Fill In The Gaps Rough

Fill In The Gaps Rough
By Timothy Dahl Published: Feb 9, 2016
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
From Popular Mechanics for GE Lighting
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. Why Trust Us?
When your woodworking joints aren't perfectly aligned, there's a way to fill the gaps that will make them unnoticeable.
Wood joinery can be an enjoyable, yet maddening pursuit. The ideal wood joint should come together firmly and not wiggle or be loose. But even if you've achieved the goal of a solid union, your wood joint can still have cosmetic issues, most notably gaps.
If the gaps aren't too big, you can use the glue and sawdust method to fill them in. This is a quick and easy solution that no one will ever notice. First fill the gap with a small amount of wood glue, then rub sawdust into the gap. The key here is to make sure the sawdust is from the wood project you are currently working on so the color matches.
After the sawdust is rubbed in, use fine grade sandpaper to finish off the repair. YouTuber Matthias Wandel shows us the process in action.
Once stain and sealant is applied to the wood project, you'll have a tough time seeing any joinery blemishes at all. Although the goal is to build seamless joints with zero tolerances, this tip will help improve your finished projects as you are learning.
Timothy is a lifelong DIY enthusiast who is fixated on smart home tech, beautiful tools, and wrenching on his FJ62 Land Cruiser. He’s the DIY editor at Popular Mechanics and also the founder of the home improvement site, Charles & Hudson , the Webby-nominated family site, Built by Kids , and Tool Crave. When not working, you’ll find him on his board or bike enjoying the LA weather with his family and friends. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter .
Here’s What Happened When I Made My House Smarter
9 Best Attic Fans for Keeping Your House Cool
How to Get Your Wood Trim Joints Just Right
8 Super-Effective Ways to Soundproof a Room
How to Face Nail Wide Plank Flooring
Door Sticking? Getting It Free Is Easy.
The Best Oscillating Tools to Tackle Any Project
Our Tried-and-True Drywall Repair Hacks
The Best Drywall Repair Kits (And How to Use Them)
Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. We may earn commission if you buy from a link.
©Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

