Trim
Wood Rot Repair in Round Rock
A screwdriver that sinks into the trim under a window has found rot. It is common on houses from the 1980s through the 2000s, and it is fixable.
Finding It
Press suspect trim with a screwdriver. Sound wood resists. Rotted wood gives.
Check window sills, the bottoms of corner boards, garage door trim and the chimney box.
The repair is to cut back to sound wood and stop the water that caused it.
About six in ten Round Rock housing units were built between 1980 and 2009. Wood and pressed-board trim, wherever a builder used it, holds up only as long as its paint and caulk do.
Rot needs water that stays. The usual sources are a failed caulk joint above, a sprinkler that wets the wall daily, or a board end sitting on a roof or a slab.
Source: Census ACS 2019–2023 via Point2Homes for the housing-era share.
Where It Shows Up
Window and door trim
Lower corners and sills, where water runs down the frame and sits.
Garage door jambs
The bottom few inches, which wick water from the driveway.
Corner boards
The bottom ends, close to soil and mulch.
Chimney boxes
The lowest rows of siding and trim where the box meets the roof.
Fascia ends
At corners and where gutters overflow.
Columns and porch posts
The base, especially when it sits directly on concrete.
A Repair That Lasts
The rotted section is cut out past the soft wood to solid material. Small pockets in an otherwise sound board can be consolidated and filled with epoxy. Larger damage means a new piece.
The replacement is primed on every face, including the back and the cut ends, before it goes up. Rot-proof trim such as PVC or fiber cement is worth asking about for the spots that failed.
Then the water is dealt with: new flashing above a window, a gap under a board that was touching the roof, a sprinkler head turned away.
If the framing behind the trim is soft, the job grows. A contractor should show you before going further.
Questions About Wood Rot Repair
Is wood rot an emergency?
Not usually, but it spreads while it stays wet. Fixing a small area this year is cheaper than a large one next year.
Can rotted trim just be filled and painted?
Only small spots in sound boards. Filler over soft wood fails quickly.
Does a siding contractor handle trim rot?
Most do. Mention it on the form so the request goes to one that does.
Screwdriver Went In?
Say where on the house and how big the soft area is.
Call (737) 237-8867 Write It Down Instead