Browse Forums DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair 1 Jul 26, 2013 3:06 pm Whilst sanding the salmon painted, internal, exposed beams in the kitchen and dining area, i came across something that kept clogging up my sandpaper. After some investigating, it looked to be rotting. The rotting runs about 60 - 80% of the whole beam. initially i tried some wood hardener which only seemed to put a hard layer over the top of it. then i tried again after drilling holes and no luck. Unfortunately there was still signs of moisture once i sanded over it. Does anyone have any other ideas how to fix this or does it have to be completely replaced? Here are some pics (hope i did it right (first time poster)): [img][IMG]http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l253/lil_goku_jr/DSC02741.jpg[/img][/img] [img][IMG]http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l253/lil_goku_jr/DSC02740.jpg[/img][/img] [img][IMG]http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l253/lil_goku_jr/DSC02739.jpg[/img][/img] Re: Rotting exposed beams HELP!! 2Jul 28, 2013 12:03 pm You are probably getting moisture from either the roof leaking or condensation forming at the ceiling level caused by a lack of insulation above the beam or no sarking under the roof. Rotting of the beam is a result of this. Fix the leak from above etc then look at replacing the beam if the damage is as bad as you describe. Stewie Re: Rotting exposed beams HELP!! 3Jul 28, 2013 4:25 pm I assume you mean the reddish soft wood, which appears to be a gum vein or pocket, and probably a poor choice of beam to have installed originally. Its hard to tell if it is structurally weakened as we dont know what its supporting? Arfur Re: Rotting exposed beams HELP!! 4Jul 28, 2013 6:33 pm Arfur is a lot closer to the answer although I think what you are seeing is neither vein or rot but heartwood. What it means is that the log was badly sawn instead of being quarter sawn it was backsawn across the centre catching the heartwood pith. Heartwood pith is the very centre of the log and is very soft. Given that it has performed satisfactorily the only downside is the appearance, that is why it was painted in the first place. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Rotting exposed beams HELP!! 6Jul 29, 2013 8:41 pm Yes that was a tricky one Stewie because heartwood pith will rot away even without moisture ingress Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Rotting exposed beams HELP!! 7Jul 30, 2013 6:51 pm Uncle Arfur I assume you mean the reddish soft wood, which appears to be a gum vein or pocket, and probably a poor choice of beam to have installed originally. Its hard to tell if it is structurally weakened as we dont know what its supporting? i have flat galvanized roof if that's what your asking Stewie D You are probably getting moisture from either the roof leaking or condensation forming at the ceiling level caused by a lack of insulation above the beam or no sarking under the roof. Rotting of the beam is a result of this. Fix the leak from above etc then look at replacing the beam if the damage is as bad as you describe. Stewie would you have any idea what kind of price i'd be looking at if it did come down to replaement? 1,000s or 10,000s? Re: Rotting exposed beams HELP!! 8Jul 30, 2013 11:23 pm But is the beam actually wet as in water from above or is the vein/heartwood area only that UA & BE are talking about? I don't want to panic you into getting quotes to replace the roof if it just the heartwood which was there when the beam was installed. Stewie Our 6m high Cathedral ceiling has 0 insulation, just plaster, wrap and tiles as far as I can tell. Wife likes the exposed beams, I hate the $600 per month heating bill,… 0 13487 You will need to replace the entire stairs. Carpenter is the trade you're after. 1 4339 |