Can I use automotive bondo to fill large holes in wood?
Subang Jaya The redwood fascia across the front of my house has a large 6 inch hole that has rotted out. Does anybody have any experience using "bondo" to fill holes in wood???
Thanks
7 Responses
Stand’n Pr
01 Sep 2011
quit whinin when
01 Sep 2011
dont use bondo its for metal. It will fall out in a very short time. Ya gotta replace the wood, thats the correct way to do it.
Christopher Fior
01 Sep 2011
I did supply about 50 gallons of Bondo to a customer years back when they were restoring wood sills on a old historic school. He is the one who called me for it and told me that it works great. 3M now owns Bondo itself, and here is a link to it. It says metal, wood, aluminum … in the description.
Hope it helps.
hrly
01 Sep 2011
Bondo will work, but for how long is an open question. It depends on your particular environment. The better you can seal the work the longer it’ll last. Be sure to remove all rotted wood.
Good Luck.
Tony K 613
01 Sep 2011
I haven’t used bondo to fill cracks and holes, but there is something similar that does the trick for me. Mix one part wood dust or shavings with one part of white glue, mix well and then apply before it dries.
Albert W
01 Sep 2011
HI There,
Bondo is excellent for filling in cracks and holes caused by wood rot. A few years ago we had a bad year for wood rot and I had several windows and lower door frames to repair. The repairs have lasted for more than ten years and are unrecognizable.
What you will need:
1. MInwax wood Hardener at the paint store. http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/maintenance-repair/minwax-high-performance-wood-hardener
2. Bondo……http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1383207
3. Sandpaper 80-100 grit( optional..some steel wool)
How to use:
1. Use a screwdriver, knife or chisel and remove as much rot as possible. Try to get down to the "good wood" if possible.
2. Use a small brush and apply the Minwax wood Hardener liberally all around the inside of the hole. Let it dry for a couple of hours.This hardens the wood and stops the wood rot from spreading.
3. If the hole is deep you can pound/ press some steel wool inside the cracks and bottom of the hole.This helps to use less Bondo. I also put splinters and/or wood chips inside while applying Bondo.
4. Fill the hole with Bondo and let it dry.
After the Bondo has dried enough smooth the outside.
You will probably need to apply a second light layer to fill in any low spots.
5. After Bondo has dried prime and paint the spot.
This works for me. You need the wood Hardener to harden and stop the rot inside from spreading.
Bondo also can be used to fill in holes in concrete steps, etc.
Hope this helps,
Al
Jeff D
01 Sep 2011
There are epoxy filler products similar to bondo designed specifically for wood. They’re somewhat softer than bondo and can absorb wood stain better. They’re also formulated to better match the expansion/contraction characteristics of wood.
Epoxy wood fillers work moderately well. For a piece of dimensionally-sized lumber you’re probably better off just replacing the wood. If it’s an elaborate column or ornate piece of trim, then a filler can be a much cheaper alternative. A stained or painted finish will obviously hide the patch better.
Remove all the rotted wood first, of course, and use a wood hardener to firm up what’s left.
I’ve seen bondo work with wood, but I don’t think I’d trust it in this environment…that’s pretty harsh if your redwood has rotted, that’s generally a VERY rot resistant wood.
I would use something made to repair rotted wood like the product in the link. Essentially you need firm up the rotted wood surrounding the edge of the hole after you remove all the wet, loose and fully rotted material, then fill it. I try to put a backer behind the hole in if you can, it will provide support when filling the hole.
Make sure while you’re at it that you try to figure out where the excess water that caused the rot is coming from and try to take care of the original culprit.