Door frame Rot - Easy to repair?

maybe_tomorrow_2

Hi,

The left side of my front door frame is suffering from rot at the bottom for about 5 inches from ground level. This has been an ongoing problem for many years.

There is a small panel which has rotted away thus exposing my underfloor void to the elements!

I have a photo saved here; hopefully it works.



Is this a difficult job to do and is it doable by a novice DIY'er such as myself and whats the best way to go about it?

Many Thanks

maybe_tomorrow_2

how do i insert an image?

Thanks

leveller2911

Hi Maybe, you need to upload the pics to a host, like Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/ then attach to your post from flickr or similar.


Its free and doesn't take long to sign up.

nickj_2

sorry to hear about your exposed underfloor void , sounds painful

you have 3 options , either replace the whole frame , cut out the rot and splice a new piece of wood in or remove all the rotten wood , give whats left a drop of wet wood hardener and then fill with plastic wood (both ronseal products ) then sand down and paint , this is the easiest method the other 2 would need a chippy unless you're hand with wood
also have a look to see why this bit of wood is rotten , is the guttering above it leaking , is water standing around the joint etc , if you cure that then you shouldn't have more trouble with it

maybe_tomorrow_2

Thanks! ok, hopefully this link to flickr works

http://www.flickr.com/photos/92748985@N08/8424770726/

I cant really afford to replace the whole door frame just yet. How would i go about getting a piece the same shape as my frame is is this manually cut, hence the need for the chippy?

thanks
matt

I cant really tell how the water has gotten there to be honest.

nickj_2

if you can chisel ther rotten wood back to something that is sound then you could probably get away with using plastic wood for a temp repair , if it's gone all the way thru then new wood would be the best bet - depends how much it would cost to repair compared to replacing the whole frame

maybe_tomorrow_2

Inside the house that part of the frame appears to be fine so i suspect its only a localised bit of rot. Its a very large frame around the doors with panes of glass on the top and sides built in, so replacing it wouldnt be cheap.

I think I'll go for the repair and see how it goes.

Is there anything that can be moulded or shaped in to match the shape of the existing frame?

nickj_2

if you are using plastic wood then you can build it up and then mould and sand it into shape

nerka

just get a professional builder to come and sort this out. Will probably be cheaper at the end and a lot less hassle.

Owain_Moneysaver

That's easy.

Hack out all the rotten stuff using a chisel. (Keep both hands behind the cutting edge.)

Treat with wood hardener (fibreglass resin) and filll in with plastic wood as nickj says.