Cypress table with rot, please help!

bwthomas77

I built a Large BGE table using plans that I modified off the naked whiz site. Table has been great and is currently 4 years old. I initally sealed the table with polyurethane or marine spar (don't remember). I moved to Guam a year ago however and the table has been taking a beating from the wet climate, I keep it covered but am not religous about it. The table top has developed several areas of rot. Two pieces have full thickness rot that will need to be chipped away until I can get somewhere I can replace the cypress with. My goal is to keep the rot from spreading and probably put a brand new table top on in once I get back to CONUS. Anyhow, couple of questions:

1) Any recommendations on best way to deal with rot?

2) Best way to seal a cypress table? Marine spar? Should I sand the whole thing down again? The frame and lower table have no signs of rot but if I am going to refinish I imagine I will need to.

nolaegghead

Sand off the old finish.  You want to dry out the wood if possible for a while if it's wet - maybe move it in your garage or man cave or in your house (somewhere with low humidity if SWMBO doesn't divorce you first )

Treat the soft areas with wood rot using a penetrating epoxy, like west marine systems.  After it cures, sand the treated areas and use a spar paint, sanding between coats.  Marine spar is the best, but Helmsman is fine.  Try to encapsulate the wood - sand and paint all sides you can get to.  Preservation of the finish is to keep it out of the rain and sun as much as possible.

bwthomas77

Thanks for the advice. I'm half way through the rot cancer operation on the table. I've cut the large chunks out of the table top. Rot was extending down into frame which required some further treatment. Sanded off the old polyurethane and removed the table top. Painted some pentrating epoxy (had to home brew it with xylene). Treated the rotted areas and then ended up coating most of the table. Now it is drying, I will need to fill the holes with some wood epoxy. I am going to coat with water based polyurethane spar. Before I do that should I sand the surface coating of epoxy off? I am worried it may yellow and crack in the sunlight. Sorry for all the questions but this is outside my realm of experience. Thanks for the help! 

bwthomas77

BTW table is in garage but SWMBO is becoming quite impatient with the fumes emanating from the door to the kitchen...

nolaegghead

Sorry about the fumes and the impatient SWMBO.....

Epoxy needs to be sanded - the surface roughed up - for other finishes to adhere.  Epoxy is chemically inert to moist finishes and those finishes need some rough scratches to give them a surface to bond to.  You don't have to sand it down to the wood.  Go for whatever looks good.  Don't worry about it cracking - the epoxy should have soaked into the wood. 

The spar paint will protect the epoxy from UV radiation - epoxy degrades with UV.

bwthomas77

Nola,

       Thanks for all the advice. I've posted a few pictures of the finished project.  All in all it was about 15-20 hours of labor. I ended up sanding down all of the wood, removing the table top, chipping as much of the rotted wood out that was feasible, treated the wood with antifreeze then 48 hours of drying, then wood epoxy (in the structural elements) and plasti wood, coated everything with epoxy cut with xylene 1:2 ratio. I would definitely recommend that last part in well ventilated area, at least better than what I was using! I then sanded back down and coated the whole thing with 9 coats of spar urethane (water soluable). Overall I'm pretty happy with the result and SWMBO (begrudgingly) tolerated the whole process. I hope it will last me until I get back to the States. In the spirit of maintenace I also fixed a small fray on the power cord and put a new rutland gasket with ultra copper on. Thanks again!

henapple

Nice

nolaegghead

bwthomas77  Glad the surgery and chemo is done and you're still in good graces with SWMBO.  That table looks like it'll last through the next zombi apocalypse or at the bottom of a swimming pool.  I've been impressed with my own table - it gets soaked all the time and it's still like new.