Specialty sanders, like this Bosch compact belt sander, are indispensable for finishing an epoxy patch.
For paint-grade work, a random orbit sander loaded with 100-grit paper makes the patch disappear.
No repair is complete until both the epoxy and the bare wood surfaces are sealed with a premium epoxy-compatible primer, followed by two coats of top-quality acrylic paint.
A painter’s 5-in-1 is the perfect tool to carve into rot-damaged wood and excavate the black, punky detritus.
After the worst of the damage has been removed, a solution of powdered borate and water is sprayed on the affected surfaces to kill the rot organism.
To quickly attack deeply buried rot, a borate gel is injected into a few small holes that have been drilled into the center of the wood.
Dedicated tool kits keep the various epoxies and supplies well-organized and readily at hand.
Drilling a series of small holes around the perimeter of a rot-damaged crevice makes it possible to inject epoxy consolidant deep into the wood.
To fully saturate the damaged area, the author alternates between squirting consolidant into the holes and brushing it on the surface.
Using a plastic putty knife, the author presses the epoxy paste firmly into the crevice, then wipes the surface smooth.
After the epoxy has fully cured, he begins the tooling process by shaving down the rough spots with a Surform plane.