19/04/2026
Sometimes it’s just beyond repair
This is where experience matters…..
A lot of decorators will scrape back loose paint, apply a 2-pack wood filler, sand it smooth and make it look good temporarily. But if the timber substrate has already failed, that isn’t a repair — it’s just hiding the problem.
On these sash windows and fascia’s, once the coatings were removed and the defective timber was opened up properly, deeper decay became clear. After routing back to expose sound wood, moisture readings in sections of the sills and lower rails remained too high for a durable resin repair.
That tells you everything you need to know:
• The timber is no longer structurally sound• Moisture is still present within the section• Surface filling will fail again• The correct solution is timber replacement, not cosmetic patching
Repair systems like Repair Care are excellent products when used correctly — they are designed to restore isolated areas of defective timber where sound, dry substrate remains.
They are not intended to rebuild extensively failed joinery where decay has travelled deep into the section.
Sometimes the best repair is knowing when not to repair
