It doesn't matter what your skills are, we aim to provide friendly service and advice. Tip: If bubbles form, pierce them with a small pin or needle. You can get the hardware store variety or fancy stuff elsewhere. 4. dries CLEAR. Wear a respirator to avoid inhaling them. Use a needle to pop any bubbles that appear when pouring the epoxy. Any preference for burn-in stick brand? Last Updated: May 20, 2022 By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. These steps were part of the DIY Walnut Slab Dining Table full build. We'll even re-share with our community! Start your 14-day FREE trial - and get building! Editor's Letter: Technology and the future of woodworking. Wood putty or wood filler sticks are easy to use and effective for covering over wide cracks in indoor and unstained wood. forestgirl-- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl;-). I've always overfilled so that the bubbles that came to the surface afterward got sanded out during the leveling process. The epoxy is quite hard when it dries. 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. If epoxy has leaked onto your workbench, denatured alcohol is the best solution. Once the epoxy dried, I poured a blue epoxy river, flattened the wood slab table with my router, and sanded the table smooth. By using our site, you agree to our. The epoxy immediately begins to harden when the parts are combined. You could also use a chisel, but a plane is better. What is a good brand? Youll do those things after filling. Depending on temperature, and type of hardener, the epoxy can sometimes take longer than a day to get fully cured. No problem, though. 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. As soon as the two parts come in contact with one another, youve initiatedthe hardening reaction. A plane is fasterand gives you a good, level surface anyway much better than sanding. UNLIMITED membership - Get access to it all. I've had good luck using System 3"s Clear Coat epoxy on cracks. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. First, I filled the cracks, knots, and voids with deep pour epoxy. Also, I would use sheathing tape instead of painters tape. I agree with Sapwood,particularly if the cracks are at the ends. This will feather to a very fine edge but it also shrinks. But slicing it with a jointer or planer seems like it might be a different animal. Get complete site access to video workshops, digital plans library, online archive, and more, plus the print magazine. You can even mix in a scoop of coffee grounds to turn the epoxy black. WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934. I've even heard that it can start a fire. After some blending and sanding, no one will notice the damaged area you patched. Stores About Us Email Us (800) 423-2450 (Call a Store), by Mark Stephens 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. In my experience with various wood species and live edge slabs, I find most wood defects extend to the underside of the wood. When using epoxy resin, what kind of tape should I use to seal off the underside of a wood crack? Then allow it to dry. In a small disposable mixing cup, mix your epoxy. And the sample boards you see in these pictures are knotty alder. I squeeze even amounts out of each in whatever amount I need, and mix with a spackling knife. A little bit of Mixol pigment goes a long, long way so do not use too much. Additionally, the Furniture Refinishing Services team has conducted major refinishing work on venues such as NRG Stadium and Minute Maid Park. 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. After I flattened and planed the table, I noticed a few tiny holes near the wood knots, cracks, and voids. Vinegar can be used to remove epoxy from skin. I use the slow hardener for most things because it allows extra time. To prepare wood for epoxy, remove loose debris and sand the wood. Furniture Refinishing & Home Remodeling Specialists. With over 30 years of experience, William and Shannon specialize in repairing and restoring wood furniture, refinishing kitchen cabinets, remodeling kitchens, and building live-edge wooden tables. The flashing with a propane torch does work well. 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. Woodworkers Source started in 1978 to provide the finest hardwood lumber to all types of woodworkers, from beginners getting started with the craft to long-time professionals. Scrape to flat the next day, and you're done. There a taiwan source that's half the price of http://www.fastcap.com super glue. Lastly, the epoxy will eventually get hazy if exposed to direct sunlight for extended periods. It's new and won;t be available until June. For a quick fix, a mixture of wood glue and sawdust seamlessly blends in small cracks and gaps in assembled furniture. Using a spoon or stick, work the mixture into your knot or crack. I've used WEST System epoxy around boats for many years and it is great stuff. West Systems technical publications have pretty good information about the characteristics of their products and the use of the various hardeners. 