# Epoxy to fill cracks in pressure treated 4x4s



## GregoryF (Jun 22, 2016)

I have just built a playset out of pressure treated pine and the 4×4's are cracking as they dry… What product would work to fill the cracks ? Some of these cracks are quite large like 1/4 inch but the 4×4 is overall maintaining its dimensions ? I haven't sealed it yet as I was waiting for it to dry first

I am just worried about the structural integrity of the playset as a whole… I also want to preserve it correctly for years to come… Are the cracks something to be concerned about other than filling them in ?

Thanks Greg


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## CudaDude (Jan 30, 2012)

Don't know how many years you are wanting to get out of it, but I built my kids a swingset from PT pine 4×4s. They split real bad but it remained structurally sound for about 5 years without even sealing it. I personally wouldn't bother with filling the splits.


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## GR8HUNTER (Jun 13, 2016)

if it bother you so much you can use body putty to fill them in ….. are you painting it ???


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## GregoryF (Jun 22, 2016)

I was going to use olympic sealer/stain … Thats great to know that the splits aren't structurally significant !

I may not even bother with the sealing unless the wife wants it to be a different color, now that I know the splits are cosemetic only…

Thanks Guys !


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## Kirk650 (May 8, 2016)

At the demands of the wife, I built an outdoor railing for the back porch. I used treated wood. It had big longitudinal cracks as the wood dried. I filled the cracks with an outdoor putty and painted the railing. Looked great. After a few wet/dry spells, the cracks reappeared. I finally gave up.


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

I made a barbecue shelter with p.t. 4×4 posts. After this winter one of the posts twisted at the base with the flat face gone from say a 12 o'clock position to a 2 o'clock position. Pressure treated wood stinks.


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

You can fill it and it'll probably crack again. It's fine.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

I don't think that it will be a problem structurally. A cracked 4×4 is still plenty strong but if the cracks are in a place that might get touched by delicate little hands, you might want to do something to prevent splinters.

Personally, I would never use PT lumber for skin contact, especially for little ones. I know that they removed the heavy metals several years ago but I would still worry about what is in there so I would coat it with something to reduce skin contact.


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