Increasingly we’re being asked to repair windows that were fitted less than 10 years ago. We see all manner of materials used in window manufacture. More often than not, if the window is relatively new but rotting, it’s because it’s been made from an engineered or compressed wood.
You can see quite clearly the comb joints used to made up larger sections of this timber. When new, the window is usually factory sprayed to a perfect finish, but as the timber expands and contracts, the paint around the comb joints is often the first to crack and expose the joint to moisture. Once the moisture gets in, the paint traps it and the rotting process starts. The extent and direction of the rot can also be very unpredictable since the window is made from so many differing pieces of wood.
In this case, we were able to repair the sill in Accoya without completely replacing it as the rot had spread along the timber’s grain.
If you do own a property with these windows, it’s crucial to keep on top of the painting to prevent this sort of problem from occurring.
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