Bondo

[Battis]

I want to repair a rotted section of an exterior wooden door - not a large section. Bondo sells a product for wood. Is there any difference between that and Bondo for a car repair?

[Scrounge]

I want to repair a rotted section of an exterior wooden door - not a large section. Bondo sells a product for wood. Is there any difference between that and Bondo for a car repair?

I have not tried the stuff, Bondo Wood Filler, but it's supposed to soak into the wood to help hold it together,which regular Bondo doesn't do. Real woodworkers apparently do not recommend Bondo for repairing wood. I do live in a house where the previous owner took a bunch of shortcuts, using RTV silicone rubber to seal and rebuild parts of the house that were rotted out. It would have been much cheaper to do it right than to use the RTV. Wood is cheaper, even if the wood is a good grade of hardwood. BTW, I'm not claiming I'm a real wood worker, either, but my experience is trying to cheap out just costs more in the long run. A 12oz package of the Bondo wood filler is about $14. A replacement steel-clad exterior 36" door is $120 or so, both at Home Depot. If it's a real wood door, they seem to start around $600. How many of those 12oz packages are you going to need? Naturally, YMMV.

Bill

[Elroy]

I would say it is going to be more like the long strand fiberglass than the polyester body putty..I would say you would be a lot better off replacing the rotted section of the door with good wood..To quote John Goodman's exterminator character Delbert from Arachnophobia. "Take out bad wood.Put in good wood"..

[Battis]

The door is over 30 yrs old. It's an Atrium door - half stationary glass, half door. The bad wood is on the bottom of the hinged door. I'd have to replace it with a slider or another Atrium type door. The rough opening from 30 yrs ago is a little too small compared to what's out there now. I could open it up more, and do the installation myself, but they're heavy. Sliders installed are around $1800 plus. I thought about installing a prehung door on one side and walling up the rest of the opening. I went to Lowes and Home Depot to get a prehung door. We found one at Lowes for a decent price (full glass), and for the heck of it I checked the reviews for that door online. 9 out of 10 said that the door leaked from the beginning and should be recalled. Any other similar door is special order.
So, for now, I'm just going to repair the wood. I've used West Systems Epoxy to repair and rebuild sailboats, but I think the Bondo might be better suited for this.

[Sweetpea]

If you can cut out most of the rot, and replace it with good wood, the bondo will do wonders hiding your patch job.

You can then use the bondo to fill any other imperfections in the door, sand, prime, and paint.

[Winger Ed.]

If you can cut out most of the rot, and replace it with good wood, the bondo will do wonders hiding your patch job.
You can then use the bondo to fill any other imperfections in the door, sand, prime, and paint.

^^ this.

Bondo is meant to be a filler for small gaps & imperfections, and does a good job for that.
Its not really intended to be a building material or structural component.

[Battis]

Cutting out the bad wood does make sense and was my first choice, then I started pricing out replacement doors, etc. Bondo would be easy but not long lasting.
Thanks for the suggestions.

[NyFirefighter357]

I have use a Minwax the products. I have repaired a rotten door frame with this product.
You first need to dry out the rotten wood then I would apply Minwax wood hardener per the directions. This is a resin that hardens the soft wood fibers.
https://www.minwax.com/wood-products/maintenance-repair/minwax-high-performance-wood-hardener

After the wood hardener is dry apply Minwax High Performance Wood Filler as directed.

https://www.minwax.com/wood-products/maintenance-repair/minwax-high-performance-wood-filler

Minwax High Performance Wood Filler 12-Oz Natural Wood Filler $13

Minwax Wood Hardener $13

I did some research & they say a Bondo type filler will eventually get loose as it doesn't expand and contract like the surrounding wood. If you put a couple of screws and left the heads exposed in the repair it would give the Bondo something to hold to, I think I did this. The edges may crack & separate but it won't fall out.

I also found the correct product to make repairs on exterior wood is a 2 part epoxy This seems to be the most used & acclaimed product:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/24-Ounce-Wood-Restoration-Kit/158918509?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=1122&adid=22222222227066796254&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=170913945000&wl4=pla-278125109943&wl5=9004192&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=101593696&wl11=online&wl12=158918509&veh=sem&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwr32BRD4ARIsAAJNf_3XtcD9ml90lBCBDH8M Uy992Rt4yyVTnceFqpblW4NbhFKBanN6o-0aAi7lEALw_wcB

The kit comes with a 2 part wood hardener and a 2 part epoxy filler. The kit is $45 but should hold better than the Bondo.

https://www.abatron.com/product/wood-restoration-kit/

[Battis]

I have the West Systems 2 part epoxy (pricey stuff but good), and a few different fillers, but I just found a board in my basement that's just about the exact thickness as the door. I think I'll try replacing the bad wood.

[wildwilly501]

I've used the Bondo for wood for a couple doors that had bad places lower door frames works fine.They weren't large areas inch or so wide couple inches high but they were the thickness of the board.The Bondo is several years old still good.The hardest thing is depending where the repair is getting at it to sand.

[Huskerguy]

Since I have worked on cars years ago, I have used a LOT of auto collision plastic filler. I have put it on several homes I have needed to do repair work on. It works OK but does not expand and contract at the same rate as the wood though. For small areas of filling imperfections, it works fine. I have found that inside I have never had an issue though.

I am in the group that says cut out the old rotten wood, glue in a new piece and use filler to fix the seams. Is this stained or painted? I like to keep the old doors around and integrate them into my remodels where possible and everyone needs a little work - I am doing three right now in my home.

[ascast]

I have used Bondo many times to fix molding around the outside of the house (s). I used to paint houses. It is great for cornish molding, etc. May take a coulpe coats of BIN or KILZ to color right. It's great stuff. That said, I don't think I would use it on a door as it will rattle loose I think. Perhaps cover it with a brass kick plate commonly available in DIY stores.

[DCP]

i just used JB weld for wall trim. The door stop had tore a 1/2 by 3 in hole in it

[country gent]

If its on the bottom of the door remove the bad wood and fit in new, dowel and fit glue in then Hide the repair and protect it with a brass kick plate over it. Gluing the kick plate to the door and screws will also strengthen the repair some.

[Battis]

I just removed all the rotted wood from the bottom corner of the door. It was along the bottom and up the side, probably 5" each side. The door is 1 3/4" thick so I'll probably glue pieces together if I can't find wood that thick. Bondo wouldn't have worked - the rot was deep. I like the kick plate idea.

[samari46]

Back door for the garage. Cut out the rotted wood and glued and screwed in a piece of pressure treated wood. Used a electric plane to get close to the final dimensions of the door 1 1/2" thick. Used a water proof glue and deck screws together and then sealed with wood sealer and primed and painted the door. Still going strong. Frank