REPAIRING damage

Old shutters typically show damage at the joints between stiles, rails, panels, and slats, as well as at attachment points for hardware. As the joints open, water seeps into the wood, encouraging decay. I use a variety of techniques to bring back historic shutters, including those that look beyond hope. I allow the shutter to dry out completely in a covered, dry area. After repairs and before priming with oil paint, I’ll saturate difficult-to-reach areas with linseed oil.

1. A COBRA PAINT REMOVER STRIPS AWAY OLD PAINT CLEANLY WITH LOW HEAT.

The low-heat method reduces the chance of lead vaporizing into the atmosphere—but wear a NIOSH-approved respirator mask (P100), just in case.

2. ONCE THE PAINT IS OUT OF THE WAY, I TIGHTEN UP JOINTS,

including through tenons, with wedges driven into the voids that appear on the outer edges of stiles after years of wood shrinkage. Sometimes these joints also get pegged.

3. VOIDS ARE FILLED IN WITH A COMBINATION OF WOODSPECIFIC EPOXIES,

such as Abatron’s Liquid Wood and WoodEpox or similar products from West System. A resinous epoxy is dripped into deep crevices to help stabilize damaged wood, followed by patching with a variety of moldable epoxy.

4. SINCE MOLDABLE EPOXIES CAN BE CUT AND ROUTED AFTER CURING,

I use Bahco carbide scraper profiles and Stortz pull scrapers to replicate the desired missing form. The pull scrapers are sharpened almost constantly with a flat metal file. Easier work, less force—meaning fewer mistakes.

5. I OFTEN CUT CUSTOM SANDING BLOCKS TO MATCH RAISEDPANEL ANGLES

and maintain crisp corners, inside and out.

6. I ALSO USE COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE PROFILE BACKERS TO STRIP PAINT OR EPOXY

out of hard-to-reach areas.