Expert: Jamie Yocono - 4/22/2005

Question
Hi Jamie,

I live in a Brownstone building in Boston that dates to the 1800's (although I can't vouch for when/if parts have been restored).

Our doorway includes uprights on each side that are about 3"x3" and are built into the doorframe to a point that they would not easily be removed.

The uprights seem almost to be laminated with a very thin layer of wood, although I can't tell for sure how it is set up without tearing up our front facade, which I hesitate to do.  The bottom 3" or 4" of these uprights is getting soft.

The wood does need refinishing, but does not have a bare appearance.  The bottom line is that any work we do could rapidly turn into a big job, and I don't think our association is in a hurry for a big job (expense).

While looking at some other products in my local hardware store, I recently noticed 'wood hardener'.  My question is if you have any experience with wood hardener.  If it works, or if it is snake oil.

Thank you,
Scott

Answer
Hi Scott,

Your question is somewhat outside the scope of what I do, which is build custom furniture. But I do some carpentry (mostly for myself or family) and subscribe to many woodworking and construction magazines, so I can offer a suggestion or two.

Please remember I am not an expert in THIS subject!  :)

Fine Homebuilding issue #107 (March 1997) has a pretty good article in it entitled Restoring Wood with Epoxy. The article gives some great tips on using various products, and then lists sources for the products and gives descriptions.

If you can get a copy of that article, it might be very helpful to you. Go to www.Taunton.com (home of Fine Homebuilding) and click on the Fine Homebuilding tab. You'll find a magazine index and information about ordering back issues there. Or maybe you can find someone you know that has that issue.

The author gives a source list for epoxy makers, and I have actually used one of the products- the West System from a company in Michigan. I bought their 2 part epoxy; it was pretty expensive, but I felt it was worth it. I was restoring some boat parts for a client and their product worked perfectly. I had a lot of it left over, and I swear- I used that stuff for years. It was MUCH cheaper in the long run than buying those small tubes of two part epoxy that I used to buy.

As far as wood hardeners, though, I am not sure I know much about them. But perhaps we are talking about the same thing- wood epoxy systems for repairing wood rot.

Maybe your local hardware store might have someone you can speak to about this subject... like someone that purchased the stuff and can tell you if it works or not. They usually sell to the local carpenters and they know what works for your climate and location. I'm sure they could offer some advice about this subject.

Or- if you want to send me the name of the product, I can see if it's mentioned in this article and what they have to say about it. That might work.

Last thing- if you can't get that article from FH, let me know and I can send you a copy of it. Good luck, I hope this helps. Feel free to write back with any other questions you might have after reading this.

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
www.wooditis.com
Las Vegas, NV