- An Overview
- Easy Instructions
- Cure Time Chart
- Coverage and Shelf-Life
- Uses and Techniques:
- For Restoring Rotted Wood
- As a Primer
- CPES Application
- As a Sealant and Preservative
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CPES™
Clear Penetrating
Epoxy Sealer
An Overview
CPES is the leading product for treating rotted wood. Here's why: The fungus that causes dry rot retains a lot of moisture and resists the penetration of sealers and other rot treatments that cannot displace water. Also, the relatively high viscosity of most epoxy dry rot treatments prevents penetrating deep into the affected wood. In addition to alcohol, CPES™ contains other precisely measured organic solvents which act as "carriers" and take the epoxy deep into the wood and then evaporate out over a period of time. The resin is carried through the soft or bad wood and into the top layers of the solid wood to seal and form a bonding surface no other product on the market can achieve. The resins used in CPES™ are derived mostly from wood and when cured have a toughness and flexibility similar to the wood itself. To see test results of CPES™ and other epoxies marketed for wood restoration, go to our product test section.
CPES is also an excellent primer. All wood contains moisture, as well as varying amounts of "sap". Different woods have different amounts of these which are chemically attached to the cellulose wood fibers. To obtain a good bond between the wood and a surface coating, the fibers on the surface of the wood must be strongly bonded to the coating. If not, the wood surface soaks up the liquid part of the coating and leaves the solids on top where deterioration is relatively rapid. CPES™ contains a high percentage of special solvents to displace and dissolve both the wood moisture and the sap and oils to form an enduring bond with the wood fibers.
Are there alternative ways you can treat bad wood using cheaper epoxy resins? The answer is no, not if you want to do it right. All standard epoxy resins (including WEST) are petroleum based. They cure hard and brittle. WEST and others suggest that you can thin their resins using such things as acetone, MEK, toluene, or alcohol for greater penetration. This is true, but are you a chemist to mix the right thinners in the right proportions to carry resin through bad wood and into good wood? And when whatever you put in there evaporates, you're still left with a hard resin. It's like putting rocks in your wood. Why bother? We've done it all for you with a tested, tough, flexible wood derived resin product. You mix it 1:1, stir vigorously, and apply. It's that simple.
Minwax makes a wood hardener which is acrylic-based. This is not epoxy, is not nearly as strong, its long-term endurance is questionable, and in our experience its penetration is spotty. The solvents tend to leave the acrylic hardener behind, and it doesn't penetrate as well as CPES™. We do not recommend it.
What if you have resin on hand that you want to use? Will it bond with the CPES™? The answer is yes. Any epoxy or urethane resin/paint/coating will make a tight molecular bond with the CPES™. If you have resin on hand that you want to use, it'll work. It is also been suggested that you can heat a standard resin and possibly even the wood itself for greater penetration. We believe that heating polymer resins and wood is not a good idea -- for obvious reasons. It can be dangerous, the penetration will be much less than CPES™, and it will dry hard and brittle. Rocks in your wood again.
This stuff is very easy to use . . .
CPES™ is a two-component product with the consistency of diesel fuel, mixed 1:1, part A and part B. Apply by brush, solvent-resistant roller, sprayer, or inject by syringe until wood is completely saturated and will accept no more epoxy. Allow approximately 1-3 days for solvents to evaporate before applying paints, urethanes, varnishes, Fill-It™ Epoxy Filler or regular epoxy resin (see cure time chart below). Unmixed CPES, kept in closed cans and at above freezing temperatures, has a shelf life of over 5 years.
NOTE: Use disposable natural-bristle brushes (Foam brushes melt). For an excellent syringe, order Dr. Rot's CPES Injection Kit which also includes everything you'll need for the injection method. Spray bottles w/funnels are also available. |