Treating End Grain Joints

Chris G

I'm doing a cedar deck with a picture frame border. Do you suggest gapping the mitered corners to let the ends breath, or do you treat with a sealer and butt them? Hope that makes sense. The first place I tend to see rot on decking is at the butt joints, hence the question.

MechanicalDVR

When I did my last deck I didn't seal them but I used a polyglue and biscuts on the mitered frame ends. The butt joints in the field of the deck I used a lapped mitre. My exwife still has the house and the deck is seven years old and going strong, not like she ever powerwashes it or seals it anymore.

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John Hyatt

With end grain joints I use tighbond 111, rub/pat the glue into both sides and wait..... the grain will suck up the glue..then put the glue on again. This is a very old trim trick. J.

KennMacMoragh

If you gap it, it will look like hell. I suppose you could put a clear sealer on it, but I'd be leary of it showing through. I always just glue and screw my corners. Maintain it with a high quality stain applied every couple years is the only way I can think of to make it last forever. Or build it out of iron wood instead of cedar.

KennMacMoragh

That's true, but it depends on your design. I saw someone glue a 1x mitered column wrap, and after a few days, the wood split but the miters stayed together. I did a mitered column wrap with glued corners, but I cut it a quarter inch big to allow for shrinkage, attached it with thin finish nails that could bend while the wood shrinks. I think it worked, but I haven't gone back to look at it.

Wood shrinks very little length wise though, it shrinks width wise the most. I've never seen an issue with shrinking and cracking when gluing end grain miters.

Chris G

Considering this is a two year post I can't even remember what I did. I think I mitred them tight. No glue.
It's in my 'hood, so I'll take a pic and you can see what it looks like now. My guess is that the heel has opened up.

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KennMacMoragh

Cool, didn't notice the date.

John Hyatt

After 30 years in the trades , 20 of them building outdoor areas and 12 of them working with S American lumber I have never had an endgrain joint fail because it cant move.

Keeping it from moving is the whole idea!! Kest,,thats the stupid to the max post.

In fact the more I think about it the more stupid it gets. Most Carpenters make a mistake gluing up wood Joints???? DMF J.

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Btrbimmer

I've had very good results using Tite Bond III on s.american lumber, but its getting colder and it does not seem to set up properly below about 50 degrees.

Can anyone recommend an alternative that may work better in colder temperatures?

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neolitic

This...

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Teetorbilt

Gorilla Glue, follow instructions and trim off the excess. Polyurathanes are bad A, I've been working with them for over 30 yrs.

Wear some latex or vinyl gloves if you don't want it on you until you shed it.

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John Hyatt

The monkey glue folks also make an two part epoxie that works well. Nothing about temp at all in the instrustions I have used it in 40 degree weather set up time was about 10 min but I kept the clamps on over night. J.