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;-). 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. To fill in cracks start by purchasing a filler compound that's the same color as the wood, so it blends in. When this isnt possible, purchase a bag of sawdust from a home improvement store. For more tips, including how to fix cracks in wood with epoxy, read on! Still has to cure a bit. To avoid unnecessary sanding, I filled the wood void until it reached the wood surface.I allowed it to soak for a few minutes and poured more if needed. Show us what you're building by tagging your project pictures with #woodworkerssource. Pulling it off leaves a nice clean sharp line. It works great, and takes finish (at least what I use) very well. For the first step, I used deep pour epoxy to partially fill the wood voids. Were a family-owned lumber & woodworking supply retailer with 3 delightful stores in Arizona, and 35 friendly employees. Next, I used a mini torch to heat the resin for even better penetration and to remove air bubbles. Their work has also been featured in Houston Press Magazine - Kitchen Design. How do you finish/polish it? I prepared the surface area before I fillled wood defects with epoxy to ensure proper adhesion. 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. 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. I've sanded it, and drilled through it without difficulty. You can buy them at hardware stores. 2. 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;-). We're here 6:00 am to 3:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Sanding is risky because theres a good chance youll create a noticeable divot to the outside of your filled knot. Plus tips, advice, and special offers from Fine Woodworking. For me, this is just another reason to go with the slow hardener unless I'm doing something small. Won't the hard epoxy fills affect the planer/jointer surface finish, or reduce blade life? UNLIMITED Membership is like taking a master class in woodworking for less than $10 a month. Have also used super glue for crack filling and feather checks. If you got epoxy on your skin, use vinegar to clean it off. 1. West Systems have a nice product with a powder (than can be dyed) to match the finish) that fills cracks. One more to add. It's now available in a tube to fit a standard caulking gun with a spiral mixing tube. Signupto receive the FREE resin calculator. This step is optional. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, Epifanes clear varnish over penetrating epoxy. Sanding wood leaves wood particles in the air. Hope this helps. Id imagine that a heat gun would work too, but never tried it.-Kevin. First, I rough sanded the surface with low grit sandpaper to expose small holes, cracks, and other wood defects. In addition, it cures slowly which makes for a stronger bond. Next, I loosened the debris with various tools and vacuum them up from within the wood voids. Use your black felt tip marker if your fill job still shows some white specs in the epoxy. Next, I applied heat to the burn-in stick until it became soft. On darker woods like walnut, I've added a little black dye to the epoxy and thought it looked pretty good. It does work well, just dont stay in one spot too long or youll scorch the epoxy. You could fill with wood patches or just leave them as they are. For this demonstration, were working with clear two-part liquid epoxy, which is easy enough to buy at your nearest hardware store. If you wish to color the wood later, make sure the label says the product is stainable. If you're filling a large area, be careful about mixing large batches as they tend to cure too quickly. This helps prevent a nasty mess leaking through, or worse your board getting glued to your workbench. As a result, I use epoxy to repair large wood voids as well as a burn-in stick for smaller wood defects. Mix small batches rather than large ones, even if you have a lot of knots to fill. I often use a belt sander, but again, caution is called for; epoxy doesn't like heat. You could leave the epoxy clear, mix it with saw dust, mix it with powdered stone like turquoise, and so on. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 195,689 times. It comes in two bottles and is in gel form. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. When the wood shavings produced by the card scraper change colors, I know the excess is gone. Id like to go with a clear material if possible. I've used this quite successfully on the canoe I've been building. for all my crack and nail hole puttying. 