- 1). Remove as much of the rotted wood as possible with the chisel, screwdriver and putty knife. Some of the rotted wood will still be left.
- 2). Use the small saw to cut about 1/2 inch beyond any wood that looks rotten. This may take some time if the rotten wood is at an unusual angle or in the middle of a piece of wood. It is important to saw away some of the healthy wood as well, because the fungus can live inside wood that looks healthy.
- 3). Scrape the area with a wire brush to remove any sawdust or fungal residue. Pour some wood hardener into a small bowel or dish and apply liberally to the wood. This will harden the wood and help it resist further rot damage. Allow the wood to dry for two hours before filling the hole with epoxy filler.
- 4). Inspect the area around the wood to identify the cause of the moisture. Remove the object causing the wood to become moist and repair any leaks surrounding the wood.
- 5). Remove the top 2 inches of soil surrounding a 3-foot-square area around the wood. The fungus that causes dry rot lives in the soil. Removing the soil from around the wood will remove most of the fungus from the area and prevent the wood from rotting. Throw the contaminated soil into the trash. Do not place it anywhere else in your yard.
- 6). Check the wood about once a month after the removal of the rot. Test the wood to see if any rot remains. If moisture or rot returns, try to find the cause of moisture damage. It may be that the wood is in too humid of an area and the rot will remain. If this is the case, then you will probably have to remove the wood from the area and replace it with stone or plaster.
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