Wooden facade - repair and maintenance

Wood is a traditional and very popular finishing material.

However, despite its strength, wood, being a natural material, requires periodic care. Unprotected wood is prone to rapid deformation and loss of its qualities.

Main problems with wood

With proper wood impregnation, a facade made of this material can last for many years. However, do not forget that wooden facade panels are constantly exposed to adverse weather conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to impregnate the wood at certain intervals. Symptoms indicating when it is necessary to impregnate the wood again can be visible to the naked eye. One of the signals that the facade panels need hydrophobic impregnation is the "graying" of the wood.

If a house with a wooden façade is located in shady and damp places, for example, in a forest, problems with wooden façade panels may be more common. As is known, wood is especially vulnerable to the effects of moss, lichen, and fungi. In situations where changes in the structure of the wood are only superficial, the façade can still be saved. Repairs are carried out by scraping off external damage with a spatula (you can also use a brush with hard metal bristles) and washing the damaged area with water and detergent. After drying, the wood should be treated with a fungicide to eliminate the mycelium, which is invisible to the eye.

Another situation that owners of wooden facades often face is blueing of wood. This is the so-called bio-corrosion of the material - it weakens the strength of the wood and significantly affects the aesthetics of the facade. To neutralize the problem, the facade panels must be sanded and treated with a fungicide. However, often the "blue" can quickly penetrate deep into the wood, and then the facade panels will only have to be replaced.

Also in wooded areas, there are frequent cases of exposure of wooden facades to various insects. To neutralize them, you can try using an insecticide.

Saving wooden facades

To prevent such problems, wooden facades require periodic maintenance. Changes in the shape and color of the facade panels are an alarm signal. The damaged area must be sanded, removing the affected layer of wood, remove dust, dirt and impregnate the wood with the appropriate impregnation. For such work, choose sunny days without precipitation. Remember that a wide cornice is a very good protection for wooden facades. It effectively protects the facade from precipitation, and also provides protection from the wind. Also, in addition to these measures, the facade panels can also be covered with a layer of paint or varnish. For better protection of wood, painting and varnishing work should be carried out every few years.

Remember that repairing a wooden facade is an expensive and labor-intensive process, so you need to take care of its safety in advance.