table top finish that will fill small cracks


ddewey

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I'm finishing a dining room table; actually Marc's rustic outdoor table except mine will be an indoor table.  It's made of knotty alder and the top is beautiful.  I've applied four coats of polyurethane and would be finished except there are still several micro cracks in the wood.  Some of the cracks are about the width of a finger nail.  I don't' want spilled milk going sour in a small crack where it can't be wiped up so I keep hoping the next coat will finish filling these cracks.  I'm brushing on the finish since I don't have a sprayer yet.  Is it reasonable to think that eventually the cracks will fill up with polyurethane or should I do something different?  I filled the large knots with epoxy before planing them and that works fantastic.  Next time I'll fill all of the small cracks with epoxy too.

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You could mask off around the cracks and apply your poly to the cracks only. Let each coat dry completely . Then when the cracks are filled sand the entire surface flat and apply a final coat.

Or you could scratch the cracks with a sharp point and fill them with your epoxy. Let it cure completely , sand and final coat.

I always make sample boards out of scrap when finishing. Test your repairs on those ,if the sandpaper is getting clogged up with finish let the top cure longer!

A sharp card scraper is another way to level the surface after you fill the cracks.

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