Repairing and Painting a Patio Cover in San Diego

We’ve recently been showcasing a variety of home painting and repair projects we’ve finished here in the San Diego area, ranging from garages to decks to exterior paint and stain. It’s been a busy summer, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Today, we thought we’d share a closer look at a fantastic paint and repair project one of our longstanding craftsmen completed. Rather than involve a deck or siding, however, this repair involved a patio cover.

How Can You Repair Extreme Dry Rot? With Extreme Craftsmanship!

Dry rot is an insidious foe, sneakily working its way into any weak points in your home’s exterior. Once it finds a good base camp, it sets up a buffet line and begins working its way through any healthy wood fibers it can find.

In this case, there was substantial damage done to the wood in our client’s patio cover.

Dry rot can be tricky because the worst damage isn’t always obvious from a quick glance. Paint can hide soft spots, and what looks like a small issue on the surface can be much bigger once you start checking the surrounding wood. That’s why it’s so important to take repairs seriously the first time instead of hoping it’ll “hold together for one more season.”

We began by completely rooting out the issue and starting from scratch with replacement wood. The patch would later become a seamless, invisible repair, but it began (as you can see in the slideshow above) as an addition of healthy wood to replace the section that was beyond saving.

That “rooting out” step is the difference between a cosmetic patch and a real fix. If any compromised material is left behind, dry rot has a way of returning—especially in exterior areas that see regular sun exposure and occasional moisture.

After the Repair It Was Time for Painting!

Well, technically this was a SuperDeck solid body stain from Sherwin-Williams. As you may know, stain is offered in a variety of opacities, and solid acts very much like paint. It finds a home on decks as well, but oftentimes homeowners prefer more transparency to let the natural grain shine through. That wasn't a necessity in this case, and the solid body stain offered the kind of complete protection that the sunbaked wood needs.

Solid-body stain can be a smart choice when:

• The wood has already weathered heavily and needs more coverage
• You want a uniform finish that hides repaired areas well
• You need strong protection from intense sun and exterior exposure

At the end of the project our client was left with a restored, attractive, and healthy patio cover. It was a pleasure to put our expertise to work!



If you have exterior painting or repair questions for us at Chism Brothers Painting, we hope you'll reach out.