blueman wrote:
One of the wood structural beams (4x8) of our porch serves dual use as a
"step". However, over the many (~100) years, part of it has work down so that
it is no longer flat with the amount of wear varying between 1/4 and
1/2" For many reasons, I do not want to replace the beam but I would
like to level it off and restore it to its original height.

The 3 ideas I am considering a
1. Sand it down to an even level and then fill it with a uniform
thickness board. My concern is that it could be a fair bit of work
and that I would prefer not to take off more wood.

2. Fill and level off with an expoy-type mixture. Not sure though what
would be the best materials to use and how strong/durable it would
be.

3. Hybrid approach. First fill to get the surface level and then cover
with final uniform 1/4" piece of material (though not sure what
would be best to use that would weather well and stand up to some abuse)

Any thoughts on whether this or other approaches would be recommended?

Thanks!

Either #1 or #2 would work. Forget number three. A 1/4"
material will not stand up to much of anything much less foot
traffic as a step.

The easiest would be #2. It wouldn't be very pretty unless
you stain or paint it, and that won't last, but it would be
very strong. Don't use an epoxy type mixture, use epoxy.
There are several that are designed for wood restoration. Try
www.rotdoctor.com or West Marine for epoxies or you can find
them at your local cement products place.

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX