Wood columns splitting

Okay all you wood experts out there. This is a non-boating question, although my house is on the oceanfront. Some of our turned porch columns are splitting vertically. Since we're in RI, they are subject to the freeze/thaw cycle. I wiil add a photo when I get home, but the splits are fairly wide ?1/8". I'm thinking of filling them with epoxy by taping up the sides and filling from the top with a thin, flexible epoxy. Is this the right approach or is there a better way?
Replacement would be very expensive. Thanks for any help or opinions.

Mike, the problem with wood columns is well documented, because of that most every column we install these days are fiberglass, with Fypon base and cap..

When forced to use wood the initial coating and handling and install will set the tone for years to come....I won’t go into the long list but airflow, oil based primer to all raw surfaces and many other tricks will determine how well the wood columns hold up..

Also old growth woods which are unavailable today always performed better than today’s wood..

As far as your problem, yes your on the right track, oil prime the cracks, get the primer inside and around, next tape off and use a high quality flexible, paintable outdoor caulking, (many brands to choose from) . Fill void, run with finger, let dry, it will shrink a little, that’s good...Oil prime again, let dry, apply Bondo, much like sparkle, it’s two parts, easy on the hardener. Let dry, sand flush, oil prime and paint...

It a little labor intensive, but if you want to give yourself the best shot of long lasting repair, it’s the way to go..

I would use thin, then thickened epoxy.

Not using any primer or oil first.

Then prime and paint.

If you are lucky and the cracks clean enough, the epoxy fill should be stronger than the wood.

Could the timber have been green unseasoned or underseasoned wood? Doesn`t change the fix but may explain the occurrence.

Looking closer at them, my guess is the columns were built up from flat boards, the turned. They are over 130 years old if original, but they could be more modern reproductions. They were there in the 1930's photos we saw.
Here are some pics. Thanks for your responses so far. As usual different ways of approaching a problem.

Sorry for the duplicates

You could also through bolt every so often and then plug the holes

The big house we used to own in CT had 22 round columns. We would caulk them with paintable acrillic and be done. Would have to recalk every 5 or 6 years but replacing them was not an option.
They never really got worse

Will bondo expand and contract with the wood?
I may through bolt the large ones in the base. Washers good enough? I could use 1" dowel for plugs.

Thicker washers would be best, you also could use lag bolts if also using epoxy...saving plugging a second hole.

I wouldnt use Bondo for large cracks that work, yes it would just probably crack again, though it might be a thinner crack.

The caulking will do the bulk of the work....the bondo will do it’s job to hide the caulked seam..as post #8 said, caulk and paint will do the job, you could just caulk and prime and paint, you will always see a hint of the caulked joint..That’s where the Bondo Comes In, it will allow you to mask that seam, sand to a feather edge and conceal the seam...

Drilling and bolting to close the gap up could get you in trouble..when building columns we use strap clamps to exert pressure, the forces need to be exerted circular not linear...

If you want to help the cause further.....get some air in, air flow / access bottom and top of columns will prolong life and the repairs...

Mike I just checked out the photo..instead of Bondo use Abtron...here is the link..You could also bolt through the square sections, but I’m not sure I would...I use Abtron products for more serious repairs, they also make great concrete repair products..
https://www.abatron.com/product/woodepox/

The square bottom sections can be closed up easily if the wood is sound...clean out the vertical crack...inject glue, clamp, countersink drill, and screw...They should pull right in...That’s the move for the square section...

Just to be fair, through bolting or lagging does have some concerns. First is whether the posts are laminated or solid. If laminated, bolting or lagging should not be too much of an issue. If solid wood, it can cause further splitting.

Either way, bolting or lagging should be done (in my mind) as a last ditch, mostly to pull together the splits for epoxying and uising the smallest bolts or threaded rod possible to prevent further splitting.

Clamps might work fine and should be tried first if you can get some appropriate ones.

If the posts are substantial support the way they are and the cracks can be considered more cosmetic than structural, then repair to that degree.