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. This resin cures quickly and thicker than deep pour epoxy. Epoxy works great for filling knots, cracks, voids and other wood defects as it repairs and stabilizes rotted wood. Once I removed the excess, I sanded with 320 grit. It seems more honest to me. Great idea to do it before planing. For the second layer, I used a table top epoxy resin with a 1:1 mixing ratio. Masking tape did not work, and resin leaked out within minutes. snip Quickstep, Ive done this before, but I use a bic lighter. (a) Do I need to sand those spots and at what grit? If you do this, make sure the epoxy is fully cured, otherwise it will gum up your blades. I'm using epoxy resin to seal a crack in wood. % of people told us that this article helped them. Ultimately, proper surface preparation is key to successfully fill voids in wood with epoxy. So, I used a burn-in stick to fill them.I only use a burn-in stick for small wood voids. That will feather the edges and make for thinner fills. As I mentioned, I use a 2 step process to properly fill defects in wood with epoxy. I want to paint the floor after I fill the gaps. Epoxy works great to fill wood cracks and repair other wood defects. 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. To create the dam, I build up a couple layers of masking tape around the area to be filled. For deep fills that don't need strength and that may need shaping, use micro-balloons as a filler. I'm thinking "Yes" and "220"(b)Is thefill located on an edge likely to hold fast? Repairing hairline cracks in Maple wood countertops? Thestock will be 3/4" thick. Start your 14-day FREE trial - and get building. Youll have about 5 minutes to get it into the crack, so start with a small batch. Then, I smeared the soft part of the burn-in stick to fill the small wood voids. Long story short, what do I need to know? Painters and carpenters love the stuff because nothing will seep under it. Or try to get it all out grind the rest out an start over ? It is the best product in my estimate. Any epoxy with or without a filler will work well. If you use the slow hardener, these will percolate to the surface where some attention with the stir stick will make them go away. 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". I allowed the epoxy soak in for a few minutes and added more until the wood void was half full with epoxy. Using your finger, push filler into the hole until it's slightly overflowing, then smooth it down with a putty knife. Jul 5, 2016 Thanks. "I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow." Its perfectly fine to stain and apply finish on top of cured epoxy. We use the West Systems 5 min epoxy for production work. You've given me what I needed to know and a few extra pointers as well! Here weve used just a drop. Cracks that are 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide are too wide to fill with anything other than wood. In this article, I show you how to fill wood voids with epoxy resin. Must it be built-up in layers to eliminate bubbles? I repeated this process until there were no voids remaining on the table. From here, simply wait for the glue to dry overnight, then sand the crack smooth with sandpaper. Also, as I varnished, the epoxy filled area built gloss faster than the rest of the board. They're mostly in boating applications, but some of those translate to our stuff too. It works well on a table top, epoxy inlays, and for fixing wood cracks and voids. You have about 5 minutes before the epoxy is too stiff to manipulate into the cracks. From here, you assemble, sand, stain and finish your project as you normally would. 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. The West epoxy is amber in color and blends well enough with surrounding wood for me and I like the way it looks in its transparent state better than making it opaque with colorants. I use tuck tape which makes it much easier to remove the tape. Itll come up quickly. Any good wood filler. I have a tongue and groove 2x6 raw wood floor that has dried and shrunk. 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 ? Epoxy is better for treating large cracks than the other filler methods. When complete, you can't even tell. Sorry to keep pestering you. 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. West System expoxy, with a cabosill additive, for filling larger areas. References. This article was co-authored by William & Shannon Latil. As a general test, if it powders when sanded it's cured. If you cant find the exact shade you need, you can buy different colors and mix them together to create different shades. In-depth articles, up-close photography, and detailed illustrations. The slow hardener produces a softer epoxy which is better able to respond to movement in the wood. You can buy floor leveler, of the type used to level floors before laying vinyl. I've left cracks like this before. The mix is usually 1:1 hardener to resin, but check the instructions on your epoxy. Were also tinting this epoxy with black pigment by Mixol. I keep the flame about a quarter inch off the surface. First, I adjusted the flame on my mini torch to low. It's $6 to $10 a roll. 