Author Topic: small amount of rotting sheathing  (Read 9271 times)

carclown

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small amount of rotting sheathing
« on: February 28, 2016, 04:20:16 AM »
My house has vinyl siding, OSB sheathing, and is house wrapped. There is a small section of sheathing (OSB) that is rotten on the wall behind my kitchen sink. I am not sure how long it has been like that. I recently fixed a leaking faucet (water line screwed in too loose, no teflon on the threads), leaking garbage disposal (old, on borrowed time), drain pipes, and strainer for the non garbage disposal side (leaking due to the cardboard packaging being installed with the gasket on the bottom).  The previous owners had some kind of issue as well. There is a section of drywall that was cut out under the sink. Instead of putting in proper insulation, the previous owners sprayed in a bunch of that great foam stuff, and put a piece of cardboard over it. When I tore out the great foam, I noticed the sheathing issue.

I am on the fence of making this a DIY because the pipes that supply the sink, outdoor facet, and dishwasher are right there, so I am not sure how I would cut the sheathing without hitting the pipes. The rotten section is only about 8 x 12 inches, but is on a stud, so it will require replacing a section that spans two studs.

I would like some advice before I dive into it and get in over my head, or end up face punching myself for throwing away money paying someone to do something easy.

paddedhat

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Re: small amount of rotting sheathing
« Reply #1 on: February 28, 2016, 06:17:55 AM »
If you are comfortable with a circular saw, it's a quick, easy fix.  Pull the siding off, and cut the house wrap back. Lay out a rectangle that you will be removing, using a framing square. This would be from the center of one stud to another, 32" away. Take a cat's paw puller and remove any nails near the cut lines.  Now  set the depth of cut to about a 1/8th of an inch deeper than the OSB, or roughly 9/16th. Next is where it gets a little tricky. You may need to learn a saw technique called drop cutting. Basically, you place the front edge of the saw's shoe on the wall, and slowly lower the blade into the cut line, by rocking the saw back into the wall, until the shoe is tight to the wall. This allows you to start the cut. Keep a tight grip on the saw! You are stronger than the saw, and need to keep it under control, since it can bind and want to jump out of the cut. It's can be a bit unnerving at first, but hold tight, and keep a steady hand. Remember that you need to over cut, past the corners of the layout lines, since the blade needs to cut all the way through the OSB at the corners.

Once you remove the patch, thoroughly inspect the plumbing. If everything is good, re-insulate and install a new patch of OSB. nail the patch to the studs with 8D cement coated nails. Staple the house wrap up and tape the seams with the house wrap tape. Don't nail the vinyl tight, and nail in the center of the nail slots. You should be able to slip a dime under the head of the nail, when you're done. This allows the vinyl to expand and contract.

lthenderson

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Re: small amount of rotting sheathing
« Reply #2 on: February 29, 2016, 07:37:21 AM »
The rotten section is only about 8 x 12 inches, but is on a stud, so it will require replacing a section that spans two studs.

Paddlehats advice is right on for replacing the damage. My question is why do you want to replace the damaged sheathing at this point? It is likely not structurally significant and as long as the water damage has been fixed and it is dried out, it won't get worse. I would reinsulate, patch the hole and call it a day. Going to all the work of tearing off siding, wrapping just to replace a tiny section of sheathing is overkill. I've resided houses and fixed much larger areas of rotten sheathing than less than one square foot and they were in no danger of falling in a heap.

paddedhat

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Re: small amount of rotting sheathing
« Reply #3 on: February 29, 2016, 06:20:30 PM »
The rotten section is only about 8 x 12 inches, but is on a stud, so it will require replacing a section that spans two studs.

Paddlehats advice is right on for replacing the damage. My question is why do you want to replace the damaged sheathing at this point? It is likely not structurally significant and as long as the water damage has been fixed and it is dried out, it won't get worse. I would reinsulate, patch the hole and call it a day. Going to all the work of tearing off siding, wrapping just to replace a tiny section of sheathing is overkill. I've resided houses and fixed much larger areas of rotten sheathing than less than one square foot and they were in no danger of falling in a heap.

Excellent point, and something I failed to catch. The next question is, what is the OP's definition of rot? OSB can get pretty nasty colored, and moldy looking with a bit of continual water exposure. That said, it could still be quite sound. I would only declare it to be rotted if it was swollen to the point that it left a lump in the exterior wall, and/or I could easily push a small screwdriver through it. If not, spray it with bleach, and keep a fan on it until it dries.

lthenderson

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Re: small amount of rotting sheathing
« Reply #4 on: March 01, 2016, 08:00:32 AM »
I usually go with the old screwdriver poke and if it doesn't go all the way through, it is not completely rotted. To the OP, another thing to look for outside besides a bump in that area is sagging siding. I had some of that going on when I resided my house last fall/winter and sure enough the blackboard behind it had lots of water damage from a badly installed deck above.