Butcher Block
I have butcher block counter tops in my kitchen and recently, a portion near the sink has begun to visibly crack. i do oil them regularly but they have not been treated with anything else. i think that the piece next to the sink gets a lot of water on it and it caused the…
I have butcher block counter tops in my kitchen and recently, a portion near the sink has begun to visibly crack. i do oil them regularly but they have not been treated with anything else. i think that the piece next to the sink gets a lot of water on it and it caused the seam to split. Does anyone have a suggestion as to how to patch the crack? Is there some kind of wood filler you can purchase? Thanks. Oh and ps, that’s not a picture of my kitchen. 🙂 just a fun picture.
it’s possible that this is a result of dry air and shrinking in the wood. if that’s the case and you fill the gap with anything rigid, there could be problems when the wood expands when humidity increases in the spring and summer.
It’s not the edge that is cracking, it’s actually the middle, where two pieces of the butcher block must have been glued together. I don’t know the technical terms but it’s not the edge. Also, I can’t remove the counter top in order to clamp it properly, so I don’t think that will work. Thanks for the suggestion though. I was hoping there is some kind of filler, almost like a spackle that you can just fill it in, that exists for wooden floors.
The West System Marine epoxy mentioned in another post has a powder thickener that can be added to help it take up gaps better, though it will harden with a whitish color. I would venture to say that sawdust can probably be added to the West System to achieve the same result whilst coloring it like the wood; you would have to check with their tech support people on that though – they are helpful.
steve
Is the crack occurring in the lamination or in one of the staves. Is it possible to get a clamp around the counter top? If so use a glue with type III water resistance. I would fill with a marine epoxy or a two part colored epoxy filler, as conventional PVA glues will only fill a gap of .005″. We use these for repairs: http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/catalog_browse.asp?ictNbr=113
A marine epoxy such as West System will work as well. Tape-off the seams and the bottom and pour it in. The gap filling capability of epoxy is not as limited as conventional wood glue is.
Your butcher block is edge glued. Reglue and clamp.