Those cracks look they are from when the boards were originally glued together to make the columns. Over time the glue joint has failed and the wood shrunk. I would clean the cracks out best I could and probably use some thickened epoxy or bondo , shove it in the cracks, let it dry and add some more when it dries and shrinks . Then I would sand prime and paint . Prime it with primer that works with the paint your going to use. Acrylic latex is some pretty good stuff if you don’t want to use oilbase.

psneeld said:

Just to be fair, through bolting or lagging does have some concerns. First is whether the posts are laminated or solid. If laminated, bolting or lagging should not be too much of an issue. If solid wood, it can cause further splitting.

Either way, bolting or lagging should be done (in my mind) as a last ditch, mostly to pull together the splits for epoxying and uising the smallest bolts or threaded rod possible to prevent further splitting.

Clamps might work fine and should be tried first if you can get some appropriate ones.

If the posts are substantial support the way they are and the cracks can be considered more cosmetic than structural, then repair to that degree.

Click to expand...

A similar approach that I would consider is to use water proof glue (big box stores) for the bonding along with clamps. You should also use boards on each side under clamps to squeeze the gaps closed. The boards or some other type of spacers will prevent the clamps from marking your posts when they are tightened. YOu should be able to avoid fasteners.

foggysail said:

A similar approach that I would consider is to use water proof glue (big box stores) for the bonding along with clamps. You should also use boards on each side under clamps to squeeze the gaps closed. The boards or some other type of spacers will prevent the clamps from marking your posts when they are tightened. YOu should be able to avoid fasteners.

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Definitely knew that there would be some great opinions out there. I think my first approach will be to see if the flat sections will come together with clamps. If so, outdoor glue should do it. If not, the the epoxy or caulk route. They do hold up a small roof, so there is load, especially in the winter with snow and ice. Glue and screw is pretty strong.

Greetings,
My $.01. "Glue and screw is pretty strong." Once the glue/adhesive is set, there is really no need for screws...Clamps with glue/stick-um.

Some of you have probably noticed that I'm not red hot at diesel/charging/electrical issues. But I am a retired architect who's done a fair bit of restoration and woodwork.


Those columns are clearly not old. They're made of glued-up boards then turned to shape. There's not much paint build-up. In the good old days of lousy water-resistant glue and availability of decent lumber, they'd be turned from a solid piece.


The remains of the failed glue no doubt remain in the joint and there's no easy/reasonable way of cleaning it out. Unless you're up for removing the columns and working on them in the dry and horizontal, you'll have a very tough time getting the new glue into a dry joint. If you were to tape the joint to prevent/reduce glue from running out and injecting the glue in stages, say 4" at a time, you might be lucky or sufficiently successful.


Clearly gluing with something good and tolerant of dirt (saturates and glues the dirt to the wood) is required. West System or similar 'runny' epoxy is one. Clamping the square portions of the column is easy; clamping those turned portions is hard. It might be best to force thickened epoxy into the joint using a putty knife.


There's something to be said for filling the cracks with sealants and forgetting about it, buy some time. Problems include continued warping of the boards in the column, water intrusion and trapping the water in the joint behind the sealant. Also, the typical sealant commonly suitable for this kind of 'paint prep' is latex AC20 or similar; the stuff remains just a little hygroscopic, like latex paints, and dirt collects on the smears of sealant.


Bondo, auto body filler, is inert fillers and polyester resin. Polyester does not bond to wood very well. Abatron is an epoxy filler and will adhere to dry wood. https://www.abatron.com/product/woodepox/ It's made for filling rotted cavities and making up missing portions of wood.

If you use West System epoxy with 404 high density filler, the epoxy bond to the wood will be stronger and probably last the life (whatever that is) of the columns. I don't think you need to do a thin epoxy 1st. I never did in similar cases and I've used at least hundreds of gallons of epoxy. West has been the best in mixing consistency and reliable results.
I've used West with 404 in deck cracks and hull repairs in commercial boats w/o later failure. Also in place of "waterproof" glue. In remodel tear outs, years later, the wood separates before the epoxy fails.