How do you fill in the gaps between wood plank walls?
How to affordably protect your family & home (no monthly fees).
This incredible new lightbulb camera works without expensive cloud fees, batteries, or any wiring!
I inherited all of my Dad's Craftsman tools. · Author has 1.1K answers and 2.2M answer views · 4 y ·
What is the best way to seal gaps that have opened in a wood ceiling?
My home's pine flooring has large gaps in between some of the planks, especially in the kitchen. What can be done to fill or seal them?
What should you use to fill large gaps in wood?
Farmer at Farms · Author has 162 answers and 4.4M answer views · 3 y ·
What is the best way to seal gaps that have opened in a wood ceiling?
My home's pine flooring has large gaps in between some of the planks, especially in the kitchen. What can be done to fill or seal them?
What should you use to fill large gaps in wood?
How do I fill in the gaps between the planks of old hardwood floors?
How do you fill in front wood gaps?
What are some ways to fill gaps in wood?
How do you place some wood planks on me to get to my place?
How do you fill gaps with wood glue?
How do I paint a wall to look like wood planks?
What are plank wood floors and walls at a bar? How do you select which ones to use? Why?
What is the difference between a plank and a strip of wood?
How do I make a wood plank walkway?
How do I make concrete look like wood planks?
What is the best way to seal gaps that have opened in a wood ceiling?
My home's pine flooring has large gaps in between some of the planks, especially in the kitchen. What can be done to fill or seal them?
What should you use to fill large gaps in wood?
How do I fill in the gaps between the planks of old hardwood floors?
Something went wrong. Wait a moment and try again.
The catalog houses sold by Sears arrived in the form of a kit. The idea was with everything pre-cut and sized the house could be built economically with a much reduced labor cost. The wood you are talking about was never meant to be seen. If you look underneath your floor from the basement or crawl space you will see a similar structure on which the final floor was installed. When a house from that era was built the walls were generally made of plaster over wood lathe like this:
Plastering was labor intensive and time consuming, put up the lath, scratch coat, rough coat, finish coat with drying
The catalog houses sold by Sears arrived in the form of a kit. The idea was with everything pre-cut and sized the house could be built economically with a much reduced labor cost. The wood you are talking about was never meant to be seen. If you look underneath your floor from the basement or crawl space you will see a similar structure on which the final floor was installed. When a house from that era was built the walls were generally made of plaster over wood lathe like this:
Plastering was labor intensive and time consuming, put up the lath, scratch coat, rough coat, finish coat with drying and curing time between coats.
A Sears Kit owner who wanted plaster walls would do something like this:
So whoever put the house together and wanted to stay on budget went directly to the wallpaper to finish the interior which was probably fairly common back then. The walls are original but were never meant to be seen.
So my suggestion would be to remove the paneling and put up new wallpaper. If you really want authentic wood paneling for the room look at the wood flooring products currently available or make your own with a router table and tongue and groove bits. If you want to stay authentic to the period look for some old flooring from someone who specializes in reclaiming material from old structures. If you really like the look of the wood and can live with the gaps then you can take it down to the bare wood, sand and finish as you want. Be aware though that going down to the wood will not add any value to the home. You are trying to turn the wood into something it was not intended for.
The pictures were really helpful, best of luck with your project!
Retrofitting an existing building is a good choice when you consider all the embedded energy and resources that are already in place. In most cases, salvaged materials are far more sustainable than many materials commonly labeled? green.
It is also quite often the case that materials in existing buildings have a higher resource value than standard materials available today. That is true of your poplar boards. At the time they were installed they were most likely a cheap and readily available type of paneling. Fast-forward to our current world of pressed board and veneer products, and the value
Retrofitting an existing building is a good choice when you consider all the embedded energy and resources that are already in place. In most cases, salvaged materials are far more sustainable than many materials commonly labeled? green.
It is also quite often the case that materials in existing buildings have a higher resource value than standard materials available today. That is true of your poplar boards. At the time they were installed they were most likely a cheap and readily available type of paneling. Fast-forward to our current world of pressed board and veneer products, and the value of solid hardwood, even a common species like poplar, is certainly unique.
I would guess that the separation between the boards was caused by shrinkage as the wood dried over the years. The good news is that at this point the wood has likely reached equilibrium and should not continue to shrink. With the degree of separation that you describe it may be best to remove the boards and reinstall them.
One pass through a thickness planer and/or joiner may be all that is needed to clean up the boards and straighten the edges. I also recommend applying a natural oil-based sealer like Osmo to protect the wood. As you reinstall the paneling, you might have to "donate" the wood from a small wall to fill the extra space created by tightening the gaps.
I am less inclined to promote the idea of filling the gaps with sealant. Most sealants contain silicone or urethane, and they shrink and crack over time. Sealants are no substitute for properly fitted joints, and there really is no sealant that I would recommend in a residential application that can fill a one-inch gap

this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
I am trying to figure out a way to fill some gaps between boards.

In building my tiny house, I am trying to limit how much drywall is used, yet still have a decent looking home. To do that, and get the most out of my sawmills, I thought I would use plank walls for the first few feet for the second floor bedrooms. I milled the lumber to 1/2 inch thick, and made each board 6 inches wide. But being straight off the sawmill, there is some problems with that plan. Inevitably there are some gaps between the boards as the sawmill wavered. Add in a 100 year old tiny house on a fieldstone foundation and the only thing consistent in this house is inconsitencies!

I am trying to think of something to apply within the cracks to help fill them. Bondo works really good, but would be very expensive. I thought about drywall joint compound, but am not sure it is elastic enough .

Any ideas?

I'm guessing it's too late to ship lap joint the edges of the boards. If you didn't mind the added thickness you could put battens over the joints.

