All the counter tops in my kitchen are this blonde maple butcher block. There are gaps of 1/8" that I will need to fill, as well as a wide gap of as much as 1/2", see photos. These tops have received no maintenance since 1998. I need to fill those gaps and am thinking that a tan colored epoxy is the best choice, but would appreciate any input on that or a specific brand to use. Also, as far as refinishing, I am currently planning on smoothing some rough areas out with steel wool and mineral oil or sanding with a very fine grit paper to get the glass top finish, some areas are rough to the touch.
Filling in Butcher Block Countertop Gaps
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what I would do, and not saying its the best idea, but if they were in my kitchen, is to clean out the old filler or caulking thats in those seems, with a dental pick or scraper, then use pheanoseal that you can get at home depot in many colors and try to color match the wood if possible, it is water soluble for easy cleanup, fill the cracks and sponge it back so there is no overflow on the top of the wood, let it dry completely, as it does retain some elasticity so it shouldnt crack like the stuff in your pictures...then you can oil up the counter tops...
I ordered the phenoseal in tan from amazon and they sent me grey. Tan no longer in stock. I looked on-line and the tan appears to not be available anywhere. Is there another flexible caulk I could use on wood that is similar in color?
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How about cleaning out the cracks and rip a tapered sliver at about 4 degrees and glue and wedge in tight. Trim it off, sand, then finish. Use tight bond 3
The cedar tan is much too dark, the phenoseal tan looks a decent match, but appears to be no longer made, can't find it anywhere. So I'm looking for a substitute. This is rigid butcher block, no opportunity to squeeze together and the larger gap could potentially be bridged with another slice of wood, but I would never be happy with how it came out, the best solutions are a caulking and the wood filler, which has already been proven to not be successful, though I may consider it on the very thin cracks, it is being used elsewhere and has held up well on cracks of 1/16" or so.
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I realize the word "match" is very important but my dear wife tells me the word I should be using is "compliment" because to "match" is nearly impossible. So with that in mind your best bet may be a wood inlay of identical width across these areas using a close grained wood such as cherry.
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it seems that phenoseal doesnt make colors any more..boy that sux...now I also need to find a substitute..
I found these caulks that come in a variety of colors and also there are custom color caulks where you add paint and can mix a caulk to match any color. But the phenoseal still looks like the best bet, too bad its unavailable.
http://www.cabinetparts.com/c/countertop-laminate-products/color-matched-caulk
http://www.cabinetparts.com/c/countertop-laminate-products/color-matched-caulk
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To get the glue deep into the cracked wood, you can use a plastic syringe to apply it, effectively pushing the glue into the fissure. Use a little extra — any glue that’s beaded up on the surface of the board can be sanded away once it's dry. Titebond III will be fully dry after 24 hours — read the label carefully to follow the drying instructions for whatever brand you've used.
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The civil war, titanic disaster and hitler topics etc. are much older and are still being shown on tv.:biggrin2:
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The topic might be 2 years old, but the job remains undone. I plan on getting to it this spring, though. Not sure if I am going to attempt to cut a wedge (would still need edges on both sides filled in) or use a tan epoxy and be done with it. No access from below and top is not coming off.
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