SANDMAN2 Posted January 22, 2022 Report Share Posted January 22, 2022 Dining room table developed hairline cracks in surface in many places and directions as shown in attached picture and looking for a way to repair them. Not sure if it is an epoxy or very thick polyurethane on it that is cracked. Will I need to sand it all off and completely refinish or is there a way to fill these cracks, sand, repeat? I heard of magic with superglue and sanding but would hate to try something and destroy the table or create more work. Looking for help or recommendation for a rock star in Boston who can make the table right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted January 22, 2022 Report Share Posted January 22, 2022 Looks like cracks in epoxy to me. It may be possible to get a thin superglue or something else to flow down into the cracks, assuming you can feel the cracks on the surface. This would make the cracks less visible, but then getting the surface smoothed and blended would be difficult without the right tools and experience. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will post and give their thoughts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted January 22, 2022 Report Share Posted January 22, 2022 I agree with John. Epoxy cracks might need to ground out in a V shape, taking care to avoid hitting the wood. Since that looks like less than 1/8" of thickness, I might use a scraper to scoop out a wide, shallow trench, rather than a deep V cut. Then refill with clear epoxy, using the typical methods to avoid bubbles. This is something I would want to test on a scrap piece, first. And I would try John's CA glue suggestion before taking this drastic approach. Can you post a photo of the table, to give us an idea of the amount of damage relative to the full surface? My concern is that if this cracking is in several places, it resulted from the table flexing. If that is true, the epoxy is perhaps not the appropriate finish for that application, and repairs will fail again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SANDMAN2 Posted January 23, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 Original poster here-thanks for the advice. Cracks are random and as additional picture shows are throughout the table and mostly long in length but very thin. Table has not been used much and came this way when purchased so I'm surprised it's failing this way. Pricey dining room table so not sure I want to start pouring superglue in the cracks and becoming the sandman. Rather have someone who has done this multiple times attack her. Maybe someone can reco a person in the boston area? Or if you've injected crack in the superglue and sanded and got great results - I'm game. Total sand and re-epoxy sounds like a lot of work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Chestnut Posted January 23, 2022 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 If it's pricey and your value the table, I think a pro would be the best way to go. I hesitate to the above suggestions because I personally feel that the different epoxies are going to create a visible line between old finish and new finish. The term is witness lines. Different epoxies also have different clarity and colors so it may end up looking like a large blotch...very subtle but may not be desirable. That wood is beautiful and a thick epoxy finish is sort of a shame imo. Also if the table only sees light use one of those close to the surface hard wax oils like Rubio or Osmo would be the way to go. It'll keep the table looking beautiful and in the event that it gets a scratch, they are super easy to repair. Also given a long miter like is sown in your 2nd picture, there are some warnings. If it's solid wood I'd be concerned about drastic humidity changes and wood movement. If it's veneer I'd be cautious of sanding through said veneer or damaging it. It'd be best if it was veneer all things considered. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post JohnG Posted January 23, 2022 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 Agree with @Chestnut Can you contact the manufacturer? If you or someone you hire does a full refinish, I’d recommend avoiding epoxy. It really isn’t a great finish choice in most cases. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post BonPacific Posted January 23, 2022 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 On 1/23/2022 at 12:41 PM, Chestnut said: If it's pricey and your value the table, I think a pro would be the best way to go. I hesitate to the above suggestions because I personally feel that the different epoxies are going to create a visible line between old finish and new finish. The term is witness lines. Different epoxies also have different clarity and colors so it may end up looking like a large blotch...very subtle but may not be desirable. That wood is beautiful and a thick epoxy finish is sort of a shame imo. Also if the table only sees light use one of those close to the surface hard wax oils like Rubio or Osmo would be the way to go. It'll keep the table looking beautiful and in the event that it gets a scratch, they are super easy to repair. Also given a long miter like is sown in your 2nd picture, there are some warnings. If it's solid wood I'd be concerned about drastic humidity changes and wood movement. If it's veneer I'd be cautious of sanding through said veneer or damaging it. It'd be best if it was veneer all things considered. Yeah, even with the same kind of epoxy it's hard not to get visible layering if you use mutliple pours. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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