Is there a "fix" for this problem

[Jon Farley]

Last fall I completed this kitchen island (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=45719) and finished it with ultima spray lacquer in antique white. The end panels are done with regular rail and stile construction, with kiln-dried maple rails and stiles and MDF panels. Now, hairline cracks have appeared at the rail and stiles joints, no doubt due to wood movement as the island has acclimated to its new home.

Any suggestions on what to do? My idea is to take a small detail spray gun (the kind model builders use) and touch up these areas with some more USL and hope for the best. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Jon

[Anthony Anderson]

Jon, I wouldn't do anything until the weather changes. IOW, wait until the humidity in the outside air returns to normal percentages. I have found that it is inevitable that wood movement will occur in the winter, regardless of how slight, and regardless of how well conditioned the air inside the house is. Sometimes these minor shrinkages will disappear in mid to late April when the outside air returns to "normal". I would not put anything in the void created by the shrinkage, the wood needs that space for expansion, until you are sure the void will not disappear when the wood expands. If you are determined to fill the void, I would use something that remains flexible, maybe a white latex sealant? Good Luck, Bill

[Jim Becker]

I'm not sure I'd do anything...wood movement happens and it will just open up again. You could try and color match some flexible caulk for remediation, using painter's tape to help keep it localized to the crack. This is an example of where the joint probably should have been caulked originally...something I forgot to do on my kitchen cabs (same finish) when I did mine back in 2003.