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Wood Rot Repair: What Every Homeowner Should Know

By the LPS Exteriors team · Leesburg, VA · Updated 2026

Wood rot is the quiet destroyer of Northern Virginia exteriors. It starts at a failed caulk joint or a splashed windowsill, and by the time it's obvious, it's structural. Here's what to know.

How to spot it early

  • Peeling or bubbling paint, moisture pushing through from behind.
  • Soft, spongy wood, press trim near joints; sound wood is firm.
  • Dark staining or green growth on trim, soffits, and fascia.
  • Crumbling corners at window sills, door frames, and trim boards.

The usual suspects: window and door trim, soffits, fascia behind gutters, deck ledgers, and anywhere two pieces of wood meet and hold water.

Why you can't just paint over it

Rot is a fungus, and paint seals moisture in. The fungus keeps eating until the board, and often the sheathing behind it, is gone. Proper repair means removing all compromised material, treating the area, and installing new material with correct flashing and sealing.

The permanent fix: modern materials

Wherever it makes sense, LPS replaces rotted wood with PVC and engineered trim that cannot rot, holds paint beautifully, and looks identical to wood from the curb. Combined with proper flashing, it turns a recurring maintenance headache into a permanent solution.

Small jobs welcome: one recent customer had downspouts, whole-house trim, and a front door frame replaced in under a day and a half, with transparent pricing and no surprises.

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