3

We have a coffee table we made with four 2x4 planks stained and glued to a tabletop. About a year later, one of the planks had loosed so I ripped it off and I was planning to reapply the wood glue and clamp it back in place. There is a bunch of dried wood glue on the bottom of the wood and some on the tabletop as well. The glue is very hard and it's thick in some places.

Do I need to remove this dried glue before adhering it with more wood glue? It is very hard and it's thick in some places, so I'm concerned it would not lay evenly.

If it does need to be removed what is the best method to do that? Is there a solvent I should use? Or is there a tool I should use it scrape it?

The glue is Elmers but I'm not sure if it is Wood Glue or Wood Glue Max.

Photos

enter image description here

enter image description here

enter image description here

Improve this question
5
  • What is the surface of the table the wood is being glued to? It looks like some kind of paper or vinyl.
    – UnhandledExcepSean
    Commented Jan 31, 2019 at 14:59
  • 1
    That's painted MDF? The glue didn't fail, the paint did. Do what the answer says with screws, to all of them, before the rest fall off too.
    – Mazura
    Commented Jan 31, 2019 at 17:05
  • @UnhandledExcepSean - The table was a cheap table from Target. It was primed and painted, then we realized we wanted wood on top instead of painted. So we glued the wood to the painted surface.
    – SherlockSpreadsheets
    Commented Jan 31, 2019 at 17:39
  • Probably MDF and laminate construction, as @mazura had guessed.
    – SherlockSpreadsheets
    Commented Jan 31, 2019 at 17:41
  • Given that, I don't think the paint will allow permanent adhesion. I would sand the paint/primer off or as isherwood suggested screw into the wood from the bottom to ensure permanent placement.
    – UnhandledExcepSean
    Commented Jan 31, 2019 at 17:42

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
8

If you want to use wood glue again, I'd remove the old glue. You'll get a stronger bond if you apply glue to clean wood. A belt sander would do a nice job.

If you're ok using urethane glue or project adhesive, the only concern is whether the replaced board will sit above the others. Otherwise I'd have no problem bonding to the old glue if it appears solid.

You could also run some countersunk flat-head screws of appropriate length in from underneath to assure the security of the boards.

Improve this answer
5
  • I like the idea about screwing from the bottom. I am a noob with countersinking. But this video makes it look pretty straight forward. Youtube: How to Countersink a Wood Screw by kwikshowmehow2 on Dec 28, 2008.
    – SherlockSpreadsheets
    Commented Jan 31, 2019 at 17:48
  • 1
    That's it. You can use a common steel drill bit if you don't have a countersink bit on hand and don't need a perfectly-shaped depression. Be careful with pilot-point bits, though--they tend to grab and dive in very aggressively.
    – isherwood
    Commented Jan 31, 2019 at 17:51
  • Agree 100% with removing the glue. However, disagree with the belt sander recommendation. A belt sander runs a high risk of removing more wood than glue. A simple paint scraper will do the job of scraping the glue off. Also agree with the comments on the OP about scraping the paint off before gluing again. Standard wood glues, well, just about any glue, doesn't like bonding to paint.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Jan 31, 2019 at 21:21
  • @FreeMan A card scraper is another option here but probably a paint scraper is easier to find. Paint is terrible for gluing to because even if you do bond to it, it's not glue i.e. it's not designed to hold things together and will likely rip off like it did here.
    – JimmyJames
    Commented Jan 31, 2019 at 21:33
  • I purchased a Heavy Duty Scraper to remove the glue, similar to this one. I will try that out but haven't done so yet.
    – SherlockSpreadsheets
    Commented Feb 4, 2019 at 14:53

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.