Thread: gap filler for plank table?

Have u considered the possability of removing the boards and joining them, then replacing them? it would probably be less work. With resin or joining your cabothane finish will be affected in some way. It wont matter what type of timber it is unless you'd feel the need to laminate the same stuff back in. Thing is with resin its expansion rate changes over the initial pour as well as afterwards and it'll be different to the timber. It'd depend a lot on how the planks are attached to the legs and bracings as to wether joining is feasible and to how you'd do the resin if you went that way.

Neal.

If it's been outside, give it a month or so in the shed (or even somewhere inside where its warmer) to see if it's going to move more as it dries out.

If you want to fill the joins, the coating you've put on could cause adhesion problems - it would be best to run a router along them to get back to bare timber before filling. Then polyester or epoxy to actually fill them.

If you really want to fly with the rustic look, you could emulate boat planking and fill the gaps with black sikaflex filler (they make heavy duty polyurethane caulk) - this'll move with the timber and is a simple $20 solution.

I second black Sikaflex. Tape each edge of each board to help with cleanup. Don't try and make the sikaflex level with the surface, tool it a little coved below the surface with eg a paddlepop stick dipped in kero or turps.

how about fibreglass resin?
can it be syringed into the gaps?

How is the table top fixed to the base? If each board is immobile then it is foolhardy to fill with anything but flexible filler as the timber will move with changing humidity and crack something. If you're going to think about rectifying the attachment so it can move, then you might as well joint and glue all the boards together when they are off and have no gaps.

Fiberglass resin = polyester resin. Bare timber suggested for best adhesion, at the very least sand the finish with 80 grit to provide a mechanical key.

Casting and embedding resin would be my thing, tinted with builders oxide. But I second everybody else as to can you screw the boards off, clean them up and perhaps joint them.
I dont think it will work well unless you clean the cracks from the run in you had from the top. Also as MS says leave it to dry out, think about it next summer.

Originally Posted by Master Splinter

If you want to fill the joins, the coating you've put on could cause adhesion problems - it would be best to run a router along them to get back to bare timber before filling. Then polyester or epoxy to actually fill them.

I might give this a try. The table has been dried out over a Perth summer already and it's now in a garage. How flexible is polyester resin should the boards move a little?

You could rout out (or even use a circular saw) a gap at whatever size and then glue in a piece of contrasting timber
Jarrah maybe

Polyester resin isn't all that flexible - it tends to crack if put under too much stress. Epoxy is considerably stronger - especially with bond strength to timber - but flexible it is not!