Epoxy consolidation on a 1920s sill

Started probing the sill this morning. The outer 2 inches are soft but the core is still sound. I'm leaning toward consolidating rather than cutting a patch — the profile is too ornate to replicate cleanly.

Good call. I've had better luck with two-part epoxy on sills that have a molded edge. Just make sure you drill small holes for the consolidant to penetrate — surface application alone won't reach the rot.

Thanks, that's exactly the kind of detail I was missing. How long do you let it cure before shaping? I don't want to sand too early and gum up the paper.

I wait a full 24 hours even if the label says 8. The deeper sections stay tacky longer, and shaping too soon pulls the epoxy out of the grain. Use a sharp chisel, not a sander, for the first pass.

Also worth checking the flashing above the sill. Most rot I see starts from a failed drip edge, not the sill itself. Fix that first or you'll be back here next season.

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