Subject: bathroom flooring
Date: Thurs, 26 Mar 1998

My problem is in the bathroom alongside the tub. Over the years, water from the shower in the tub had run out around the curtain and down to the floor and under the vinyl tile flooring. Now, the tile has come up and the plywood flooring underneath is rotting. My question: would your product solve this problem? The underflooring is two layers of 3/8" plywood and apparently only the top piece is damaged. The bottom layer doesn't show damage looking at it from underneath the house. Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Wayne G.

Wayne:

Yes, the Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer (CPES) will stop the rot, consolidate the wood, and allow you to re-apply tile. If the ply is not really badly rotted (just soft and punky) then one thorough coating should do it. If it's badly rotted (pieces coming up, holes, etc.) then two coats might be necessary, plus a fill of either Layup & Laminating Resin or Fill-It Epoxy Filler for gaps and holes.

To be most effective, the CPES should be applied to dry or almost dry wood. This means you need to lift off the tile and keep the water off the wood until the bad wood has had a chance to dry. You can also direct a heater-blower on it to facilitate drying.

The CPES will penetrate easily to wherever the wood is bad, both first and second layers. It will take about 3-5 days to cure out in your situation, and then you can proceed with re-covering or whatever. The wood will never rot again.

Bear in mind that the epoxy in CPES is carried into and through the wood by a powerful solvent mixture which has a very strong odor. Open windows and vent fans are recommended. The odor does go away without any lingering smell.

It's hard to predict how much CPES you will need, because everything depends on how much the wood absorbs -- and you do want to give it all it will accept. For a small 4 or 5 square ft area I'd say a 2-quart unit would suffice. If it's larger then you might want to buy two. All products are in stock and we ship within 24 hours.

Come back if you have additional questions.

Doc