Have the boards dried or will they continue to shrink? I guess even if they are dry, seasonal humidity changes will cause them to swell and shrink so I'm guessing joint compound would crack and fall out. Maybe some log home chinking material?
Durhams rock hard water putty.

Another option is big stretch caulk.

Both are brand specific. Stick with that brand.

Location: West-central Pennsylvania
Assuming you haven't put the boards up yet, put light weight builders paper (felt roofing) over your wall first, staple it to the studs or existing wall. One, it will stop any drafts on outside walls, two, it will show only as a black strip behind the boards as they dry and shrink and doesn't have to flex with the boards, so it will never come loose or fall out, three, this is a good thing to do on floors as it will do both of the above as well and prevent any squeaking floorboards as you walk on them. You can do this on staircases too and keep any squeaking from happening. This doesn't fill the cracks of course , it just camouflages them so they don't show.
On existing walls, simply paint them black or dark brown before you put on the boards. As cracks appear, only the dark will show through.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…..this is a hum dinger of a building project .

We are renting our current house out in 3 weeks, so we must be in our tiny house soon. I am normally very good at finish carpentry and stuff, but I just do not have the time to be fussy with what I am doing. That means I am pretty quick with the nail gun, and slow to remove a board if it does not quite fit right. It is very frustrating from how I normally am with carpentry.

The wood has not had a chance to dry at all. They were living growing trees in February and now I got 10 of the 20 walls completed. It is progress, but at a price.

I am thinking a possible solution when they finally do dry is to use manila rope stuffed into the gaps and then stapled into place like the old wooden ships hulls were caulked. That is just an idea though.
Location: Gulf of Mexico cajun zone 8
You might want to consider chinking such as used on old style log cabins.

4 parts dirt
2 parts wood ash
1 part salt

Cheap, easy, & eco-friendly. Could then be touched up after the wood dries completely. I believe that if you used a fine clay as the dirt portion it could be troweled in very smoothly & paint would stick well. Don't hold me to that.
I'm still thinking that even after the wood has dried out, it will continue to expand and contract so whatever you fill it with will need to be flexible or under compression.
I had on old farmhouse. They tacked burlap to the interior board walls then applied wallpaper to it. 1906 stuff. Thought it was pretty cool.
Well you did ask... If it were me .... at this point I would call it another "what the hell was I thinking" and put up drywall like you could have in the beginning. Still wet wood you'll be chasing widening gaps and cracks for dunno how long and you've already spent more time on this than if you just put up drywall. And will continue to spend time as the gaps widen.
Our old place had wooden floors, with some pretty big gaps between them. The previous owners had filled the gaps with a mix of sawdust and pva wood glue, before sanding and polishing the floor. If that holds for a floor without dropping out of the cracks, then I bet it would work for a wall.
I wonder if you might try some Log Jam . It's flexible and slightly expansive. And even made for filling in uneven gaps between wood. That being said, I have not used it yet (seems like that project's on track for next summer) — so I don't have any personal experience with it. I don't know how big the gaps are, but I often use sawdust and wood glue to fill in gaps between fine carpentry projects by filling in the crack with glue and rubbing sawdust on it until it's smooth.
Location: Southern Arizona. Zone 8b
Hi Travis.
Did you already come up with a suitable solution?
How much have the boards dried installed? I'm not sure what the weather conditions are there. For instance is that a humid climate? Is it cold already there? What type of heat is in the tiny house? Unfortunately, my experience with greenish wood boards is fairly extensive. The first addition we added to our 1959 35" trailer house was built with fresh lumber cut from timer 500 feet from our home. We have dry conditions in New Mexico, but the temperature swings greatly, causing all sorts of havoc with Ponderosa pine lumber.
The board and batten idea is a good solution, but as you have probably already seen the boards you already have installed aren't done expanding and mostly contracting. I know it's difficult for a craftsman to wait for the quality results we desire, but you may be better off waiting until the installed boards cure before you add chinking or battens. I've seen battens peal away because of the shrinkage of the boards underneath. I've also seen chinking come out in short time because of the shrinkage.
I hope this helps or you already figured out something.
Best regards,
Brian
As I was reading this thread , I was thinking battens, and then I saw Peter mentioned it. That's what I would do. I did it in a shed I built with rough cut boards; it has a nice look. Since the battens are only going to be used to hide the irregular cracks, don't nail them to both boards...just one side. This will allow for any expansion/contraction.
I cannot do battens because the boards run horizontally and not vertically. I have used them extensively in the past, mostly for my sheep barns since its an easy siding to produce in volume, and apply.

The interior boards I installed in this Tiny House have gapped quite a bit however because we have had the heat on here for about a month. It is a long story, but the propane heater I had slated for this place had a bad igniter so I had an old pellet stove kicking around, dug it out of mothballs, and have been using that. I did not say I like it, but I am warm. I say that because we have already had measurable snow (5) times so far this winter, with the last storm meaning snowplows were out and about.

My pellet stove has also dried out my lumber a lot, but it was only 3/8 of an inch to start. Even the framing lumber I used to strengthen my 2nd floor stringers have cracked quite a bit from the drying going on.

In the end the solution was actually really easy, and I am embarrassed I did not think of it before: expandable foam. A few cans of that, and a sharp wood chisel, made quick work of filling the gaps.
Just a thought, since the shiplap ship has sailed... as has levering them together super tight before nailing...
You could go back and take a 1/2" router bit and a straightedge, and rout out at the gaps, taking a skim cut off the not-so-tightly mating edges. Leaving a uniform gap to fill with a decorative moulding (maybe a half-round, or bullnose edged strip) that you would of course make up from some dry wood. ;-)
You could do this anytime, especially since the expanding foam would cut easily.

My mom's house has horizontal wainscotting made of 2 - 12"boards and a thin strip with a bead in between. I originally thought it was T&G with a bead at one edge, but found the truth when working on refinishing the windows.
The wainscotting is capped with a chair rail which doubles as the inside sill of the windows... there's a small scotia moulding below that, and wood base at the bottom. It looks fancier than just boards with the bead in the center.

Or use that manilla rope and make it "nautical", maybe go down to Thomaston to the prison store and get some carved nautical decorations... (if that's still there).

Incidentally, a lot of manufactured paneling calls for a 24-48 hour acclimation time in the space it is to be hung (probably to swell up) so it won't buckle after it is installed.
You've got the opposite going on, but any time you can stand to wait and let your wood dry will reduce the further shrinkage. (which of course you know.)
A magnificient life is loaded with tough challenges. En garde tiny ad:
Earth Friendly Heat - Full Event - 16 hours of video
current server time (not your local time) is Sep 22, 2022 04:36:13

contact us | advertise |
affiliate program |

| Powered by JForum | copyright © 2005-2022 paul wheaton , missoula, MT

Try Linux-Mint on your computer, free, no virus worries, stable and maintenance free.
Argue for your limitations and they are yours forever.

Moderator, Treatment Free Beekeepers group on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/treatmentfreebeekeepers/

Michael Cox wrote: Our old place had wooden floors, with some pretty big gaps between them. The previous owners had filled the gaps with a mix of sawdust and pva wood glue, before sanding and polishing the floor. If that holds for a floor without dropping out of the cracks, then I bet it would work for a wall.

wayne fajkus wrote: I had on old farmhouse. They tacked burlap to the interior board walls then applied wallpaper to it. 1906 stuff. Thought it was pretty cool.
My opinions are barely worth the paper they are written on here, but hopefully they can spark some new ideas, or at least a different train of thought
"People get out your way, when you're on fire". Richard Prior
Nails are sold by the pound, that makes sense.

Journeys

Courses

Topics List

Bbw Girls Solo
Indian Pussy Girl
Man Pissing Outdoor

Fill In The Gaps Rough

Report Page