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Our biweekly podcast allows editors, authors, and special guests to answer your woodworking questions and connect with the online woodworking community. You can even mix in a scoop of coffee grounds to turn the epoxy black. This is usually not a problem indoors unless the piece is left in a window. Epoxy works great for filling knots, cracks, voids and other wood defects as it repairs and stabilizes rotted wood. I have a tongue and groove 2x6 raw wood floor that has dried and shrunk. Scrape to flat the next day, and you're done. Youll do those things after filling. I've always overfilled so that the bubbles that came to the surface afterward got sanded out during the leveling process. Get complete site access to video workshops, digital plans library, online archive, and more, plus the print magazine. UNLIMITED membership - Get access to it all. Copyright 2022 Woodworkers Source | Home | Site Map, VIDEO: How to Give Mahogany an Awesome Wood Finish with Tung Oil Varnish + Polyurethane, VIDEO: The Difference Between Red & White Oak Lumber, A Beginners Guide to Oil Finishes & Awesome Results, VIDEO: 4 Tips for Woodworking with Roasted Oak Lumber (heat treated), Classes by Southwest School of Woodworking. It seems more honest to me. This article has been viewed 195,689 times. There's also an issue with epoxy that if you mix a large batch, as it begins the chemical reaction that causes it to cure it generates heat; the heat speeds the reaction, generates more heat and so on. I like epoxy in general because it's cure rate is fairly predictable. First, some tips. You do need to watch to ensure that the wood doesn't keep absorbing the epoxy and create a concave area in the fill. First, I adjusted the flame on my mini torch to low. Much more flexible we thing thantheepoxy so it should work well. Vice President of Operations Woodworkers Source 1. I lay it in the void a little heavy, and let dry 24 hours. Furniture Refinishing & Home Remodeling Specialists. Once the epoxy dried, I poured a blue epoxy river, flattened the wood slab table with my router, and sanded the table smooth. May be needing some epoxy on curent project, and have a question. Itll take on the color of the stain, blending in with the wood. Thestock will be 3/4" thick. The epoxy is quite hard when it dries. A plane is fasterand gives you a good, level surface anyway much better than sanding. Epoxy is better for treating large cracks than the other filler methods. For me this meant stain and oil finishes were out. Or try to get it all out grind the rest out an start over ? I prefer Mohawk brand like this one on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3tCz0sL, DIY walnut epoxy dining table build series. Were also tinting this epoxy with black pigment by Mixol. If you got epoxy on your skin, use vinegar to clean it off. In addition, it cures slowly which makes for a stronger bond. Jul 5, 2016 To create the dam, I build up a couple layers of masking tape around the area to be filled. One more to add. Fill in the cracks, then sand level. I've had good luck using System 3"s Clear Coat epoxy on cracks. By using our site, you agree to our. Rabbeting a shelf; Strength vs. appearance, Editor's Letter: A new tool with every project. Thank you to all of you. Stirring the epoxy creates bubbles, but they settle to the top fairly rapidly. Still has to cure a bit. I use 5 minute epoxy a lot. This is common for these larger holes and voids. The flashing with a propane torch does work well. As a result, I use epoxy to repair large wood voids as well as a burn-in stick for smaller wood defects. Use your black felt tip marker if your fill job still shows some white specs in the epoxy. For more tips, including how to fix cracks in wood with epoxy, read on! I have not added fillers, but simply put tape on the underside where the epoxy would leak out and created a dam on the top side to keep the epoxy in the intended area and literally poured the epoxy slowly into the void. What kind of tape would be best to use? We use the West Systems 5 min epoxy for production work. When this isnt possible, purchase a bag of sawdust from a home improvement store. Its best to do this process before your project is assembled and before its sanded, stained or finished. Rough sanding removes much of the dirt and debris which hide wood defects. Perhaps I'm not understanding this thread, but it sounds like the voids we are discussing are fairly large; a quarter inch or larger. Anything else will have a different rate of expansion and contraction due to temperature and humidity changes and will eventually cause separation problems. Also, as I varnished, the epoxy filled area built gloss faster than the rest of the board. If you're a little careful while pouring, the surface tension at the edge of the tape will let the epoxy form a bit of a "pillow". Im thinking of filling and stabilizing them with epoxy and contrasting butterflies (or Dutchmen). Is there ever a problem with epoxy not curing completely, say over a day's time?forestgirl-- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl;-). There are several things which are difficult to fully explain with words and images, so be sure to check out the video tutorial below! Some of the resin in the hole is still liquid, can I try to pour more