Guides
Understand the damage before you pay for it
Most people find out their wood is rotted from somebody who sells replacements. These guides give you the other half of the picture — what rot really is, how it's repaired, and how to tell when replacement is genuinely the honest answer.
Start here
If you don't yet know what you're looking at, read these first.
Wood Rot Repair — the complete guideWhat rot actually is, how far it usually goes, and why most of it never needed replacing.Symptoms and what they meanSoft wood, peeling paint, a stuck sash, a water stain on the sill — what each one is telling you.How to choose a window contractor in NJInsurance, warranty, brand experience — and the one question that separates repair shops from sales operations.
How the repair works
The two techniques behind almost every job we do.
Epoxy consolidationHow liquid epoxy rebuilds wood from the inside when the fibres have gone soft but the shape is worth keeping.Dutchman splicingCutting out the dead section and letting in new wood so the joint disappears under paint.When the part no longer existsMilling a sash or a profile that hasn't been manufactured since the 1940s.
Where rot lives
Wood plus water, in the five places it always happens.
Window frames and sillsThe most common job we get called for, and the one most often quoted as a full replacement.Door frames, sills and thresholdsWhy the bottom of a door frame goes first, and what it costs to rebuild instead of replace.Decks, joists and postsHow to tell a cosmetic problem from one that's structural — before somebody falls through.Porches, columns and exterior stairsLoad-bearing rot that hides behind paint until the column starts to lean.Fence postsA leaning fence is nearly always four bad posts, not a bad fence.
Historic work
Where repair isn't just cheaper — it's the only right answer.
Free Onsite Assessment
Still not sure what you're looking at? Send a photo.
A picture of the soft spot is usually all we need to tell you whether it's rot and whether it's repairable — the same day. Call (973) 564-0958, Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM.
Takes 30 seconds
Get My Free EstimateText Us a Photo of the Damageor call (973) 564-0958 · office@rotgone.com