Porch Painting
Front porch floors, steps, ceilings, columns and railings scraped, repaired where soft and coated with porch enamel or stain.
DetailsWall repair & prep
Wood rot repair for sills, porches and fascia in Park Ridge, IL
Freeze-thaw winters push water into every crack in exterior wood. We find the soft spots on window sills, porch posts, fascia and trim, cut them back to sound wood, rebuild them and prime before the paint goes on.
- Rot cut back to sound wood
- Epoxy or new wood, whichever fits
- Primed and sealed before paint
Short answer
Wood rot repair means removing soft, decayed wood, hardening what is left, and rebuilding the missing section with epoxy filler or a new piece of wood, then priming and painting so water stays out. Around Park Ridge and the nearby suburbs, a typical repair runs $235 to $860 per spot, depending on how big the damage is, which part it is and whether that part carries weight.
Paint lines we use most, matched to the surface: Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams and PPG for walls and trim, Romabio for limewash, Cabot and Sikkens for wood stain.
Benjamin MooreSherwin-WilliamsPPGBehrValsparFarrow & BallFine Paints of EuropeRomabioCabotSikkensZinsserRust-Oleum
Signs of wood rot to check around your house each spring
Rot is cheapest to fix when it is caught early, so walk the house after the snow melts.
Paint peeling in one spot
Paint that keeps failing in the same place, especially low on trim or posts, usually means wet wood behind it.
Soft wood under a screwdriver
If a screwdriver sinks in with light pressure, the wood fibers have broken down.
Dark, swollen or split wood
Wood that looks darker, swollen or cracked along the grain is holding water.
Sagging or stained fascia
Fascia that bows, shows streaks below the gutter or pulls away at the corners has usually been soaked by overflow.
Porch posts that move
Posts that wobble or feel soft where they meet the floor may have rotted at the base.
Moss or fungus on boards
Growth on porch floors, steps or shaded trim is a clear sign the wood is staying wet.
Why sills, porch posts and fascia rot in northern Illinois
Wood rots when it stays wet long enough for fungi to grow, and winters here set that up every year. Snow sits on window sills and porch floors, melts in the afternoon sun, refreezes overnight and opens hairline cracks in the paint. Each melt pushes more water in, and by April the wood behind the paint is soaked.
Humid summers keep it from drying out, so the damage spreads from the inside. The face of a sill or a porch post can look fine while the wood behind it has gone soft. By the time the paint peels or a screwdriver sinks in, the rot has usually been working for a few seasons.
Fascia has its own cause. When gutters clog with leaves or ice dams form at the eaves, water spills over the back of the gutter and runs down the fascia board and into the soffit. On houses under big maples and oaks, that happens every fall.
Epoxy repair or new wood: how we decide
We start by probing with an awl or a small screwdriver. Sound wood resists and rotted wood gives way. That tells us how far the decay runs and whether the part can be saved.
Small to medium damage on parts that carry no weight, such as sills, brick molding, trim corners, sash rails and the ends of fascia boards, is usually best repaired with epoxy. We cut out the soft wood, brush on a liquid epoxy consolidant to harden the fibers around it, then fill with a paintable epoxy filler shaped to the original profile. It keeps original trim that is hard to match.
Large damage, or parts that carry load, such as porch posts, stair stringers and long runs of fascia, gets new wood. On a porch post we may splice in a new bottom section, or replace the post if the rot runs high. If a part looks structural and badly damaged, we will tell you it needs carpentry before it is painted.
How we keep repaired wood from rotting again
A repair lasts only if water stays out. Every repaired spot gets exterior primer on bare wood and epoxy, including end grain, which drinks water fastest. New wood is primed on all six sides before it goes up.
Joints between trim, siding and the repair are sealed with a paintable exterior sealant. On sills we check that the slope sheds water away from the window. On porch posts we look at how the base meets the floor and keep the end grain off standing water.
Then two coats of exterior paint go on. Porch floors and steps get a porch and floor enamel rated for foot traffic, so the finish handles salt, snow shovels and boots through the winter.
- Primer on all bare wood and end grain
- New stock primed on every side before install
- Exterior sealant at every joint
- Sills checked for slope and drainage
- Post bases kept off standing water
- Two finish coats rated for the surface
How a wood rot repair job runs step by step
Probe and mark the damage
We probe sills, porch parts, fascia and trim, mark soft areas and show you what we found.
