“This ain’t the kind of repair you plan for, but when your oak table cracks from water damage, it’s time to get your hands dirty. Here’s how I fixed mine, step by step, and brought that kitchen countertop back from the brink—DIY style.”
Have a quick look at before and after
I was not really planning to do any documentation of my renovation. The idea came to me during the proces. It`s hard to think about both things at the same time – fixing or building stuff, and filming it. I`m not really a professional blogger / vloger. But for sure I learned my lesson from this one 🙂
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Table of contents
Long story short
When I was building my van, I chose a solid oak kitchen countertop to make it durable and homey. After nearly 4 years of full-time living, water started leaking from my silicone drying mat near the sink. Over time, it caused water damage and cracks in the oak table. The once-flat surface became warped and needed a serious DIY repair.
In this article, I’ll show you step-by-step how I went about fixing my cracked oak table — from identifying the damage to fully restoring the countertop.
Step-by-Step DIY Repair of a Cracked Oak Kitchen Table
Let me walk you through the process of table renovation. For some - the lost cause - for me, well... I didn`t have much more options then just try to do it by yourself, the best possible way.
Straightening Warped Oak Tabletop
There are probably few ways how to do it right. Most of them takes months for wood to be properly matured in demanded shape. I didn`t have that much time, so I had to figure out some faster solution.
DIY Steam Bending to Fix Table Warping
First step I was trying to dry the top (side which was taking the moisture). For 2 days I was trying different techniques with putting some pressure (weights for the gym) and letting it heat up with some sun. I think if I would repeat this process for couple of weeks. I might have some results. But still, the damage was quite significant and I really wanted to do it faster then that. Another way was to add some steam on the dry side. I saw some videos where people are using extra plastic bags and other fancy tools to make this process more efficient. I didn't have that much. So i tried my best with what I had.
Applying Pressure
After I lost my nerves with being delicate. I decided to go hard on this piece. Let`s not forget we are working with strong oak wood. There was no other option then add some serious pressure. I even heard some crack while doing it. (I don't recommend). Anyways it was easier for me to work with cracks then waiting endlessly. Still the process was ongoing with adding some moisture and drying it on sun.
Gluing and Filling Cracks
I had just some leftovers of wood glue, but brand new tube of wood filament. So for biggest gaps and crucial points i used glue and rest of it filled with brown filament. (color matching my design). I didn't worry about putting too much, anyway the table will go for some serious sanding process afterwards. And back to press for another day or two.
First sanding
I really liked the effects after first sanding. The gaps looks good. Not too many cracks on joints. The glue works like a magic. Especially on the part that was falling off. Here is a little gallery with some details.
Filling Imperfections with Epoxy Resin
To make things perfect I was using some epoxy resin to fill little imperfections and smaller gaps. (actually I used whatever I could find, in this case it was a small tube for surfboard ding repair)
Complications During Oak Table Repair
Failure 1: Paint Color Mismatch Issues
First can of paint supposed to be Wenge color.
Well pretty weird name for a color, but by definition supposed to be “Dark chocolate” it wasn’t. Went back to the market with complain about paint not matching the description. Wenge is far away from gray.
Successfully got a refund
Failure 2: Unexpected Results with Dark Oak Paint
The other paint – also didn’t match the expectations. Dark Oak – looks too reddish. We had to get rid of it… back to sanding…
Moving on... Final Touches and Protective Measures
Detailing and Finishing the Oak Table
After another sending and cleaning we finally decided to just stay with transparent matt finish. But I wanted to add a little style to the shape. So the boarders were painted dark brown – mixture of few paints and finishes.
What is more, to get more vintage look, or at least something more natural feeling. We hand sanded the edges in few places.
Final Finish and Protective Coating
I must say I’m not supper happy with the yellow glow that the varnish brought up. But after all adventures with previous paints. Let’s just say its close to perfect.
Additional Protection Against Water Damage
For an extra protection (water spilling) i have build an extra corner from leftovers of PVC that I had in my car. I also used little amount of silicon to seal the edges.
Et voilà
So here is the final outcome. Might be better, might be worst. I’m pretty happy it’s way better then before 🙂 And, as You can see, that little corner fits perfectly, I’m also pretty proud of this improvement.