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). Though cracks are unappealing, there are plenty of products available that can save a damaged piece of wood. William & Shannon Latil are Furniture Refinishing & Home Remodeling Specialists and the Founders of Furniture Refinishing Services based in Houston, Texas. Their magazine, while self-promoting has some interesting articles about things people have done with epoxy and other high-tech materials like kevlar and carbon fiber. Sort of like the difference between regular varnish and spar varnish. Bondo or other brand of polyester filler. I prefer Mohawk brand like this one on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3tCz0sL, DIY walnut epoxy dining table build series. Its best to do this process before your project is assembled and before its sanded, stained or finished. You could leave the epoxy clear, or mix in other substances like saw dust or powdered stone. Perhaps I'm not understanding this thread, but it sounds like the voids we are discussing are fairly large; a quarter inch or larger. Stirring the epoxy creates bubbles, but they settle to the top fairly rapidly. Filling would be the thing to do if that area is used for a particular purpose that needed to be smooth. As I outlined in my best epoxy resin for wood projects, I use chill epoxy and liquid glass as my preferred deep pour epoxy. Try it. Frustrating!! I try to get most of the excess off before sending through the planer. I wouldn't sand these spots prior to filling. Use plastic, wood or frog tape. This is common for these larger holes and voids. Im thinking of filling and stabilizing them with epoxy and contrasting butterflies (or Dutchmen). These will shrink, however, so overfill and sand off the excess. Less chance of bubbles this way. Try the aluminum foil tape found in hardware stores for dams. There are several things which are difficult to fully explain with words and images, so be sure to check out the video tutorial below! Its best to grind it out and start over. Sets up in 60 seconds and is the consistency of maple syrup. 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. Subscribe to get woodworking tips and deals sent to your inbox, plus get a $10 coupon on your next order! Thats because once epoxy is mixed, it only gives you about 5 minutes of working time before it starts to harden. Spar varnish does the job. This forum post is now archived. Quickstep, how do you create your "dam?" What should I fill the gaps in with? But thats optional. Thank you to all of you. Hi John, I recommend to put tuck tape directly on the wood to seal the underside of the void. This rustic knotty alder entry door is brought to life with black epoxy filling apply to the cracks and knots. Itll take on the color of the stain, blending in with the wood. Varnish worked fine. I've always used a product called "Plastic Wood." Once the epoxy is dry and well filled, leveling it out is swift work with a block plane. I dont have any experience with epoxy fillers. Once this starts, the batch is ruined. Once it's dry, which should take about 8 hours, sand down any excess filler using fine-grit sandpaper. I'd make that edge an underneath-edge, and in the back of the cupboard-type unit. To fill wood with colored epoxy, mix epoxy, add pigment powder or resin dye, and stir well. Hi John, sorry for the late reply. With accellerator it's almost immediate. I have some great wood for slab table tops, but there are a few small - wide cracks 2-4 long. You can also use saw dust, but the powders work better. 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. This one will be painted. They can be cleaned out and lightly sanded inside. 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. Deep pour epoxy penetrates and seals very well which allows it to fill all voids and soak into the wood fibers. We have created these special content collections organized to give you a deep dive into a range of topics that matter. Then, fill the crack with wood glue and sprinkle the sawdust on top until the glue is completely covered. Rabbeting a shelf; Strength vs. appearance, Editor's Letter: A new tool with every project. Enter now for your chance to win more than $2,000 worth of woodworking equipment from Woodpeckers. I use System 3's T-88 2 part structural adhesive epoxy. It's green in color and sticks to any semi-smooth surface very well. Lastly, yes, the cured epoxy is a little tough on blades, more so if there's filler in it like colloidal silica. Mix up another small batch and hit it again. May be needing some epoxy on curent project, and have a question. Use denatured alcohol to clean epoxy off of surfaces and utensils. Working with chemicals can be dangerous. This epoxy normally cures within 24 hours. Commenting has been disabled. Stir the mixture, and get to work. Thanks for the detailed information. Total Boat table top epoxy is the best all around epoxy for wood. Click for full details. These stink like crazy and give me a headache so I don't use them except outside. 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). This is usually not a problem indoors unless the piece is left in a window.