Examples of Moisture Damage
This shutter frame is at the bottom of a window with a broken window seal, bathing the area in moisture on a regular basis. Note that damage is most severe at the wood ends, where moisture can most readily enter the wood grain. Repeated swelling and subsidence has caused the wood to separate at the joints of the window frame, shutter frame and window sill. Paint has flaked away entirely in some areas leaving bare or barely undercoated wood. Solution: repair and re-caulk the window seal to eliminate air flow and incoming moisture.
These louvers were wet repeatedly by an air-conditioning vent with a failed dryer system. Note how paint cracks follow the longitudinal lines of the wood grain. The cracking and peeling is worst close to the moisture source at the front edge of the louvers. Solution: re-direct the vent so as not to aim at the shutters and repair the moisture filtration unit.
