ELMERS E761L Damaged Wood Repair System 12 Oz (E761Q)

This stuff is magical! I wound up with a deep, large gap between my wall and trim around my door when I was remodeling my kitchen. I wasn't sure what to do with the gap, as it was too big for just putty or caulking, but found a YouTube video of someone using this Elmers wood repair and thought I would give it a try. It worked out great! I had ample time to prep and then fill the gap. It dried like cement and is holding up fantastic! I still need to paint it, but I am very pleased.

This product is phenomenal for my need: repairing an old hinge mortise. We had a passthrough from kitchen to dining room with doors. We removed the doors but there were unsightly mortises where the hinges were. I didn't want or have the tools to cut a perfect wood plug. I have worked with epoxy before and intended to use bondo (automotive epoxy) to fill it, but was worried about getting the thick batter-like consistency to keep its shape. I happened across this wood repair epoxy and I am so glad I did. It comes together easily, can be portioned out 1:1 by weight on a paper plate and kitchen scale, has the consistency of playdough, and easily holds its shape. It seems to take about 20 minutes or so before the reaction really begins, so there is plenty of time to work with it. And a major plus: unlike most epoxies it hardly smells at all! I expected my wife who is sensitive to smells to react badly when I started using it. But she was just a few feet away and unaware. When fully cured (24 hours) it has a similar hardness to wood. It sands and drills well. I recommend you try to avoid applying it too thick or you'll have to do a lot of sanding. In my case, I used a putty knife to get it level as possible, then used a sanding block to sand it level , and then applied a layer of drywall joint compound over it to fill any low spots and hide the joint. Under this condition (thin layer of drywall compound over it) the epoxy takes paint well. I was so happy with this thing I used it to redo a door repair: the lock mortise had been drilled out too much and one of the screws holding the latch bolt faceplate in had nothing to hold on to. Some of this epoxy playdough in there and voila! I could finally get that faceplate secured. One of the door jambs had a chunk of wood missing. Fixed that too! I think back on other repairs I've made in the past and how this could have fixed it so much easier. Anyone that has used bondo to repair wood: forget it. Use this instead.

Used this to repair rotted wood on the bottom 6 inches of a french door frame. Snow drift accumulation over a period of years caused the damage before I realized it. After prepping what was left of the wood, I used this Elmer's product to build up the frame and door stop; to do fine shaping, I used my finger dipped in water and it worked very well without sticking. Very similar to shaping caulk with a wet finger. Dried rock-hard overnight and was able to sand and prep for painting the next day. Painted entire door frame which is now as strong and nice looking as when it was new. Great product - no fumes, easy to mix with your hands (I used rubber gloves initially, but ended up using bare hands for smaller pieces & shaping of product, and it was not harmful to the skin and easy to clean off). One other point: if you mix the two parts 1 to 1 (per instructions), then after mixing, you will have plenty of time to apply and shape the product. It is also thick enough that it won't droop or sag on you, yet easy to work with your hands. Overall, money well spent and money saved!

I purchased this repair system after watching a youtube review to repair a damaged external door. So first things first... would I buy this again? Absolutely. I found it to do a better job than I expected. It was a little bit hard to work with, but I think that is my fault more than the product. Its not perfect, so no 5 stars. I had a section of outside garage door that needed to be replaced after a termite bond inspection. There was a notch in the door missing, approximately 3" x 2" x 1.5". I was about to remove additional wood that appeared to be damaged that made the section about 4.5" x 3" x 1.5. Home depot had a 3oz kit of this, but I didn't believe it would be enough, so I ordered this kit. With the section that I repaired, I had approximately half of the kit left over, so it did go well. Being a typical guy I pretty much didn't pay attention to the instructions, and mixed it in my hands. This stuff is very "tacky" and sticky, so it made a mess in my hands, but mixed easily enough. I applied it to the spot and put in excess over the spot intentionally so I could sand it back down to approximate size. Much to my suprise the next day it was VERY solid, had more of a feel like concrete than wood. It was in my opinion difficult to sand, and it was a little hard to work with, so I'm giving it 5 stars because of that reason. However, I have no doubt that this repair will last and I'm not worried about having to do it again. I would absolutely recommend this product if you are dealing with a small section to repair.

I'm very pleased with both the ease of use and the performance of this wood repair. I've been using the Minwax wood repair for years. It performs well, but can be finicky to mix since one of the parts is a liquid. This, in contrast, is more like clay, so you kneed the two parts together. It's very simple to do and pretty much mess-free compared with other 2-part epoxy systems. As with any rotten wood repair system, it's critical to remove all the damaged/rotten wood first so the patch can properly bond to solid wood. I removed all the rotten wood but, to be sure of a good bond, I also used the Elmer's rotten wood stabilizer a week prior to using the repair product. The end result was a perfectly solid patch that, when painted, is very hard to spot that it's been patched. Working with it is easy, although it is a bit sticky. Dip the putty knife (or whatever you're using to smooth out the final coat) in water prior to use and it helps make the final coat very smooth to minimize the need for sanding. All in all, a great product.

I have used it half a dozen times now, mostly to repair door frames, windows, and interior trims. Works great. I recommend wearing nitrile gloves because the stuff is very sticky. Work with small quantities at a time: I cut an eighth or a sixth or each packet with a spatula, and mix well by folding the stuff several times until color is uniform. Freshly prepared epoxy has the consistency of play-do and must be packed in hole with fingers (cannot really be applied with tools). Smell is mild (you can smell it when you work it but it won't stink up you house). Cured epoxy can be easily sculpted with an oscillatory saw or utility knife, or sanded to mimic original shape. Paint adheres well on dry stuff. Very workable and results are durable (one window was done 1.5 years ago and is still looking great). One box is enough to fix approx. 10-15 inches of rotten door frame.

Used it to rebuild a rotten brick molding that framed our front door. Saved us from more expensive carpentry work. Carpenter was impressed with my results, and probably mildly disappointed, but he couldn't fault my work. New storm door installed, looks great, and I would gladly purchase this product again if I need it. Highly recommended.

I had an entry door that was not the proper grade and exposed to a lot of harsh weather. Even with frequent filling and repainting, the door panels kept splitting. I tried several other products to fill the gaps, but the cracks always came back. None of the single part products worked. The key to success here is the fact that it is a two part epoxy. The chemical reaction will cause it to harden much better than something that just uses air to dry. Filled the gap, sanded smooth, painted, and never cracked again! So happy I found this product. Here's a tip. Instead of trying to mix it with a putty knife, just put on a rubber glove, dig out equal parts from the tubs, and knead it in your hand. It is much easier to mix that way and you can do a little at a time, if that's all you need. If you need to use a lot, get two gloves and mash it together with both hands. They used to sell the product at one of the two big chain stores, but it doesn't seem to be as available as it once was. I hope I can still find it when I need it, because nothing else even comes close.