Are the columns built up with many flat boards, or turned from one log? Take the paint off on one of the flat sides showing a split to find out. If it turns out they are from a single log, read about checking/splitting here: Understanding Checks and Splits in Lumber and Timbers In-situ — Wood Science Consulting which simply stated, says you can leave them be as the checks/splits are not a strength issue.

If they are built up then turned, you have several recommendations for West System. I would try that.

looks like there may be some dry rot on the lower section of the post, under the paint. As someone already said, post is built up with thin boards. Likely just nailed, and likely pine. If it is rot, Git Rot from Home Depot works OK. For the boards I would use Titebond exterior glue and clamp till set.
Good luck

Thank you all for you thoughtful responses. I'm going to my original plan of trying to fill the gaps with a low viscosity epoxy that will bond with damp wood just in case there's some moisture in there. Followed up with thickened epoxy or caulking for any remaining gaps. That will eliminate having to clamp or bolt the seams closed and hoping the glue holds.

I just replaced a few columns on a customers porch. Its not that difficult of a job, and then you end up with structurally sound, maintenance free columns that will outlast you. How much weight is supported by those columns ? Epoxy and paint will not restore their load bearing capability. A replacement column is about $100, and a few hours labor for a carpenter.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/5-1-4-in-x-5-1-4-in-x-8-ft-Porch-Column-709721/202087424

Had the same problem. I used an acrylic caulk to fill the gaps then painted over the columns and called it good. Bondo and other epoxy material will not allow the wood to expand or contract as the ambient humidity changes. The acrylic will. I do NOT recommend silicone because you never will be able to paint it (nothing sticks to it). With acrylic you will have to redo every several years but that's the joy of wood.
Keep the water and freeze/thaw out of the interior of the columns and check the bases for rot. Good Luck

mike66 said:

Okay all you wood experts out there. This is a non-boating question, although my house is on the oceanfront. Some of our turned porch columns are splitting vertically. Since we're in RI, they are subject to the freeze/thaw cycle. I wiil add a photo when I get home, but the splits are fairly wide ?1/8". I'm thinking of filling them with epoxy by taping up the sides and filling from the top with a thin, flexible epoxy. Is this the right approach or is there a better way?
Replacement would be very expensive. Thanks for any help or opinions.

Click to expand...

NO wrong approach! drill holes for screws in widest parts of split. Then drill hole where screw head wider than thresds of screw to be used this is so screw will draw back half toward screw head otherwise will bind. Then tape seams of crack with masking tape to retaining mixed eooxy Then starting at top inject epoxy with syringe don't make it too thin! when epoxy is still not set tighten screws to squeeze epoxy . Next day remove masking tape and sand /paint to suit.

Genecop said:

Mike, the problem with wood columns is well documented, because of that most every column we install these days are fiberglass, with Fypon base and cap..

When forced to use wood the initial coating and handling and install will set the tone for years to come....I won’t go into the long list but airflow, oil based primer to all raw surfaces and many other tricks will determine how well the wood columns hold up..

Also old growth woods which are unavailable today always performed better than today’s wood..

As far as your problem, yes your on the right track, oil prime the cracks, get the primer inside and around, next tape off and use a high quality flexible, paintable outdoor caulking, (many brands to choose from) . Fill void, run with finger, let dry, it will shrink a little, that’s good...Oil prime again, let dry, apply Bondo, much like sparkle, it’s two parts, easy on the hardener. Let dry, sand flush, oil prime and paint...

It a little labor intensive, but if you want to give yourself the best shot of long lasting repair, it’s the way to go..

Click to expand...

BONDO??? Bondo absorbs moisture and causes rot.

geoleo said:

BONDO??? Bondo absorbs moisture and causes rot.

Click to expand...

https://youtu.be/o1lOaPhhC-s

mike66 said:

Sorry for the duplicates

Click to expand...

Inject good quality wood glue in and clamp till set, prep and paint as needed.