German Trained Carpenter in Rochester NY

"Diligence Over Haste"

This old German saying can hardly be more appropriate than with the careful repair of damaged and/or rotten wood. An important aspect of my training in Europe was the repair or restoration of old damaged or historical wood. Professional repairs are time-intensive and demand skilled craftsmanship, patience and creativity and that's the reason I am frequently called to repair somebody's "repair", which has later failed. Very often, not only because the repair was of low quality, but there was no careful inspection of the nature of the problem. As intact paint can hide worse damage to wooden installations, paint that is flaking and blistering may give the impression that the wood is severely damaged, when, in fact, the damage is minimal and readily remedied.

Repair or Replace

The repair will often be a better solution than total replacement of woodwork, especially when there is limited wood rot. New installations can damage a building's appearance and cost more since period-elements are often not replaceable with today's standardized units. Also to be considered is that all new lumber that is available today does not reach the quality of the old-growth lumber present on distinguished properties or historical homes. It's my experience that you can save up to 50% with a professional repairs compared of the costs for new replacements.

Great Hall Window Repair

A longtime customer was frustrated because a year before he asked a painting company to repair and paint his grand hall window. The result was predictable, and after a short time, the damage was visible again. Although painters commonly will offer to "repair" wood rot, it is not their goal to repair wood rot. Their goal is to consolidate the surface, so they can finish the job of painting.

This large window is 25ft tall and over 2 storeys high, visible from salon on the ground floor and library above. Over time, repeated changes in humidity, temperature and light caused the joints to develop unsightly tears by the expansion and contraction of this natural material, as seen in the pictures below. This constant tension precludes the use of "normal" putty for repair. The joints were treated with flexible materials for an attractive and long-lasting repair.

Handmade Chippendale Railing Restoration

This Chinese Chippendale railing was was handmade from redwood in the 1930s. At first, the wood rot appeared to only be superficial, but it soon became apparent that the multiple layers of paint hid worse damage and developed such problems that its structural integrity was no longer certain. The railing could fail, causing someone to fall to the patio below. The water damage was not due to lack of maintenance but was the result of the improper installation of the copper covering in the 1980s, which allowed water to enter the structure, then held it there, resulting in the replacement of more elements than originally seemed necessary. Copper nails were used to reattach the copper railing to prevent the galvanic corrosion that occurs when steel and copper are used together.

Professional Shutters Repair

Shutters are a singularly important aspect of a home’s curb value, and, although some fresh paint might hide problems for a little while, that will not fix the problem of rotten wooden shutters. Often, a hollow shell of paint hides the fact that the wood below is dissolving to powder.

I'm often told that people couldn’t find someone who commands the skill to restore them for the future, resulting in the final decision of buying new shutters. With the decision to replace rather than repair the existing shutters, comes not only the cost of the new shutters, new hardware and painting them, but the costs of removal and disposal, as well as the cost of the new installation.

And, if most of the shutters are good and only a few are damaged, then the problem of replacing is compounded by the fact, that many old shutters are not standardized. It can be difficult to find replacements that are congruent to the remaining original shutters, too often resulting in a differing assortment of shutters that damage a home's curb value.

Repair of 1927 Storm Door

This nearly 100 year old storm door had been damaged over time and necessitated a careful restoration. Repair attempts from the past had failed and scarred the door as well. Half of the door was split and the joints between the wooden pieces had come loose. It was also decided to remove the old hardware which was not the original and my customer liked the suggestion to replace the knob and hinges with quality, period-true, solid brass reproductions.

Paint and Rotten Wood

Paint is an essential protection for wood, but in the case portrayed below, the wrong primer had been used on the redwood, causing the paint to separate from the wood. Pockets were formed which held pools of water against the wood over extended periods, resulting in widespread wood rot. The attempt to remedy the problem by applying repeated layers of paint only led to formation of hollow, shells of paint that had the form of the wood which had once been under it but had been reduced to sawdust.

Redwood is a precious and noble wood which, nowadays, is only seldomly used for exterior woodwork. In the house built in the 70's, deck, siding, trim and columns were all crafted from solid redwood. Whereas redwood has natural resistance to weather and rot, it is, as is any wood, not impervious. Some stair balusters were beyond repair and needed to be replaced to insure a unified aesthetic effect.