills. The paint is also cracking and flaking.
I know rot is a mould which spreads through the wood but what I don't know is if protecting the wood will prevent further deterioration. If I repaint the wood to prevent more dampness getting in will it prevent further decay, or do I actually need to kill the fungus first? I get the impression rot spores are basically everywhere so I don't understand if I need to remove the rot, or just make conditions unsustainable for it to spread?
Basically: I potentially have a carpenter lined up to fix/replace the frames but he's semi-retired so the timeframe is vague and there are quite a few windows to repair. I'm wondering if getting a painter to clean up lose paint and repaint is throwing money away, or will keep things in check so the carpenter can work his way round them.
I know rot is a mould which spreads through the wood but what I don't know is if protecting the wood will prevent further deterioration. If I repaint the wood to prevent more dampness getting in will it prevent further decay, or do I actually need to kill the fungus first? I get the impression rot spores are basically everywhere so I don't understand if I need to remove the rot, or just make conditions unsustainable for it to spread?
Basically: I potentially have a carpenter lined up to fix/replace the frames but he's semi-retired so the timeframe is vague and there are quite a few windows to repair. I'm wondering if getting a painter to clean up lose paint and repaint is throwing money away, or will keep things in check so the carpenter can work his way round them.