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Repair Rotten/Damaged Wood with Custom Putty

2:14
8:21
183.3K views

At 2:14 in

Hardwood Floors-Repair, Refinish, and Restore - DIY Home renovation

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What happens here

Before applying a new finish, repair any rotten or damaged sections of the floor, such as those caused by water leaks from appliances like a refrigerator. Use a chisel to carefully remove all loose and punky (rotten) wood from the damaged area. Once all the loose material is removed, create a custom wood putty by mixing the sawdust generated from sanding the floor with Elmer's wood glue. This creates a putty that perfectly matches the color of your floor, preventing discoloration issues often seen with pre-made fillers. Apply multiple thin layers of this custom wood putty into the deep gouges and gaps using a putty knife, allowing each layer to dry completely before applying the next. Applying too thick a layer at once can cause the putty to crack during drying.

Goal: Fill in and repair areas of the floor damaged by water or rot.

Tools and materials

  • Chisel — Removing loose and rotten wood from damaged floor sections
  • Putty Knife — Applying and smoothing the custom wood putty into damaged areas
  • Elmer's Wood Glue Elmer's — Acting as the binder to mix with sawdust to create custom wood putty
  • Sawdust — Serving as the base material for custom wood putty to match floor color

What they say

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that repaired so we can move on. So, you're going to remove all the loose wood. All Yep. Anything that's really punky or bad, it's got to come out. Now, to fix a rotten spot, you typically would use wood dough. But there's something that Frankie likes to use even better than that. Let's see what he's got up his sleeve. Well, I use the dusting of the sanding of the actual wood. Mix Elmer's glue with it and you got your wood putty. Have you ever done that before? Yep. How well does it hold up compared to Well, then you got you match your wood. Then you match your exact wood. So then then you don't worry about discoloration of the putty from the wood, right? Yeah. Right. How long does it hold up though? As long as this putty here will hold up. Now, when you're repairing deep gouges, you're going to have to use multiple layers. If you put it on too thick all at once, it'll crack. So, you're going to have to do this more than once. That's what she said. For deeper gouges and gaps, it's not a one coat wonder. Nope. Nope. If you can tell, I mean, I'm leaving an indent there. Good enough till she sets up your eyes.

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