I am trying to repair cracks in the backs of the pews in my church. The cracks do not yet present a structural problem as they do not go completely through the back. I suspect the backs are made up of a thick veneer on the front and back with some type of ply core in between. Although I cannot be certain.
My question is what is the best way to repair these? I thought of butterfly’s and while this may be the best option, it will take several of them as the pews are very long (15-20 feet) and in some case the cracks run most of the length.
Any ideas are most welcome. Thank you.
Replies
I have a stack of deconstructed church pews waiting to be made into oak furniture. All of them had solid seats and backs. Some years ago I had a couple of walnut pews, which also had solid seats and backs. They became a beautiful solid walnut table.
Seems unlikely that the pews you're repairing are veneered, although the fact that the crack doesn't go all the way through (yet) does suggest that.
It's pretty easy to remove a pew end to inspect the material the back is made of. If it's veneer over particle board -- unlikely, I think-- it might be an exercise in futility to inset butterflies. But if the material is solid wood, that could work. It would have to be done carefully, because pews are subject to flexing as well as temperature and humidity variations, and you wouldn't want the butterflies to pop out.
I'll be interested in reading other folks' responses.
I've cut down a dozen or more church pews as well as repairing one. They were quite old, but all were solid wood. It sounds like you might be trying to repair these pews in place in which case removing the ends to inspect the wood might not be practical or desireable. I don't know where the cracks are (high, low, in the middle), but possibly you could use some kind of battens across the cracks--disguised as hymn book holders perhaps--they could be fabricated in a shop and field installed without a lot of mess. Just a thought.
Please provide some more information. It sounds like the cracks are running horizontally. Does it look like the cracks are forming along glue/joint lines? Are the cracks on a flat section or curved section of the back. Are the cracks high, low, or in the middle of the pew back. At the cracks clean, fine lines or zagged, splintered lines? Are the pews padded at the back and/or seat?
My current guess is that the cracks are forming at common points of stress caused by the weight of your local pew sitters. Unless these pews are of a newer vintage, they are propably made of laminated stock 1 1/2" or thicker, usually pine. If the pews are veneered, these still have to be stress cracks. As you sit in the pews you are compressing the wood fibers on the sitter side and over stretching the wood fibers on the back and bottom.
Get a bunch of your church going friends together and fill up one of the afflicted pews, the cracks should get bigger (stretched out more). You can test this by inserting the thin, tongue depressor shaped automotive feeler gauges into the cracks with both a full and empty pew.
One possible fix is to fill cracks with an epoxy that has color and an elastisizer added. The pews need to have weight put on them to stretch the cracks and allow the epoxy to penetrate. Once cured, remove the weight, use a finely hooked card scraper or fine sandpaper to level the surface, and apply appropriate finish.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful response. The cracks are horizontal and run most of the length of the pew. The cracks are very tight and mostly uniform with very little jaggedness. They are not on a glue line and they are usually located in the bottom one third of the back rest, just behind the lumbar spine when seating.
I look forward to your ideas. Thank you.
I would try the epoxy fix I described in my first message first. It should serve to both fill the crack and adhere the wood on both sides together. You will need to experiment a little to mix the right amount of dye and elastisizer into the epoxy to make as invisible a patch as possible. the epoxy with fill the void and glue the two side together in one step. Definitely use slow setting epoxy for this. Mix some up and let it harden to check for color once cured to make sure it will match. You may need to mix a couple of different dyes together to get the right shade.
Try it on one and see how it works, then let me know. I can always come up with some other fix to try.
Hi,
I have what seems like the same problem with an Ethan Allen bench seat that I have recently sanded down to bare wood (maple I think). If the epoxy is clear, it appears that should work for me as well as I haven't decided on how I will finish the piece.
I'm leaning on applying Watco oil and/or Tung Oil. Do you think that would present any finishing problems?
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
Kidderville, NH
Use whatever tool needed to Git 'r Done!
Epoxy doesn't take a finish once cured. You can only add dye, preferably powder for a more opaque finish while you are mixing the two parts together. You will need to finish some test scrapes and then test different amounts of dye to add until you get the results you want. I used this approach to repair a dried out gun stock that had stress fractures. With a high gloss finish put over the top it is nearly impossible to tell where the repair was made, Most epoxy gets brittle when fully cured. Adding some elastisizer is critical to the repair holding up to additional wood movement.
If the pews are from solid wood there is nothing you can do to stop the cracking unless you have the central HVAC system removed from the church.
If veneer has in fact cracked I'd simply replace the veneer and dye and finish to match.
I doubt seriously that filling the current void with tinted epoxy will prove to be a satisfactory repair for any length of time.
I've built and delivered a lot of church fittings over the years.
Edited 3/8/2006 7:46 am ET by BossCrunk
Thank you. I agree that the epoxy approach, while desirable, may not give a permanent solution. I am thinking of a more mechanical approach: routed bowties. Your thoughts?
Definitely a step up from smearing tinted glue in a crack.
I don't mind when people disagree with me, has even helped me to learn a thing or two. I admit that the epoxy solution isn't ideal, but it works. I have used this approach on several pieces of heavily worn furniture in the past and the "repairs" for lack of a better word have held up for over twenty years.
There is no solution that will stop the wood movement, regardless of the pews being laminated or veneered. All the epoxy solution does is fill the voids with something flexible and durable enough to keep up with the movement. Assuming the pews are veneered, the labor and expense of removing the veneer on all the pews then reveneering them is a waste. Due to the constant wood movement, the new veneer will also crack, probably sooner than later. There are really only two sure fire solutions to the problem: 1. See the cracks as character and ignore them 2. Get new pews.
One can fill a crack with any number of products.
I wouldn't say that epoxy is flexible.
I think you have to be extremely careful with advice when clearly the poster is in business and bidding on a job.
Gluing these cracks would be a monumental mistake unless the congregation's expectations were suitably low.
Edited 3/9/2006 7:17 am ET by BossCrunk
I didn't pick up on the contractor aspect of this. Epoxy isn't flexible, which is why an elastic filler has to be added as I stated. Done right, this approach is barely visible, if at all. Yes, it is somewhat labor intensive, but it works and is less costly than other methods of repair in this case. However, as you point out, it may not be desirable in this instance.
You are right, given the limited information it probably would have been better not to suggest any possible solution. Replacing or adding veneer, as you advised, would make this guy a lot of money, but is not a great solution. The forces that caused these pews to crack will only split the new veneer as well.
When I was younger I did a lot of restoration work, I make my living other ways now. It depends on the piece, its value, its use, and how it was originally constructed as to the best way to effect a repair. Sometimes the best thing is to do nothing. Without more detailed information, or some pictures of the pews, any suggestion lacks true merit.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled