Replacing dryrot on the exterior of house?
I hired some workers to come and replace some dry rot on the outside of my house. im not sure what kind of wood they used. either douglas-fir or redwood. how can i tell which wood they used? and if they used douglas-fir, is it appropriate for use on the outside of the house? i have heard that they are not good for outdoors. thank for the help
when you replace wood on the outside of the house, for example wooden beams. what kinds of wood are good and which are bad?
4 Responses
jay p
10 Sep 2011
robert k
10 Sep 2011
If your talking about clapboards, fir will have a light honey color and redwood will have a darker, oily look to it. Either one is fine provided it is primed and painted while it is still dry. If it was already pre-primed then either is just as good as well.
edkerns1
10 Sep 2011
You don’t say exactly what they replaced on the outside of your house, but if it is at all structural, it’s not likely that they used redwood. Redwood is reasonably rot resistant, but it isn’t very strong. If the wood they replaced is actually exposed to the weather (without siding or some other cover) or if it is in contact with the ground, a pressure treated board is your best bet. That you said the original wood had dry rotted leads me to believe that treated would be the right choice for your purpose. Often pressure treated wood is either pine or fir that has been saturated with preservative. It typically has a green tint. As for telling the difference between redwood and fir, redwood is primarily reddish in color (duh), fir is white or cream colored unless it has been treated.
Amir
12 Aug 2012
These are awesome phtoos. I can imagine what a drive that would be. This summer we hit the Maritimes, climbing some impressive mountains, picking up crabs, and frolicking in the waves hitting the sand dunes of PEI. There’s nothing like connecting with nature, especially when it is a different nature than what you are accustomed to.David LeonhardtDavid Leonhardt Happinesss latest blog post..
fir will rot out pretty fast. redwood or cedar (cheaper) make good exterior trim or siding.farter tails are going to be fir for strength, just prime with good primer before painting( seal it up).