# White Ash - Most effective way to protect & repair cracks in outdoor enviroments?



## jpf566 (Jun 21, 2020)

Hey everyone

I've got a step project & our weather has got the best of it, as you can see from the pics the stair treads have begun to crack. (I live in eastern Pennsylvania, I think the cracks were due to freezing) I understand White Ash was not the best species for an outdoor project like this but this was all I was able to find that was dried and ready to go after calling many local Sawmills.

What would you recommend is the best thing to use to fill these cracks and then seal them so this hopefully doesn't continue? After staining I put one or two coats of Olympic Waterguard which I picked up from Home depot, but these cracks showed up only months later

Any help would be greatly appreciated, I'm a noob with all this!

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## woodtickgreg (Jun 21, 2020)

What those cracks tell me is either one of 2 things. The treads where attached without allowing for seasonal wood movement.
Or the boards where not fully dried and aclimated before using them.
Thin epoxy may be the only thing that will fill the crack and bond to the wood and still be waterproof. Also the ends of the boards where not sealed and that's why there is so much end checking.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 3 | Informative 1


----------



## rob3232 (Jun 21, 2020)

I agree with what Greg said and would add that if the boards were dry (kiln dried) and ends were not sealed before building your steps moisture will wick in through the end grain and wreak all kinds of problems. Personally, I never thought I would say this but I am in the process of converting to composite decking. Just too much work to maintain natural wood with our weather and our age. Best of luck!

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 2 | Informative 1


----------



## barry richardson (Jun 21, 2020)

With outdoor wood, you must embrace the cracks seriously, you really can't stop it, applying some linseed oil or Thompson's waterseal once or twice a year will help preserve the wood, but cracks are gonna happen....

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 4 | Informative 1


----------



## Mr. Peet (Jun 22, 2020)

Being that white ash is not rated as an outdoor wood unless thermally modified, I start saving for replacement after following Ticks' advice for the interim...

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## sprucegum (Jun 23, 2020)

What they said. Ash is more durable as a outdoor wood than you might think. Coming from a farming family in the 50's and 60's I can tell you it was a favorite for farm truck beds, whiffle trees, eveners, plow and cultivator handles, and about everything that required strong strait grained wood. Farmers in those days tended to keep things undercover as much as possible but it rains often here so they inevitably got wet. As long as ash is not in contact with the ground and you give it a good coating of something good a couple times a year they should last a long time. I found a product called ready seal last summer and used it on the entire exterior of my house. I like it a lot if you can find a place that sells it they should have a display of little sample cans that are free so you can try it on some scraps. Water beads on the surface and runs off but it could be slippery until it fully cures. https://www.readyseal.com/

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | EyeCandy! 1 | Agree 1 | Informative 3


----------