in to see if it will harden ? Next, I used a mini torch to heat the resin for even better penetration and to remove air bubbles. dries CLEAR. If you cannot or choose to not acquire either of those, you can use fine sawdust as a filler or even shredded steel wool (think little tiny strands of re-bar). Additionally, the Furniture Refinishing Services team has conducted major refinishing work on venues such as NRG Stadium and Minute Maid Park. If epoxy has leaked onto your workbench, denatured alcohol is the best solution. There are two places, one is about the size of a nickle, kinda dug out spot, the other is more linear, along an edge, quite narrow (say 1/8-3/16"). After some blending and sanding, no one will notice the damaged area you patched. The downside I've discovered is that finishing options become somewhat limited because the part filled with the epoxy responds differently to the finish than the rest of the board because it doesn't absorb anything. References. We're here 6:00 am to 3:00 pm, Monday through Friday. To prepare wood for epoxy, remove loose debris and sand the wood. My 2 step process consists of using different types of epoxy.I use deep pour epoxy for the first step, which is mixed at a 2:1 ratio.For the second step, I use an epoxy with a 1:1 mixing ratio. WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934. When using epoxy resin, what kind of tape should I use to seal off the underside of a wood crack? I'm using epoxy resin to seal a crack in wood. Also, I would use sheathing tape instead of painters tape. This resin cures quickly and thicker than deep pour epoxy. In my experience with various wood species and live edge slabs, I find most wood defects extend to the underside of the wood. West's website (http://www.westsystem.com/)has lots of info and some of their publications are good as well (some at least used to be free). You can get the hardware store variety or fancy stuff elsewhere. Wood putty or wood filler sticks are easy to use and effective for covering over wide cracks in indoor and unstained wood. Epoxy works great to fill wood cracks and repair other wood defects. First, I filled the cracks, knots, and voids with deep pour epoxy. Spot putty used by the car repair guys. This helps prevent a nasty mess leaking through, or worse your board getting glued to your workbench. Vinegar can be used to remove epoxy from skin. Their work has also been featured in Houston Press Magazine - Kitchen Design. I squeeze even amounts out of each in whatever amount I need, and mix with a spackling knife. (a) Do I need to sand those spots and at what grit? For this demonstration, were working with clear two-part liquid epoxy, which is easy enough to buy at your nearest hardware store. As a general test, if it powders when sanded it's cured. The process is more or less the same. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Commenting has been disabled. To fill wood with colored epoxy, mix epoxy, add pigment powder or resin dye, and stir well. When youre building a project out of a knotty or rustic wood like alder, pine, mesquite or hickory, you can give thoseboards a fantastic boost in stability and appearance by filling the cracks with wood filler, glue mixed with sawdust or epoxy. There a taiwan source that's half the price of http://www.fastcap.com super glue. It's now available in a tube to fit a standard caulking gun with a spiral mixing tube. I want to paint the floor after I fill the gaps. For the first step, I used deep pour epoxy to partially fill the wood voids. I wouldn't sand these spots prior to filling. You should consider leaving the cracks unfilled. If you do this, make sure the epoxy is fully cured, otherwise it will gum up your blades. Then, I applied rubio monocoat oil plus 2c finish.I wrote an article about finishing epoxy wood surfaces, so be sure to check that out. The slow hardener produces a softer epoxy which is better able to respond to movement in the wood. It works well on a table top, epoxy inlays, and for fixing wood cracks and voids. Mix small batches rather than large ones, even if you have a lot of knots to fill. I use tuck tape which makes it much easier to remove the tape. For deep fills that don't need strength and that may need shaping, use micro-balloons as a filler. That topside always gets me.forestgirl-- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl;-). I'd make that edge an underneath-edge, and in the back of the cupboard-type unit. Great idea to do it before planing. Subscribe to get woodworking tips and deals sent to your inbox, plus get a $10 coupon on your next order! UNLIMITED Membership is like taking a master class in woodworking for less than $10 a month. 2. For the second layer, I used a table top epoxy resin with a 1:1 mixing ratio. snip Quickstep, Ive done this before, but I use a bic lighter. I try to get most of the excess off before sending through the planer. I have some great wood for slab table tops, but there are a few small - wide cracks 2-4 long. Wear a respirator and work in a well-ventilated area. I use fine sawdust for filling voids, and use it all the time on slab table tops for filling knots and checks, especially in crotch wood. I dont have any experience with epoxy fillers. West Systems technical publications have pretty good information about the characteristics of their products and the use of the various hardeners. West System expoxy, with a cabosill additive, for filling larger areas. Working with chemicals can be dangerous. Wear a respirator to avoid inhaling them. Comments. I've always used a product called "Plastic Wood." Won't the hard epoxy fills affect the planer/jointer surface finish, or reduce blade life? With accellerator it's almost immediate. Id imagine that a heat gun would work too, but never tried it.