Lewis Cobb
08-08-2010, 5:20 PM
Not really a woodworking question per se, well maybe a finishing one :)
I've got some 1/2 posts in between the full length posts on the front porch of my house. The ones with a "ball" shape on the top of them. They are constructed of laminated boards of pine, and the top ball of the post is effectively end grain. I did not make them, but bought them from a local supplier 5-6 years back.
Anyway, the end grain on one of the ball ends is starting to show some checks / cracks where a bit of the paint flaked off earlier this spring. By the time I noticed it, they were already there, and during humid weather they would disappear, and then when dry they reappear again.
I waited until I thought they were fully dry, then scraped, sanded, and filled the little cracks (about 1/64" wide) with some exterior wood filler. Then primed with 2 coats of primer and after that, 2 coats of exterior latex.
My thinking was that the exterior latex should have some give to it, and if the moisture / humidity finds another path into the ball, it might mitigate the cracks from reappearing.
I just recollected this as I sat down for my evening session on SMC, and thought I would post this to see what others might recommend in such a situation, if they do reappear at some point in the future.
Would an epoxy worked into the crack and then sanded smooth be a better approach before painting or are there other products I should consider?
Thanks !
Lewis
I've got some 1/2 posts in between the full length posts on the front porch of my house. The ones with a "ball" shape on the top of them. They are constructed of laminated boards of pine, and the top ball of the post is effectively end grain. I did not make them, but bought them from a local supplier 5-6 years back.
Anyway, the end grain on one of the ball ends is starting to show some checks / cracks where a bit of the paint flaked off earlier this spring. By the time I noticed it, they were already there, and during humid weather they would disappear, and then when dry they reappear again.
I waited until I thought they were fully dry, then scraped, sanded, and filled the little cracks (about 1/64" wide) with some exterior wood filler. Then primed with 2 coats of primer and after that, 2 coats of exterior latex.
My thinking was that the exterior latex should have some give to it, and if the moisture / humidity finds another path into the ball, it might mitigate the cracks from reappearing.
I just recollected this as I sat down for my evening session on SMC, and thought I would post this to see what others might recommend in such a situation, if they do reappear at some point in the future.
Would an epoxy worked into the crack and then sanded smooth be a better approach before painting or are there other products I should consider?
Thanks !
Lewis