Dry Rot & Wood Repair in Marin County & San Francisco
Dry rot is a fungus that breaks down wood, often after moisture gets behind trim, siding, or joints in Marin and San Francisco homes. McCarthy Painting identifies the damage, explains the repair path, and fixes affected wood with in-house carpenters before paint goes over it.
Dry Rot Can Hide Behind Paint Until the Wood Fails
Paint can make a board look solid from the street even when the wood underneath is soft, crumbling, or already infected by fungus. The repair has to start with finding the problem, not covering it.
Paint Hides the Damage
Trim, siding, shingles, fascia, and window surrounds can look fine until someone presses the surface and the wood gives way.
Moisture Gets Behind Joints
Water intrusion, unsealed end grain, missing back priming, and open seams can give fungus the conditions it needs to take hold.
Cheap Wood Fails Early
Finger-jointed trim and lower-quality materials can move unevenly in sun and weather, opening paths for moisture and decay.
California Rot Behaves Differently
Unlike East Coast wood that stays wet through summer storms, California dry rot can keep pulling moisture from the air after the fungus starts.
Painting Over It Wastes Money
New paint belongs on sound material. Coating damaged wood can hide the problem temporarily while the decay keeps moving.
Why Homeowners Trust McCarthy Painting With Dry Rot Repairs
Inspection Before Paint
Greg’s team inspects exterior surfaces the way a home inspector would, poking each surface because paint can hide decay until pressure reveals it.
In-House Carpenters
McCarthy uses carpenters who are actual employees, not subcontractors, so repair work and painting stay coordinated under one accountable team.
General Contractor’s License
Greg holds a general contractor’s license alongside the painting license, which matters when a painting project uncovers structural wood repair decisions.
Three Practical Repair Paths
Depending on the damage, the crew can replace with like materials, upgrade to better materials, or repair in place with epoxy when removal is too costly.
Built for Marin Conditions
Fog, shade, sun exposure, rain, and hillside microclimates all affect how exterior wood performs and how repairs should be protected afterward.
55 Years of Local Work
After more than five decades painting local homes, McCarthy Painting has seen what lasts in Marin and San Francisco, and what fails early.
Expert Repair Decisions Before the Finish Coat
General Contractor + Painting License
Dry rot repair often sits at the intersection of carpentry and coatings. McCarthy Painting can assess both sides of the job.
Employee Carpenters, Not Subs
Wood repair is handled by McCarthy’s own team, which keeps scheduling, quality control, communication, and accountability in one place.
55+ Years in Business
A long local track record means the crew understands Marin and San Francisco homes, older materials, new construction failures, and repaint cycles.
Three Ways McCarthy Repairs Dry Rot and Wood Rot
Remove and Replace Like-for-Like
When the right answer is straightforward replacement, damaged trim, siding, fascia, shingles, or other wood can be removed and rebuilt with matching materials.
- Replace failed exterior wood
- Match existing profiles where appropriate
- Prime and paint repaired areas properly
Upgrade to Better Materials
In some locations, replacing failed wood with better materials such as fiber cement siding or trim creates a smarter long-term repair than repeating the same failure.
- Fiber cement siding and trim options
- Better resistance in exposed areas
- Repair recommendations based on exposure
Repair in Place With Wood Epoxy
When full removal would be too costly or disruptive, epoxy repair can sometimes stabilize and rebuild damaged areas while preserving the surrounding material.
- Targeted repair where replacement is impractical
- Decay removed before rebuild
- Finished and coated to protect the repair
What Greg Has Seen on Marin Homes
The Mill Valley and Tiburon comparison
Greg described a Mill Valley house he painted himself 30 years ago. It was built with old growth redwood, and when the home came back around for repainting, there was almost no rot.
He also described a two-year-old, multi-million-dollar Tiburon home where all the window trim was rotting. The problem was finger-jointed trim: it cannot expand and contract evenly in the sun, so moisture gets in and the trim starts failing fast.
Real Reviews From Exterior Painting and Wood Repair Clients
Don’t take our word for it. Here’s what Marin and San Francisco homeowners say about exterior painting, carpentry repair, prep, cleanup, and communication.
"A BIG shout out for excellent work quality and overall great experience on the exterior painting of our home."
