How to cover wood cracks?
Hopefully someone on here is good with wood construction and can help
I'm trying to build a platform bed.
Using multiple pieces of wood.
PROBLEM : What can I use to cover the cracks when I have pieces of wood next to each other? After I'm done, I'd like to sand it to smooth out everything, and paint it.
My mattress would sit on top of the board. Would the compound crack over time from the stress?
I've heard the compound to use is some sort of "mud" compound? Would that be the best to use? Alternatives? Suggestions?
Any help would be GREATLY appreciated
I'm trying to build a platform bed.
Using multiple pieces of wood.
PROBLEM : What can I use to cover the cracks when I have pieces of wood next to each other? After I'm done, I'd like to sand it to smooth out everything, and paint it.
My mattress would sit on top of the board. Would the compound crack over time from the stress?
I've heard the compound to use is some sort of "mud" compound? Would that be the best to use? Alternatives? Suggestions?
Any help would be GREATLY appreciated
Comments
Professional result come from running the boards through a power planer to get a very consistent thickness, then running the edges of the boards through a power jointer to make them as straight a possible. Some lumber yards offer these services. Look in the yellow pages under "milling" and chances are you will find one near. It shouldn't cost too much to have the boards prepped for you. while they are at it have them cut a series of "biscuit" slots, or "dowel holes" to aid in the assembly.
Good Luck, Randy
As far as MDF goes, it has drawbacks: it is very heavy, and it out-gasses some of the binders used to create it (it's just wood pulp and glue that have been put under pressure to make it dense). I would be particularly leery of using this kind of material where I was going to be sleeping.
OTOH, you can get plywood (more wood, less binder) with a veneer already on it, saving you that step. It is much easier to deal with in terms of weight, but does cost more. You should consider some kind of edge treatment, unless the platform is sitting down in a frame where the edges are already concealed.
If you already have made your multiple board platform and really just need to make it look nice, short of what has been suggested (planing and edge jointing, some kind of dowel or biscuit connectors) there isn't much you can do. And be warned: making up a say, 5'x7' surface that is truly flat is challenging for even an experienced woodworker. You'll need long clamps to glue it up and a way to keep thing flat while it dries.
I would recommend going with an open slat look, with a consistent gap between each board (something like a deck). this has the advantage of being easier to pull off, plus it allows air flow to your mattress.
my bed will be somewhat similar [not really] to this [w/out headboard].
My bed is a full size, so I don't think I'd be able to find a piece of wood that can fit the full size [plus a 4" border around the mattress] and 2-3" inches thick.
So I'd need to put multiple pieces together, but I want the whole board to look like ONE piece of wood [that's painted]. With no cracks/lines between the pieces.
Looks to me like your best bet for that kind of design would to be to make a "torsion box" and then skin it with something fairly thin.
You can see what a torsion box looks like here. Basically, a grid of cross pieces give the platform its rigidity and the skins tie it all together. This approach is actually more rigid than a comparable solid panel, less prone to warping, and a great deal lighter.
The URL I've linked to shows using MDF to make the crosspieces, but you can do it with a good quality 1x3 fir or pine-- you just have to make sure they're straight along the narrow edge. If not, you'll have to come up with a way to level the narrow edge surfaces, one to another, after you've made the grid.
If you go this way, you can piece together a couple of 4'x8' pieces of 1/4" MDF for the skins (both top and bottom) and fill the seams with an epoxy based filler. Once sanded flat and painted, you won't be able to see them.
You can also size your grid so that the the outer perimeter grid pieces are1/4" smaller than the full sized platform, all the way around. Then you can use more 1/4" MDF to finish out the edges of the platform, fill and sand and you'll have the illusion of a solid piece of material. If I were you I'd ease all the edges and corners very slightly, either with a round over bit on a router or by hand. This gives a nicer feel to the hand and lessens the likelihood of chipping off bits of the edges from wear and tear.
From the picture you linked to, there isn't a very good way to do this with solid materials. If that is a must, you'll have to use at least 2" thick stock--anything less and you'll get bowing from the weight of the bed's occupant.
I would suggest 2" thick boards no wider than 3"-4", jointed and glued up as described in earlier posts.
And you'll need to use a hardwood-- maple, birch, beech, maybe poplar since you're going to paint it.
The torsion box would be a lot easier and do the job better. I would bet that's how the bed you linked to is made.
If I don't have the machines to make the little "grids" to snap the horizontal and vertical pieces together, are there places that can do this for me?
or is it relatively easy to do at home?
What type of wood would you recommend for the grid? [should it be the same as the wood that's on top and bottom?
would this be enough to support one [sometimes two] people without warping?
If I go with the one solid piece method [beech, maple, etc.] , do they make ONE piece that's big enough to cover a full size bed + 4" border?
[thanks for all the great info. so far ]
Is there something outside of wood that could replicate that look/size?