best woods for exterior paint grade wood rot repair

[Mel Fulks]

Some white pines are better than others, the ponderosa stuff is not as good outside as Northeastern white pine. Many years ago we used to make a lot of
circular trim out of Ponderosa pine. Some of the contractors would not accept it and always specified fir with no sap wood. I though they were
nutty. But they were careful and right. I think the best
pine, other than old growth Southern yellow, is the North Eastern white, sans sap. The pine failure I had was a couple of plinth blocks
primed and painted all around and seated in caulk.

[Roger Feeley]

When I was a kid back in the 60’s, my church built a new education wing. For some reason I remember them saying that they used granite for the window sills because it was cheaper than wood. Grace Cathedral in Topeka Kansas if anyone cares.

[Zach Macklin]

I used cypress for exterior window trim on my house. 15 years and the only maintenance I’ve done is to apply one more coat of white stain. I would not use pine. I have been involved in the trades for 25 years and I have never seen pine used for exterior purposes. Primed all sides or not, there are far better choices and it’s simply not worth trying to save a couple dollars to skimp on exterior trim lumber. The standard around here has always been cedar fwiw.

[Warren Lake]

Hey Mel

I never heard about Bark side out. Did hear about bark is bigger than the bite. My thought old guy taught us furniture wise heart side was the best side usually and it also took the finish the best. Ive seen that mostly to be true. You talk about heart side out that part separates and lifts and ive seen it once or twice. I was thinking about it, he used to say stay away from the center of the tree, you never use that yet in construction wood you see it endlessly at least now a days. 4 x 4 post its the center of a small tree.

Do you think the stuff you saw lifting had nothing to do with Heart side up but was simply just too close to the center of the tree?. Just a question. I could have checked that had I had that thought when I saw it two or three times and likely it was in white pine. Will watch for it now

[Mel Fulks]

Warren, inside the house I guess any side is OK. Most furniture is out of weather and I see that as ,use the best side. Most of the 4by 4 stuff
is the center of small trees ,so it’s all bark side! I’m sure you have many times looked a board and chosen the smooth side instead of the
peeling layers of the other side. When a board is newly milled both sides of a conifer board can look good, but only the bark side can be
trusted to not pop up those sharp layers.

[Zach Macklin]

Just want to add that those houses built in the 1920s with pine exterior trim were not using the same untreated pine that you buy today at Home Depot. In fact, I would bet most of that old trim is Doug fir.

this also depends on where you are located. If you’re in the desert, you could probably get away with poplar. If you’re anywhere that experiences weather and has bugs that want to eat wood, you want to think about what you’re going to use.

[Charles Lent]

Douglas Fir will last a long time, even if it gets wet occasionally, as long as it can completely dry out.

For small rotted spots that all the rot can be completely dug out, Bondo makes a pretty good filler that can be sanded smooth easily and painted. Prime the surfaces before applying the Bondo and get it as smooth as possible with a putty knife to minimize sanding. When sanded and shaped like the original board, prime it again, and paint it. I have repaired pine porch columns and window frames this way and they are still lasting fine 23 years later. Bondo isn't just for automotive repairs.

Charley

[Kevin Jenness]

https://www.accoya.com/?utm_source=b...tylated%20wood

[William Hodge]

https://www.accoya.com/?utm_source=b...tylated%20wood

Have you used accoya? How is it for stability?

The old work lasted well because it was dense, and painted with lead paint. Pre-1978 wood is surprisingly resilient if it isn't scraped.

[brent stanley]

Like Kevin said, Accoya is my choice.

It works quite well, has 50 year guarantee above ground unpainted outside. It takes paint very well and has lower shrinkage/expansion ratios than most woods so paints & caulk won't crack. Made of pine so it's soft, but it's not a coating, it's all through the wood and non-toxic.

A guy I know bought some almost ten years ago and took the first cut off he generated and threw it in the ditch by the shop. It it now a little dirty, but otherwise the same.

Sounds "new fangled" here, but it's extremely common and entirely ordinary in Europe.

[Jack Frederick]

Sorry to go off the rails here, but after sequential failures of supposed good wood for trim back east, when we re-modeled the house her in CA I went with Azek pvc trim. The crew were less than enthused, but each of them said it was a fine product. It was straight and true and stable. It has been seven years and it still looks like new. It isn’t wood, costs more, goes up quicker and again, looks terrific…if you can overlook the fact that it is plastic.

[Thomas McCurnin]

Cedar and Redwood are rot resistant. Cedar fences will last 20-30 years and pine and doug fir will rot out within 10 years. My experience only, and I'm no expert.

[andy bessette]

...houses built in the 1920s with pine exterior trim were not using the same untreated pine that you buy today at Home Depot...

This.

Here is a list:

Naturally Rot-Resistant Species:

• Redwood.
• American mahogany.
• Cypress.
• Western red cedar.
• Pacific yew.
• Teak.
• Black walnut.
• White oak.

[Jim Becker]

Several of us have mentioned PVC type materials. Uber-durable for sure. But one thing to keep in mind is that these materials expand and contract more than wood and that needs to be taken into consideration. Different brands exhibit different behavior, too. A general contractor friend of mine originally used Azek, but move on to a different product after expansion/contraction issues, including on my old home, caused some call-backs. He's had less issue with the product he uses now, but I do not recall what it is.

[Mike Hollingsworth]

Millions of houses have been built with pine trim. My parents' house was built in 1927 and still has the original white pine trim on it. They keep it painted.

John

I wish I could find some of that pine from 1927.
Not the same quality today.