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Home Repair Porches & Decks Remodeling

Help needed on weathered exterior wood trim

Lavi de la Mija

6 years ago

Hello,

i just fond out from my "wonderful" HOA that i must paint my house (not just me, 90% of the units). It was not on my list of to do things but...it has to be done and i am the kind that needs to have things done properly. Which means i need to do something about the weathered wood trims i have all around my windows and doors. there is no dry rot in the wood, it's just old looking, cracked...weathered. I can put putty over some of the more visible indentures from the nail heads and smooth those parts out but there's no way i can putty over all of the trim to smooth it out.

Do i have any option other than replacing the wood trim entirely? Is there some sort of self leveling treatment primer that i could paint over and that would fill in those cracks and make the wood smoother?

if replacing is my only option, what kind of wood should i use?

many thanks!

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Comments (3)

klem1
6 years ago
Use caulk not putty to cover nails. It would require less labor to replace than filling. I wouldn't worry with filling the wood unless that's what HOA is complaining about. Other than Bondo and sanding there is no long lasting solution for the wood cracks. Most anything else used will look as bad as the cracks.
Lavi de la Mija thanked klem1
Lavi de la Mija
Original Author
6 years ago
thank you! i never heard of Bondo, will look it up. What kind of caulk would you recommend? there's so many kinds out there....can it be sanded down?

if i decide to replace, what kind of wood would you recommend? should i treat it in any way to make it last longer before showing its grain like the old one is doing now?

thank you and sorry for all the questions!
0
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klem1
6 years ago
Bondo is/was an auto body repair epoxy but is very durable wood filler also. Use 35 year exterior caulk in color near paint color. NO,caulk can't be sanded. If the building is as low tech and old as it appear's in picture,I would use man made composite for economy. If you want long lasting,James Hardie can't be beat. Yellow pine is wood of choice. For added longevity and wrap resistance,paint backside of pine and composite before installation.
Lavi de la Mija thanked klem1

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