Evening painters! My client has asked me to paint the underside of a flight of stairs, which form the ceiling of the flight of stairs below (if that makes sense?). The stairs were natural wood. I've coated them in Zinsser Bin and now need to fill all the various holes. I'm aware there will be a lot of movement here due to the function of the area and want to use the best kind of filler, that will last the longest in this location. Any ideas? Best wishes and thank you in advance. Phoebe
You didn't mention hole size or can they be filled with flexible frame sealant or non solvent Gripfill.
Dear @Astramax , thank you for picking this up. It is the underside of a 300 year old staircase so there are holes and gaps of all variation. Ranging from many small woodworm holes to structural gaps the full width where treads meet rises. So all different sizes really and many quite deep holes. Any advice much appreciated. Thanks
Quite a few types of fillers in the Bio range, have a look at the bio Flex Cool. Repair Care is expensive but on the flip side are very good fillers.
Thank you. I have used Repaircare on the exterior. I’m more tempted by the DecorFill as it looks a lot cheaper but I could be persuaded to use Repaircare if you thought it would last a lot longer? Is the DecorFill superior to the other Tetrion, Ronseal etc 2 part fillers? Will it last?
Hello!! I have been using Bonda Decorfill on the back of the steps as advised, but I have now discovered soft areas of wood on the front, on the treads and risers too caused by a treated woodworm infestation. I have removed the soft wood, leaving some quite large gaps. I now want to use the Repair Care, like you suggested @Astramax, You recommended Bio Flex range and I was just wondering why you recommend Bio Flex instead of Dry Flex 4, as that also advises it can be used for stairs. I also wondered whether there was a product I should use on the remaining wood before I fill it? Thank you for reading
Polymer mastic is best imo. Beading is also a good option if the gap is wide run up but I've seen stairs move an amazing amount when some use... Re photos. You need a chippy to repair that
Thanks @Wayners . I showed the on site chippy and the client, and as there is a deadline approaching and the carpenter believes fixing it would involve replacement of the full flight and structural support, it was agreed that it needed to be treated with a filler. By the way, these kites all come off a structural support beam that goes from the ground to the roof of the house which may also be suffering with some soft wood, which may have something to do with why they can't be removed. I haven't used polymer mastic- is that like using a frame sealant? Which make would you advise as I will probably use a sealant in areas of these steps too. Thanks folks
Repair care dry flex 4 is all that will work on that. Use the primer. Can buy at most trade centres and watch YouTube if you don't know how to use. Wd40 cleans tools.
I went with Bio Flex due to it's working temperature range especially in view of how cold it has been recently. Maybe injecting the decay with liquid wood hardener wouldn't be a bad idea but a full replacement is what should really and seriously be considered.