Wood Hardener Penetrating Epoxy

Clear Penetrating Epoxy Wood Hardener is a thin epoxy that penetrates deeply into rotten timber. Designed in the 70’s for restoring rotten structural timbers in boats it is now available in the UK. Use it in conjunction with our Fill-It epoxy filler to restore profiles after hardening the rotten timber.

Why Smiths Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer (CPES) is the best Wood Hardener Penetrating Epoxy?

There are a variety of single part wood hardeners available on the UK market. Most are made of an acrylic plastic dissolved in a solvent like styrene. Our Smiths CPES Wood hardener is a penetrating epoxy that differs from these products in the following ways:

• You can achieve permanent repairs
  • CPES penetrates deeply and finds all rot, including rot not visible to the naked eye
  • No more re-doing the job the next year
• External repairs that last
  • Because epoxies are permanently waterproof
  • As CPES flexes with the natural movement of wood
  • Since CPES bonds tightly and permanently to the wood fibres
• Highly compatible with fillers, sealers and surface finishes
  • For best results, use our Fill-It epoxy filler; it’s flexible permanent and waterproof
  • Modern caulks, hybrids and polyurethanes will bond tenaciously to it
  • It’s the perfect primer for paint and varnish too

This is why our two part epoxy wood hardener will always outperform any single part wood hardener.

CPES Penetration into timber

New timber penetration

Smiths CPES Wood hardener penetrates 8cm of new beech end grain in 3 minutes.

Rotten timber penetration

It can completely consolidate a section of rotten timber into a solid block of plasticised wood.

Previously I found the piece of completely rotted wood shown below underneath a window in my house. It was so crumbly that I could turn it to dust with my fingertips alone.

Repairing rot with Smiths CPES Timber Hardener

Here are the six steps to rotten wood restoration in pictures:

1. Shows a typical section of rotten timber
2. Firstly remove crumbly rotten wood by flaking it out with your fingertips
3. Then consolidate the remaining rotten timber with Smiths CPES Penetrating Epoxy wood consolidator
4. Following that fill any missing sections of timber with Fill-It epoxy wood filler
5. Then sand to restore profiles
6. Repeat till exterior profile is perfect

Should you wish to buy Fill-It epoxy filler as well as Smiths penetrating epoxy wood hardener, they can be purchased together at a discount as a rotten wood repair kit.

Hardening Spalted Timber

We have had many customers over the years harden spalted (partially rotted) timber with CPES. The timber is strong enough when treated to be worked and finished, and durable enough to last as well.

See how Paul Fowler hardened the spalted Wood Nymph here.