I have seen reference to "waterproof Bondo", but after much research, have been unable to determine which product is being referred to.
I have found that "ordinary automotive Bondo" will not last long when used on exterior wood. A year or two & it has delaminated.

I have resorted to the use of Abatron LiquidWood and WoodEpox, but this system is kind of pricy @ $75 per gallon.

Have any of you had long term success using the " BONDO HOME SOLUTIONS" ?

By long-term I actually mean permanent.
Apparently, Abatron products are a permanent fix to repairing damaged / missing wood.
I have been using them for a few weeks, & find that the major drawback to the system is that it is rather slow hardening when compared to Bondo.

Abatron filler, "WoodEpox" requires a precoat of liquid wood to facilitate adhesion.
I wonder if Bondo adhesion could benefit from "priming" the wood with polyester resin????

I kind of hate to experiment with bondo on this house, due to the extent of repairs which are needed, so will continue with Abatron unless anyone out there has had success with bondo.

thanks

 

I honestly don't do enough exteriors to encounter this situation much, and when I do, I drop everything and call a carpenter.

I will post this question on another pro forum, and see what pops up.

BTW, very interesting thread about this project.

 

I'm curious. Why use a wood filler at all? Why not do it right and replace the wood with wood? Especially if the "extent" is that much.

 

I have never used bondo on wood. Have used Durham's rock hard putty. I don't know if it is a long term fix or not but have never had any call backs where I have used it. I agree with PWG and Bob if the damage is extensive it is best to replace with new wood.

 

To explain more fully, this is a restoration of an 1890 home, which is located in an historical district.
Part of the exercise is to preserve as much of the original structure as possible
I am a carpenter, so replacing with new products would often be easier than stripping & repairing the original wood.
However, It would be much easier & cheaper to just build a new house. If nobody buys & restores these old structures, they will fall into decay and be demolished.

Replacing versus restoring is largely a philosophical issue. I could just order replacement windows, but have chosen to make new wood storm windows, and then remove & restore the old double hung sash.
A side note: have you guys ever seen ¼ inch plate used in residential sash? You should see the size of the sash weights used in these 54inch wide units.

Using Abatron, I restored a windowsill that was 10 feet long. The work involved in replacement would have been impractical versus the 2 or 3 hours to repair it. The finished sill ended up having a fiberglass-like surface that will hold up much longer than will a new replacement window unit.

I have, in the past, restored many pieces of door & window trim using marine products, but the absurd cost of any products marketed to boat owners prohibits their use on a large scale.

Thanks

 

Boxarocks

I would like to commend you for working hard to restore an old home to its former glory. I love the architecture of older homes. One that is restored or even added onto but retains the original look is always a sight to see.

 

I have bondo thats been on my house for over 10 years and there is no sign of deterioration. The expensive system you are using sounds like a thin epoxy that impregnates the wood, killing dryrot, termites and reinforcing the wood. I have a friend who used it and liked it. Like you I would rather replace the wood but there are times when that is a huge job. They make a fiberglass reinforced bondo "tigers hair, et al" that leaves a much more waterproof finish. It's not much more expensive than bondo. I don't think it will leave the wood as structurally sound as the thin epoxy system.