-Kevin. So, I used a burn-in stick to fill them.I only use a burn-in stick for small wood voids. Masking tape did not work, and resin leaked out within minutes. Use a needle to pop any bubbles that appear when pouring the epoxy. This tutorial is part of my DIY walnut epoxy dining table build series.I incorporate unique and reclaimed wood in most of my woodworking projects.Furthermore, many of these live edge wood slabs have structural issues that need to be addressed before I can use them for furniture. I have a piece with a rotten spot that went all the way through, I have cleaned it and sanded the inside of the hole, my question is do you put tuck tape directly on the wood to keep resin in place or just set the piece on a tuck taped board ? If you have a block plane, itll make this part easier and can prevent you from sanding off part of the wood. This will feather to a very fine edge but it also shrinks. 4. First, I rough sanded the surface with low grit sandpaper to expose small holes, cracks, and other wood defects. Click for full details. Cracks that are 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide are too wide to fill with anything other than wood. Once the epoxy is dry and well filled, leveling it out is swift work with a block plane. Thats because once epoxy is mixed, it only gives you about 5 minutes of working time before it starts to harden. But, as stated above, the process works just fine in other woods with knots or splits. I've read that letting the flame of a torch dance over the bubbles will make them expand and burst, but I've never tried it. Try the aluminum foil tape found in hardware stores for dams. With that being said, any hardware store will carry "Frog Tape." wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Long story short, what do I need to know? Mark oversees the company and creates tutorials on wood finishing and woodworking tips for hardwood lumber. From here, simply wait for the glue to dry overnight, then sand the crack smooth with sandpaper. Probably other substances, too. These will shrink, however, so overfill and sand off the excess. Once it's dry, which should take about 8 hours, sand down any excess filler using fine-grit sandpaper. Last Updated: May 20, 2022 The addition of a butterfly might be appropriate and look cool also. In a small disposable mixing cup, mix your epoxy. As a quick tip: Some wood voids require more epoxy than others so be sure to keep an eye on it after you pour.The purpose of the first epoxy layer is to penetrate and seal the wood.In turn, I poured enough to partially fill the holes. You could leave the epoxy clear, mix it with saw dust, mix it with powdered stone like turquoise, and so on. You could also use a chisel, but a plane is better. They can be cleaned out and lightly sanded inside. Also, learn the best epoxy for filling voids in wood such as checks, knots, and cracks. Alternatively, if you want to fill cracks in wood with glue and sawdust, start by getting sawdust that matches the type and color of your wood. Depending on temperature, and type of hardener, the epoxy can sometimes take longer than a day to get fully cured. Thanks for the detailed information. In this article, I show you how to fill wood voids with epoxy resin. Didn't know about the differences related to quick/slow cure mixes.forestgirl-- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl;-). I hope you learned how to fill wood voids with epoxy and use it on your next DIY project. As a final step, I removed the excess with my card scraper. Once I removed the excess, I sanded with 320 grit. Start your 14-day FREE trial - and get building! Were a family-owned lumber & woodworking supply retailer with 3 delightful stores in Arizona, and 35 friendly employees. It comes in two bottles and is in gel form. What should I fill the gaps in with? In general, the faster epoxy cures, the harder and more brittle it is. Repairing hairline cracks in Maple wood countertops? I repeated this process until there were no voids remaining on the table. On darker woods like walnut, I've added a little black dye to the epoxy and thought it looked pretty good. Then, fill the crack with wood glue and sprinkle the sawdust on top until the glue is completely covered. For a quick fix, a mixture of wood glue and sawdust seamlessly blends in small cracks and gaps in assembled furniture. Though cracks are unappealing, there are plenty of products available that can save a damaged piece of wood. The reason I don't just eliminate them while cutting stock is that the way things lay out, I'd loose an entire 3' part by doing so. We have created these special content collections organized to give you a deep dive into a range of topics that matter. Stir the mixture, and get to work. This step is optional. Here weve used just a drop. Lastly, the epoxy will eventually get hazy if exposed to direct sunlight