Repairing oak worktops

[davidkpdf]

We have a new oak kitchen worktop that has developed a 3 inch split in it where water has entered and caused it to lift around the split. What is the best way to repair this? Can I sand it back as flat as possible and then fill it with an oak coloured filler and then re-oil it all? If so, what filler should I use? Any other tips please?

[royaloakcarpentry]

There are 3 inch long cracks and then there are 3 inch long cracks..............depends how wide.

depending how bad, I would rather cut out and patch in a new piece of oak if it were mine.

How new is new, as it may not have been sealed correctly if it has been affected so quickly. Might be worth getting hold of the fitters and bending their ears to come back and sort it. Another cause could be if it were a cheap top such as ikea.

[big-all]

definitely router out but the problem you have is getting the worktop dry in the area if its at all damp it will shrink and cause another split or break along the glue line

make sure you store the donar timber in the room concerned away from direct heat or damp for as near to a month as possible assuming it was stored in the shed attic or other damp location a week or 2 if in the heated part off the house

[davidkpdf]

This is not a heating split but a fault in the worktop that i wish we had picked up on delivery. it is not vertical along the plane but a split across the the wood horizontally. it could be eradicated by sanding down but i then need to fill back to a level plane. question is what do i fill it with to give as close a match as possible to true oak and then oil over the top.

[royaloakcarpentry]

You could mix up some exterior PVA wood glue and sawdust, produced during the sanding process. Fill with the mix, allow to dry and then sand down. This as all things will still show once oiled.

[prime]

I would try out Lecol 7500 i have used it on floors a number of times following recommendations from a fitter, great stuff just mix with dust, it is a big step forward from the old Pva and dust of old.
You can get it of the net easy enough now

[davidkpdf]

Thank you all for your comments. I will let you know how i get on.

[Mark_G]

So it it a flat splinter parallel to the surface? Could you not source an offcut or a piece of the same timber and plane it down to a 5mm thickness, then cut out maybe half the stave of the worktop to the same depth with a chisel, then glue the new piece in place?