It was a pleasure working with the McCarthy team to get the exterior of our house painted. From Robbie whose estimate was right on to Mariah who answered my many questions and made scheduling a breeze, to our painters Gino and Carlos who were always on time, quiet, did a great job painting and excellent clean up.
Gricelda and Miguel just finished painting the exterior of our house. I cannot imagine a better job or more delightful people to be around. They were very careful of the plants around the house. Greg, the owner, planned everything perfectly which made the business end of it very easy.
The McCarthy teams that we used for our decks were wonderful. This was a bear of a project given the amount of decking we have and all of it was done so well by both the carpentry team and the finishing team.
I had my house painted by McCarthy. Robbie did the estimate, and Cristian and Gabriel did the work. Robbie was the only one that tested the existing paint for lead. Cristian went beyond all of expectations and also did a number of carpentry repairs that turned out great.
We would highly recommend McCarthy Painting! Greg was so communicative during our 6 wk exterior project. Nelson and Moises were especially great at replacing or repairing damaged wood and shingles during the week of prep work. It was a one stop shop!
Moises and Abner from McCarthy Painting did a fantastic job painting our house in July. Attention to detail, carefulness with our property, friendliness, and good communication helped make this project a really good experience for us.
McCarthy is a really great team to work with all around. Greg gave me different ideas as we talked through the job, outlining options, costs and trade offs. The quality is top level — they really spent time on every detail. My home has been transformed.
Dry Rot Repair Across Marin and San Francisco
McCarthy Painting serves homeowners throughout Marin County, San Francisco, and nearby Bay Area communities where fog, shade, rain exposure, and coastal air can create wood repair issues.
- Mill Valley
- Tiburon
- Belvedere
- Sausalito
- San Rafael
- San Anselmo
- Fairfax
- Larkspur
- Corte Madera
- Kentfield
- Ross
- Novato
- Woodacre
- San Francisco
Common Questions About Dry Rot and Wood Repair
What is dry rot?
Dry rot is a fungus that breaks down wood, not just ordinary water damage. Greg compares it to a cavity: you either drill out the decay and fill it, or you pull the whole tooth. On a home, that means the damaged wood either has to be repaired in place or removed and replaced so paint is protecting sound material.
How do I know if I have dry rot?
You may have dry rot if wood feels soft, crumbles when pressed, shows open joints, or looks intact but gives way when probed. Paint can hide the damage, so McCarthy Painting checks trim, siding, fascia, shingles, window trim, and other exposed areas by inspecting and poking surfaces the way a home inspector would.
Is dry rot the same as wood rot?
Dry rot is a type of wood rot caused by fungus. The important difference in California is that the wood does not have to stay visibly wet all summer for the fungus to keep spreading; once dry rot takes hold, it can pull moisture from the air and continue damaging the wood.
Can dry rot be repaired without replacing the wood?
Yes, some dry rot can be repaired in place with wood epoxy when full removal would be too costly or disruptive. Other areas need to be removed and replaced with like materials, or upgraded to better materials such as fiber cement siding and trim when that is the smarter long-term repair.
Why does dry rot happen in Marin County?
Dry rot happens in Marin County because fog, shade, rain exposure, cheap wood, missing back priming, and water intrusion give fungus the conditions it needs to start. Marin can look dry much of the year, but once moisture gets behind trim, siding, or joints, the fungus can continue drawing moisture from the air.
Does McCarthy Painting repair dry rot, or only paint over it?
McCarthy Painting repairs dry rot and wood damage before painting when the project calls for it. The company has in-house carpenters who are actual employees, not subcontractors, and Greg holds a general contractor’s license in addition to the painting license, so the team can assess the repair path instead of simply coating over damaged wood.
Ready to Repair Dry Rot Before It Gets Worse?
Tell us what you are seeing: soft trim, failing siding, window trim damage, fascia problems, or wood that looks fine until it is pressed. McCarthy Painting can inspect the issue, explain the repair options, and protect the repaired surfaces with the right finish.
- Dry rot repair, wood replacement, epoxy repair, siding, trim, fascia, and shingle repairs
- Serving Marin County, San Francisco, and the Bay Area
- General contractor’s license, painting license, and 55+ years of local experience
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