I think my cat ruined my table!!

[Howard]

Nah, it's pretty much par for the course for him.

EDIT: You know what? Is there a poster here whose name starts with the letter "n" and isn't an absolute asshole? Numerianonen, narmer, nebor, neckbeard... I can't think of any.

nourdmrolnmt1


EDIT: Also, you're a racist!

 

[Perknose]

You think real wood will react well to having water on it for hours?

I've noticed a trend of you making really stupid posts. Is this something you just started today, or have I simply not noticed it until now?

You just haven't noticed, he's been doing it since he joined.

 

[dpodblood]

Buy a real table next time.

A diskish way of saying it, but he is correct. Tables made of MDF are easily ruined by water since it will soak up the water and swell. At the very least it will bubble and ruin the finish, and there isn't much you can do to fix it. If you are in the market for a new table find one made of solid wood, marble, or glass. They cost a lot more, but they will last for years.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Short answer, Table is trashed.

In theory, you could possibly cut away all the swelled portion and replace with a new piece of mdf, osb, or ply, then clamp on and attach the new board with generous portions of adhesive, strip down, replace veneer, sand, finish it.... but the amount of time it would take to do that, and the cost as you probably don't have all the tools you'd need, and the fact that it wouldn't quite look "like new" unless you've got experience with that sort of thing ... would make it COMPLETELY NOT WORTH IT....

I'd just keep using the damaged table for a while and when $$$ is available, I'd look at getting a better sealed table...

 

[Sheep]

New cat owner? Most every cat I've ever met including my own tries to eat flowers and houseplants and drinks from random water sources, even if it means tipping it over to get access.

Lesson learned about having flowers/plants and things that can be easily tipped over in the presence of your feline buddy.

 

[herm0016]

It wouldn't be MDF, just some lesser wood (not wallnut/mahogany). No one uses MDF combined with real wood veneer; you're thinking of ikea furniture (MDF + vinyl)

wrong.

you can buy real wood veneer mdf all day at any lumber yard.
we used to sell 1 x 12 x 16' oak that was made this way, much cheaper than solid.


you could try hitting it with an iron over a damp towel but it will probably not do anything. also, you could try filling with glue and then clamping with boards for a few days.

 

[torpid]

Probably not applicable to MDF but we had some steam/water issues on a dresser of mine. We tried a bunch of stuff that didn't work, but then used a hot iron on top of a towel on top of the dresser and it fixed the problem straight away.

 

[Jaepheth]

its a cheap mdf table, just replace it with either:

A: Another cheap table that will get wrecked the next time the cat spills water on it

B: A real wood table thats properly sealed and could withstand a firehose pointed at it.

C. Get another cheap table and apply a layer of epoxy or other sealant.

 

[Humpy]

...you could try filling with glue and then clamping with boards for a few days.

This is close to the repair for the table. A little more in depth explanation of the fix is to remove an amount of the swollen MDF by cutting a kerf under the veneer with a small saw. Allow everything to dry out completely. In time the solid wood veneer will most likely relax back close to its initial condition.

Then, under the veneer, inject an adhesive and carefully clamp the area. It will not look perfect in certain light conditions but it will be flat if done by a skillful person.

 

[Nightrainsrt4]

Cats like vases and water sources. Accidents happen. The table most likely wouldn't have swelled if you had properly cleaned it up. Sounds like it's your fault more than the cats. Obviously the cat may have knocked it, but ultimately it was your choice not to properly clean it up when you saw it.

Edit: By properly cleaning it up I mean making sure it was entirely dry. Otherwise the moisture would cause problems, as shown. Or, just don't by a table that can't deal with being a little wet.

Ehh, either way I wouldn't be blaming the cat. Stuff happens.

 

[SphinxnihpS]

1. MDF core table is probably better over time that a solid wood table. It has it's downsides, like don't get it wet, but overall it resists warping and shrinking much better. Real wood can move a ton! There are more reasons plywood is in use than cost. In fact, I can make a 4' x 8' x 3/4" sheet of solid knotty pine cheaper than I can buy a good quality knotty pine sheet of plywood, and in almost every instance I will prefer the plywood.

