How To Prevent Wood From Splitting? Here Are 5 Ways To Do So!

When it comes to woodworking, we always hate to see wood splitting. It’s one of the most frustrating issues you can face as a woodworker. To help you with this, we will tell you how to prevent the wood from splitting in 5 different ways.

These are some easy-to-follow methods. One of them is applying a type of sealant to avoid splitting wood. You can also try out salt paste as a solution. Additionally, varnish, paintable wax, and even linseed oil can prevent wood splitting.

Don’t worry! we will describe these solutions in detail below. Stay with us until the end to see which method best suits your needs.

5 Easy Ways to Prevent the Wood from Splitting

Without getting into anything else, we will head right onto the solution preventing the wood from splitting. You can try these tricks to avoid wood splitting in your furniture and woodwork pieces.

So, let’s get ahead and see the different tricks you can use to save your wood from splitting.

Method 1: Applying a Type of Sealant

One easy method you can use to prevent your wood from splitting is to use a kind of sealant on it. Using a sealant doesn’t let moisture or air get in contact with your wooden piece. These two things are the prime reasons a wooden piece goes through splitting issues.

Whenever you are applying a sealant on your wood, always wear gloves. These sealants contain chemicals that can be harmful to your skin. So, it’s better to be safe when using such items.

As for the process of applying a sealant, it’s quite simple. First, you need to clean the wooden piece thoroughly. Then, to ensure the wood is flat, you must sand it properly. Once you sand the wood, you can start applying the sealant.

Method 2: Using a Solution of Salt Paste

Another great solution for preventing any kind of splitting issues on wood is salt paste. Using salt paste on your wood pieces helps them dry up quickly. When the wood has dried up, it doesn’t let any moisture or air pass through easily.

It’s safer than using any sealant because it’s free of chemicals. Using household items, you can make a salt paste and apply it to your wooden pieces. So, this is a very easy-to-follow method as well.

To prepare the salt paste, you will need salt, cornstarch, egg, and water. First, make a salt solution with water and keep it like that for four hours. Then, you have to add cornstarch. Afterwards, add the eggs to the solution and mix them properly. There you have it.

Once you have the salt paste, take a paintbrush and apply it to the wooden piece you want to protect. When the salt paste dries out, you have to remove it but keep in mind that it’s going to be a bit tough.

Method 3: Varnishing the Wood Piece

We have all heard of varnishing wood, right? It’s a great way to give your wooden furniture a new look after the wooden colour has faded. Aside from making it look better, varnish can also help prevent splitting problems in wood.

If you are using this method, don’t forget to get a sealer. Because every time you varnish, you must use a sealer to solidify the varnish. Otherwise, you may face issues of the varnish not being effective or coming off earlier than you expect it to come off.

The process you have to follow isn’t that difficult either. You have to prepare the varnish using some kind of aluminium paint. You have to prepare the sealer. To do that, you can mix warm water and glue. Stir them together for a while, and you will have your sealer.

Before applying the varnish to your wood piece, sand it and clean it. Missing out on this step may cause issues with your varnishing later on, as the wood won’t have a smooth surface. Remember, you might need to apply multiple coatings of varnish.

Method 4: Use Paintable Wax

If varnishing doesn’t seem like a viable option for you, then you can try out paintable wax. Wax works out great for sealing off your wood, so it doesn’t have cracking or splitting problems. The best part is that you can prepare the paintable yourself.

Here’s how you prepare the wax. Start with taking some candles. Then put the candles in a bag and smash them with a hammer. Next, you must measure the weight of the smashed candles inside the bag. Then, remove the wax candle pieces from the bag and start melting them.

While that goes on, you can take a canning jar and put some paint thinner into it. The amount of paint thinner will be the 1/4^th weight of the candle that you weighed earlier. Once you put the thinner inside, you can pour the melted candle or wax inside the jar.

At this point, you just have to start mixing the paint thinner and wax. You have to blend the two elements properly, don’t leave any heavy chunks. After preparing the wax, all you have to do is apply it.

Method 5: Using Linseed Oil

Something that will make your life easier as a woodworker is using linseed oil. It’s the easiest thing you can use to prevent splitting into your woodworking pieces. Linseed oil works like a sealant and guards your wood against splitting issues.

The reason it’s perfect for beginners is because of its ease of usage. All you have to do is boil the linseed oil and then apply two or three coats of it on your wood piece. But make sure you have cleaned and sanded your wooden piece before applying the oil.

FAQs

Since this is a very common issue people face, it’s natural that there will be more questions. That’s why we answer some of the most frequently asked questions regarding the prevention of wood from splitting.

Conclusion

There you have it, and now you know how to prevent wood from splitting. You can use any of the methods to get effective results. Most of them should work out just fine for you, and it’s your preference which one you pick.

What you have to focus on is moisture affecting the wooden piece. If you can keep wood from moisture content, the chances of splitting wood go down. That’s our suggestion to prevent or avoid wood from splitting.

Other than that, you can use the preventive measures that we have already discussed. Some of them are quite simple yet very effective. So, make sure to try them out.