Timber Restoration Cost & Work Guide

Professional timber restoration goes beyond a simple lick of paint. It involves stabilising the wood, repairing damage with specialist resins or splices, and applying high-performance finishes that protect your home’s character for years to come.

What Does the Work Involve?

• Initial Assessment: Testing wood density with a probe to identify soft spots, wet rot, or dry rot.
• Stripping and Preparation: Removing decades of old, flaking paint or varnish using heat guns, chemicals, or mechanical sanding.
• Rot Treatment: Cutting out "dead" wood and applying fungicidal wood hardeners to prevent further decay.
• Timber Repairs: Filling cavities with two-part epoxy resins or "splicing" in new matching timber sections (Dutchman repairs).
• Surface Refinement: Progressive sanding to create a smooth, keyed surface for maximum coating adhesion.
• Protective Finishing: Applying specialist primers, undercoats, and weather-resistant topcoats or breathable oils.

Typical Costs

Timber restoration costs vary significantly based on the height of the work (scaffolding requirements) and the severity of the decay. Prices below include labour, professional-grade materials, and VAT at 20%.

The primary cost drivers are the condition of the timber and access. If a decorator needs to work at height on a ladder versus requiring a full scaffold tower, the price will fluctuate accordingly.

How Long Does It Take?

• Standard Front Door: 1–2 days (allowing for drying times between coats).
• Set of 4 Sash Windows: 3–5 days depending on the level of resin repair needed.
• External Cladding/Fascias: 2–4 days for a typical semi-detached home.
• Internal Beam Stripping: 1–2 days per room depending on the method used (e.g., dry ice blasting vs hand sanding).

DIY or Professional?

While basic sanding and staining of garden furniture is a weekend DIY task, restoring structural timber or period features requires professional intervention. UK homeowners should be particularly wary of lead-based paint in pre-1960s homes, which requires specialist extraction and PPE.

Professional restorers use high-build epoxy resins that expand and contract with the wood; standard DIY "polyfilla" style wood fillers often crack and fall out within a single season.

If your property is Listed, you are legally required to use specific materials (like lime-based products or linseed oil paints) and may need to hire a specialist heritage decorator to remain compliant with UK law.

Choosing the Right Tradesperson

• Check Qualifications: Look for NVQ Level 2 or 3 in Painting and Decorating, or membership in the Painting and Decorating Association (PDA).
• Specialist Skills: Ask if they are trained in "Repair Care" or "WindowCare" resin systems, which are the industry standard for permanent timber repairs.
• Portfolio: Request photos of previous timber restorations, specifically "before and after" shots of rot repairs.
• Insurance: Ensure they hold Public Liability Insurance (minimum £1m-£2m) and check if their policy covers the use of heat guns for paint stripping.

UK Regulations

• Building Regulations (Part L): If you are replacing more than 25% of a "thermal element" (like cladding), you may need to improve insulation levels.
• Listed Building Consent: It is a criminal offence to alter the appearance of a listed building without consent from your Local Planning Authority.
• Health and Safety: The Control of Lead at Work Regulations 2002 applies if the decorator is stripping old lead paint.
• Waste Disposal: Professional trades must have a waste carrier's licence to remove old timber and chemical strippings from your site.

Common Problems

• Trapped Moisture: Painting over damp wood is the most common failure; the moisture will eventually "blow" the paint off, causing blisters.
• Incompatible Finishes: Applying modern acrylic paint over old oil-based stains without proper priming leads to immediate peeling.
• Ignoring the Root Cause: Restoring a window sill without fixing a leaking gutter above it means the rot will return within months.
• Over-Sanding: Aggressive machine sanding on period mouldings can "soften" the sharp architectural details that give a property its value.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can rotten timber always be saved?

Not always. If more than 50% of a structural timber is affected by soft rot, or if dry rot has spread into the masonry, replacement is usually more cost-effective and safer than restoration.

What is the difference between wet rot and dry rot?

Wet rot stays confined to the damp area and is easier to treat. Dry rot is more aggressive, as it can travel through brickwork to find new timber; it requires professional chemical treatment of the entire area.

How often should I recoat my exterior timber?

For most UK homes, a maintenance check should be done every 2-3 years. High-quality paint systems typically last 5-8 years, while oils and stains may need refreshing every 2 years.

Is resin repair better than replacing the wood?

Yes, for period features. Resin repairs allow you to keep the original "slow-grown" Victorian or Edwardian timber, which is often higher quality and more durable than modern, fast-grown "off-the-shelf" timber replacements.

Do I need to be home while the work is done?

For external work, you don't necessarily need to be home, provided the decorator has access to water and electricity. However, windows usually need to be left slightly open to dry, so someone should be there to secure the property afterwards.