2. As far as a "real" goes, that table looks like it could be a fairly expensive cherry or mahogany veneer table. Hard to tell due to the angle of the photos, and the fact that most stuff sold as cherry is actually poplar, and most mahogany sold isn't at all. Unfortunately corners were cut in its manufacture. MDF should never be left raw even if it's hidden. It's essentially very thick paper, and as such easily takes on water from any moisture.

3. The table is fixable. The swelling is higher than the veneer is thick, so a simple refinish won't do because you will sand through the veneer, but one MAY be required anyway. If I had to fix it: I would take the top off the table. I would use a router to cut about a 1/4" wide slot, 1-1/2" - 2" deep in the edge of the MDF under where the swelling is. I would then secure the table top to the side of a workbench vertically, with the slot facing up. I would then fill the slot with SLOW CURE epoxy resin, leaving it just slightly under-filled. West Systems 408 or 403 is going to be the best resin for this project. I would have two pieces of 3/4" MDF or melamine, two clamp cauls, about 4' x 8"-10", 3-4 12" deep-throat bar or clamps or large deep throat C-clamps, and a box of waxed paper ready to go. Use blue tape to tape the waxed paper to the top of the table, but don't get any tape where the clamping boards will go. This will protect the top from scratches and leaking resin. Then I would place the MDF on each side of the slot and clamp it VERY CAREFULLY and with EVEN PRESSURE until the bulges are flush with the table top, and then tighten it just a smidgen more. Too tight and you will leave clamp marks in the tabletop, even through the MDF. I highly recommend cauls on top of the MDF to even out the pressure. The slot will allow the clamped down bulges a place to go, and when the resin hardens it should act as a filler and glue, holding the table top to uniform thickness. Some of the resin may leak out when you clamp and the slot gets narrower. The ideal is to have a slight convex meniscus along the length of the slot. When the resin hardens it will shrink some, and you can easily trim of the excess after it hardens.

This may leave the table top with cracks in the veneer where it bulged, in which case the top will need to be stripped and refinished.

If the table is under $1000 I wouldn't bother.

 

[SphinxnihpS]

This is close to the repair for the table. A little more in depth explanation of the fix is to remove an amount of the swollen MDF by cutting a kerf under the veneer with a small saw. Allow everything to dry out completely. In time the solid wood veneer will most likely relax back close to its initial condition.

Then, under the veneer, inject an adhesive and carefully clamp the area. It will not look perfect in certain light conditions but it will be flat if done by a skillful person.

Whoops! I just noticed this post. I laid it out in more detail.

 

[Howard]

What is the linear extent of the water damage? If it's only at the center of the table, perhaps you could consider cutting out part of the affected section and adding a decorative insert?

The suggestions above re: replacement of damaged MDF with epoxy seem to be good solutions as well. Question, though; isn't the inter-laminar tensile strength of MDF quite low, especially for waterlogged MDF? i.e. once you clamp and glue, the tendency of the wood to re-expand into the original damaged state might rip itself part between the veneer and the glue, no?

 

[SphinxnihpS]

The suggestions above re: replacement of damaged MDF with epoxy seem to be good solutions as well. Question, though; isn't the inter-laminar tensile strength of MDF quite low, especially for waterlogged MDF? i.e. once you clamp and glue, the tendency of the wood to re-expand into the original damaged state might rip itself part between the veneer and the glue, no?

No. This is why I recommended epoxy with high gluing strength. I don't think the MDF and veneer will want to pull back into position more than the epoxy is capable of holding them down. This is just to be safe too, 5 minute epoxy would probably work.

 

[Howard]

No. This is why I recommended epoxy with high gluing strength. I don't think the MDF and veneer will want to pull back into position more than the epoxy is capable of holding them down. This is just to be safe too, 5 minute epoxy would probably work.

No, of course the epoxy will hold the MDF it's attached to. But I'm talking about the MDF that's further away from the glued region - doesn't it experience a returning force towards the way it once was? And so the MDF will want to pull itself apart?

I'm not saying the MDF will actually split, I'm just thinking out loud that if it were weak enough, or over time, there might be the possibility of an internal void due to expansion.