Decide repair or replace
Small, nonstructural damage gets epoxy. Large or load-bearing damage gets new wood.
Cut back to sound wood
Rotted wood comes out until only hard, sound wood is left. On pre-1978 houses we follow EPA lead-safe work practices during this step.
Harden and rebuild
Liquid epoxy hardens the remaining fibers, then epoxy filler or a new piece rebuilds the shape.
Shape, sand and prime
The repair is shaped to the profile, sanded smooth and primed, end grain included.
Seal and paint
Joints are sealed and two coats of exterior paint or porch enamel finish the repair.
What wood rot repair costs in Park Ridge and nearby suburbs
Rot is priced per repair spot, and the painting around it is priced as part of the larger exterior job.
| What is priced | Typical range | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Wood rot repair | $235 to $860 | per spot |
| Window sash and frame painting | $185 to $465 | each |
| Front porch floor, steps and railings | $1,180 to $3,960 | per porch |
| Soffit and fascia painting | $4.35 to $9.80 | per linear ft |
These ranges are typical for the area, and the walk-through and probe test set the real number.
Full painting price guideWhat moves the price
- Size and depth of each rotted area
- Epoxy repair or new wood replacement
- Whether the part carries structural load
- Matching an original trim or sill profile
- Ladder or lift access on second-story fascia
- Lead-safe prep on pre-1978 painted wood
Wood rot on Park Ridge porches, North Shore windows and suburban fascia
On the brick ranches and Georgians of Park Ridge, Niles and Des Plaines, the brick holds up and the wood does not. Window sills, brick molding, garage door jambs and fascia are where we find rot most. On Cape Cods and split-levels in Mount Prospect and Arlington Heights, the trouble spots are the lower corners of wood trim beside aluminum or vinyl siding, where water runs behind the siding and sits.
The older houses in Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka, Oak Park and Glen Ellyn have front porches with turned posts, wood steps and original wood windows that have seen close to a century of winters. Those parts are often worth saving with epoxy, since a new piece rarely matches the old profile.
Exterior repair needs warm, dry days. Check the can on the epoxy and primer for the minimum temperature. At O'Hare, average highs reach 59F in April and 70.5F in May and fall back to 62.7F in October, so late spring through early fall gives the longest window for rot repair and the paint that follows.
Where we do wood rot repair
We take wood rot repair jobs in Park Ridge and the suburbs around it. A few of the places we work most:
Wood Rot Repair: common questions
Can a rotted front porch post be repaired instead of replaced?
If the rot is limited to the base and the post is not carrying a damaged load, we can often cut out the soft section and splice in new wood or rebuild with epoxy. A post rotted far up its length needs full replacement.
How long does an epoxy repair last on a rotted window sill?
A well-done epoxy repair can last many years once it is primed, sealed and painted, because epoxy does not rot. The wood around it still needs regular paint upkeep to stay protected.
Should wood rot be fixed before an exterior repaint in Park Ridge?
Yes. Paint over rot traps moisture and the decay keeps spreading underneath. We repair first, then prime and paint so the new finish holds onto sound wood.
Why does fascia rot on houses under big trees?
Leaves clog the gutters each fall, and ice dams form at the eaves in winter. Water then spills over the back of the gutter and soaks the fascia and soffit. Clean gutters and sealed, painted fascia slow it down a lot.
Can you match old trim profiles when repairing rot on an older North Shore home?
Yes. Epoxy filler can be shaped to the original profile, and for larger sections we fit new wood in a similar shape. Saving the original trim is often the best choice.
When is the best season to schedule wood rot repair outside?
Late spring through early fall, when temperatures stay above the minimum on the epoxy and primer. Call (312) 579-0481 to get on the schedule before the busy summer months.
Work that often goes with this job
Window Sash & Frame Painting
Sashes, frames and sills scraped, reglazed where loose and painted so windows still open and shed water.
DetailsExterior House Painting
Full exterior repaints with scraping, priming of bare wood, caulking and two finish coats, timed to the local paint season.
DetailsSoffit & Fascia Painting
Eaves, soffits, fascia boards and frieze trim painted from ladders and lifts, with soft spots flagged before coating.
DetailsSiding Painting
Wood clapboard, cedar shingle, fiber cement and aluminum siding cleaned and coated with the right primer for each.
DetailsBook a walk-through for wood rot repair
Call any hour. Someone picks up, takes the details and books a time to walk the job with you.