Desparate for help on repair of rotted window stile and bottom rail

OddsBodkin said:

If the rot goes right through to the glass then it's probably best to leave it to a professional.
It might be expensive but since it's an original fixture to the house i'd say it's worth it.

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Good point - Id forgotten it was leaded.

Handling and managing a pane like that may not be a good idea if you dont know what youre doing...

Hmm worth thinking about OddsBodkin. Thanks. I'll be back.

Your best option is to remove the casement, temporary cover the opening with something suitable, and then work on the casement on a bench or suchlike where you can properly carry out the recommendations in this thread in a better environment.

Or even then send the casement to a joiners shop or other competent person for them to do the repair - and you might get more joy with prices and interest.

Yes, thanks Woody

It's a nice window, and paying to have it remade is the only practical option. Unfortunately unless you can find a friend to do it for you, it's going to cost. Tradespeople will always want minimum £200-£250 per day plus materials, plus perhaps VAT. I reckon if you've had a quote for £320 to remake it, I would take it - does that include painting?

And removing & reinstalling?

ohdearme said:

it is a landing window, (first floor)so I can't get to the other side and if I take it out, I will never get it back.

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This maybe a mad idea but keep a lookout for any of your neighbours having building work done, if they are replacing the windows then you could get a replacement free of charge.

Andy

Quite a good idea, really.

ohdearme - any idea how long youll be in this house?

I don't think so Mr Rusty. I'll be here a a while I think.

ohdearme said:

I'll be here a a while I think.

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The cost of the wood as a % of the whole thing will be quite small - consider having it done in hardwood. Youd still paint it to match, but the days of of it rotting away would be gone.

Thanks

Thanks everyone, I took the rotted stuff back much further than before and used the two part Ronseal wood filler, using home made, templates In "U" shape. I hope you know what I mean.
It's held, very well since August. Thanks to all of you. Merr Xmas.
Alan

OddsBodkin said:

Have you considered cutting out the affected wood and fitting a hardwood replacement?
It could be reconnected to the window using a dowel at each end with No Nails glue to help fix it firmly in place.

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Firstly the casement is softwood, so a hardwood repair is going to expand and contract at a different rate meaning that the repair will pull itself apart in a few years - if using hardwood thge only viable approach would be to remake the casement completely in hardwood. Secondly a couple of dowels and GripFill? Wrong adhesive - it needs to be an exterior wood adhesive NOT GripFill. Utter bodge to use a construction for woodworking and will not give a durable joint!

To be honest that casement is so thin and the damage so extensive (it's been that way for a very long time, I'd say, due to neglected exterior decorating over decades) that dismantling it and replacing one stile and the bottom rail is the only way to guarantee a long-lasting fix. Unfortunately whilst the labour isn't too great, the risk of damaging the glass is very high, hence the estimated cost of a proper repair job

To deal with this sort of issue properly the rot must be got rid of and the timber stabilised. What you'd normally do is to take the casement out and be put it on a stable working surface which has been protected by a sheet of polythene and newspapers (this gets messy). The paintwork closest to the rotted section is to be scraped back 20mm or so from the ragged edge (with something like a Linbide scraper). All the 'punky' timber in that corner then gets stripped out with a steel brush. The corner area can then treated with a wood hardener (e.g Bonda Wood Hardener) which soaks into the timber and in effect turns the wood into a wood/plastic composite by absorbing any water. Note that in winter this process and any subsequent glue-up require the woodwork to be thoroughly warmed through to about 8 to 10 degrees C because below 10 degrees the setting of glue, etc slows down drastically and below 5 degrees C glues and PU (polyurethane) compounds stop setting properly. The bottom corner of the casement is severely weakened and it might have been a good idea to strap or angle plate the corner until a proper repair could be effected. At this point the timber is been stabilised and can at least be primed and painted and the casement put back in place until the good weather when full repair can be done. It ain't pretty - but it is effective

Because of the nature of this repair the job is beyond slapping a "bit of filler" in there as someone suggested (especially Pollyfilla - that is designed for plaster walls) as it will just fall out as a result of wood movement. Similarly wood filler will eventually fail due to movement of the timber. I'm afraid that the only durable repairs involve planing back and splicing-in or replacing damaged timber elements

Compared to my first attempt, I simply did a better job at the end. I should have known.

I had a lot of these in my previous house. I found the best thing was to remove them and fill the opening with a plywood blank, giving me time (days) to work on the windows indoors. I soon found that I needed to - very carefully - remove the glazed part, knock the frame apart and rebuild as necessary. Two-part filler after wood hardener is all very well to begin with but doesn't last if used to fill large voids. So, after cutting out all rotten wood, I rebuilt with new wooden inserts where necessary, glued the frame back together, planed or sanded where needed, small remaining gaps filled with two-part filler, sanded again, primed, painted, glazing carefully refitted, puttied in, left to harden, primed and painted, refitted. Then give it a few years and repeat. Solution? uPVC replacements, or sell the house. I did the latter. Divorce helped with the decision, but I appreciate that this may not constitute helpful advice in all situations.