How to flatten warped wood

Video: How to fix a warped board with hot glue (simple)

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What you need

Ideally, the towels should be large enough to cover the entire panel. Choose a towel that can withstand the heat of the iron.
When moistening a towel, you need to soak it in water to completely wet, then wring it out. The towel will remain damp, but not dripping wet.

Place the damp cloth on the table used to make clothes. Place the wood wrapped in a damp cloth on a dressing table or on a hard surface. The convex face of the wooden board is raised.

The concave surface of the wooden board is placed face down.
The surface where the wood panel is placed must be sturdy and resistant to the high heat of the iron.

Leave the table at the hottest level. Turn on steam and top heat level of iron.

Wait 2-5 minutes for the iron to heat up.
Note that the iron must have steam spray mode. Dry irons are not recommended.

Press the iron on the towel-covered surface. Press the iron down on one end of the towel and slowly slide the iron over the entire surface, pressing your hand evenly to apply even pressure over the entire wood covered surface.

Hold the table for 5-10 seconds on one point before sliding to the next point.
Each iron is placed on top of each other slightly to ensure the entire wood surface is treated.
Do not leave the iron on the towel unattended at any time. Iron can burn a towel and the wooden plate underneath if left too long.

Repeat as needed. Check the condition of the board. If the problem is fixed then you can stop. If the wood is still warping, repeat the above steps until the wood is flat again.

Unplug the iron when the wood is flat and remove the towel. Wait for the wood to dry completely before using it.
This measure may not work well with heavily warped wood panels. If you see no improvement after you've repeated 2-3 times, you may need to try another method.

Method 2 of 3: Use the sun

Wrap the wood in a damp towel. Moisten a few large towels and wrap them around the board to seal.
- You can use a towel, bed sheet, or rag. The material you use to wrap the wood must retain moisture and be large enough to seal the board.
- Turn the water on until the towel is completely wet, then squeeze the water out. The towel should be damp when you wrap it around the wood but not soaked.
Place the wooden board directly under strong sunlight. Leave the towel in a sunny area. Concave face of lower warping, protruding face.
- You can spread the plastic cloth underneath the board to keep the water from dripping down and wetting the surrounding area.
- This method will work best when the weather is hot and dry. If it's cold, cloudy, or humid, it probably won't work.
- For best results, you need to choose a sturdy surface where the panel is to be placed, such as on a pavement or an outdoor wooden floor. Placing on a lawn is fine, but drying is less effective if the board is placed on a soft surface.
Spray more water if needed. Depending on the curvature, you will need to leave the panel in the sun for 2-4 days. Spray the towels with more water during drying to keep the wood moist.
- As with the method above, you will need to use a towel that is damp but not dripping wet.
- The sun will heat the wood and increase its ability to absorb moisture. Since the moisture in the towel will be absorbed into the wooden surface, the board will begin to bend back to its original state.
Let the wood dry until the board stops warping. The whole process may take several days depending on the extent of damage. You need to check often. Once the wood is flat, you can remove the wrap and let the wood dry.
- When the sun is out at night, bring the board into your house in a warm place with the concave face down.
- If the board has not improved after a few days, you may need to use another method.
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Method 3 of 3: Use pressure

Cover the wood with a damp paper towel. Moisten multiple sheets of paper towels and place them in the hollow of the wood.
- Thick tissue paper is ideal for this method, but blotting paper or plain paper will work as well. However, the material you are using should be damp and large enough to cover the warped wood.
- Leave the tissue under running water, then carefully wring out the water. The tissue should be damp when you wrap it around the board but not dripping wet.
- With this method, you will only fold the damp paper towel against the concave side of the board. By concentrating moisture on the concave, you can direct the plank back to its original flat state. The concave face will absorb moisture, while the convex will dry out.
Wrap the board and paper towel with food wrap. Wrap a few layers of food wrap around the board and damp paper towels lined under the recess of the board. The covering should be tight and not moved.
- The mulch slows the evaporation of the water, so the tissue and wood will stay moist longer.
- Make sure the wrap covers all sides of the board, not just the part with damp paper towels.
Place the wooden board on the clamp. Place the board in the clamp and gently squeeze the clamp until the bent wood begins to straighten.
- Take care when tightening the clamps. If you squeeze too much, the board may crack instead of flattening.
Leave for a week. Leave the wrapped wood and clip it in a warm place for one week.
- Regularly check the wooden clamps if you notice signs of damage.
- Place the plank as warm as possible for the first week. A temperature of up to 65 degrees Celsius is ideal, but if it cannot be maintained, any of the hottest rooms in your home should be enough for this method.
- You can warm the board by placing it in direct sunlight, a heat lamp, an electric blanket or a heating mat. Maintain heat on wood for at least 6-8 hours per day.
Remove the cover. After a week, you can remove the board from the clamps, peel off the wrap and tissue.
- At this point, you need to let the wood completely dry.
- Check the condition of the wood. If the curvature is gone, you can use the plank as soon as it dries and no additional clamps are needed.
Continue using pressure. If the board is still slightly bent, clamp it back in place and allow it to dry for 2-3 weeks.
- This stage does not need to be kept as hot as before, but the ideal temperature is still 25 degrees Celsius.
- The air in the room needs to be dry during this phase. Do not leave wood in a wet room.
Check the wood regularly. As soon as the entire wood is completely dry, you can remove the clamp and use it.
- If the board still does not flatten after this is completed, it has been damaged so badly that it cannot be repaired.
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