for extended periods. They're mostly in boating applications, but some of those translate to our stuff too. Sometimes youll want to fill knots or cracks before you cut your boards to size if theyre severe and would pose a safety hazard otherwise. William & Shannon Latil are Furniture Refinishing & Home Remodeling Specialists and the Founders of Furniture Refinishing Services based in Houston, Texas. Sort of like the difference between regular varnish and spar varnish. My 2 step technique I use in this project shows you how to fill wood knots with epoxy correctly.Although I used clear epoxy in this project, I often use colored epoxy, glow powder, or turquoise to fill cracks in wood. Sorry to keep pestering you. No problem, though. Even without that, a couple of layers is usually enough since you really need to be only a tinch above the surface of the wood, since the epoxy doesn't shrink when it hardens. This epoxy normally cures within 24 hours. Have also used super glue for crack filling and feather checks. Sanding wood leaves wood particles in the air. Any epoxy with or without a filler will work well. Tip: work quickly, and dont mix too much epoxy at once because you only have about 5 minutes of working time before the epoxy sets up. Painters and carpenters love the stuff because nothing will seep under it. We are about to use a new polyurethane material for filling cracks. To fill in cracks start by purchasing a filler compound that's the same color as the wood, so it blends in. Thanks. Once this starts, the batch is ruined. I used total boat table top epoxy to fill the wood voids, cracks, and knots. Spar varnish does the job. If the knots or cracks go all the way through your board, flip it over and cover the backside of the void with masking tape. This article was co-authored by William & Shannon Latil. I'm thinking "Yes" and "220"(b)Is thefill located on an edge likely to hold fast? Woodworkers Source is a division of MacBeath Hardwood Co. 18115 N. Black Canyon Hwy Phoenix, AZ 85023 [emailprotected] 602-504-1931, 645 W. Elliot Road Tempe, AZ 85284 [emailprotected] 480-355-5090, 3441 S. Palo Verde Tucson, AZ 85715 [emailprotected] 520-745-8301. You could fill with wood patches or just leave them as they are. Cracks in slabs due to drying shrinkage are characteristic of slabs. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 195,689 times. The epoxy immediately begins to harden when the parts are combined. If you use the slow hardener, these will percolate to the surface where some attention with the stir stick will make them go away. Hi John, sorry for the late reply. For deep fills that need strength use cabosil for a filler. https://www.thisoldhouse.com/how-to/how-to-choose-and-use-wood-filler, https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-use-wood-filler/, http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/interior-projects/how-to/a19355/how-to-fill-gaps-in-woodworking-joints/, http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-repair-a-cracked-butcher-block-or-cutting-board-projects-from-the-kitchn-215403, https://www.familyhandyman.com/carpentry/how-to-use-epoxy-on-wood-for-repairs/view-all/, https://www.prettyhandygirl.com/how-to-fill-voids-and-knot-holes-in-wood/, http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/filling-voids-cracks-wood-two-part-epoxy/, http://www.docgreenwoodturner.com/coffee.html, (Fill Cracks in Wood). I use System 3's T-88 2 part structural adhesive epoxy. I use the slow hardener for most things because it allows extra time. After I flattened and planed the table, I noticed a few tiny holes near the wood knots, cracks, and voids. Use denatured alcohol to clean epoxy off of surfaces and utensils. As I outlined in my best epoxy resin for wood projects, I use chill epoxy and liquid glass as my preferred deep pour epoxy. Become an UNLIMITED member and get it all: searchable online archive of every issue, how-to videos, Complete Illustrated Guide to Woodworking digital series, print magazine, e-newsletter, and more. Ultimately, I needed to pour an epoxy river and flatten the walnut dining table.So, I wasnt too concerned with the epoxy overflowing. This forum post is now archived. I've sanded it, and drilled through it without difficulty. Using a spoon or stick, work the mixture into your knot or crack. As the epoxy is absorbed by the surrounding wood, the air in the pores that the epoxy replaces creates bubbles. If the tables are going to be in an area thats exposed to sunlight, or any UV rays, you must protect it orthe epoxywill yellow rapidly. When complete, you can't even tell. Next, I applied heat to the burn-in stick until it became soft. You can buy floor leveler, of the type used to level floors before laying vinyl. If you're filling a large area, be careful about mixing large batches as they tend to cure too quickly. These steps were part of the DIY Walnut Slab Dining Table full build. But slicing it with a jointer or planer seems like it might be a different animal. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/2b\/Fill-Cracks-in-Wood-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Fill-Cracks-in-Wood-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/2b\/Fill-Cracks-in-Wood-Step-1.jpg\/aid9413376-v4-728px-Fill-Cracks-in-Wood-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"