I was so excited when I picked up a free water table. However, there was a crack in the bottom of it where the water could run through. Bummer! Not to be deterred from my wonderful treasure, I brought it home anyway. I had plans of using it with sand. However, my hubby informed me that it could be fixed really easily. Here’s to handy hubbies ~ a simple tutorial on How To Repair A Cracked Water Table.
You will want your repair to be as seamless as possible, so push the cracked area back flush with the rest of the plastic. Once everything is flush, make sure to clean both sides of the water table to ensure a good seal.
Materials you will need:
- Tube of Clear Roof Caulking ~ used to seal roofing leaks. You can find it at your local hardware store.
- Caulking Gun
- Clear Plastic Container from our Recycle Bin ~ we used a strawberry container, but any clear plastic would work.
Flip the water table upside down. You will be placing the patch on the underside of the table. Next, squeeze a liberal amount of clear roofing sealant onto the backside of the water table.
Next cut a piece of hard plastic that is just larger than the crack. Apply more clear caulk to the plastic piece (it is white when it first comes out of the tube, but it dries clear). The key to this seal working is lots of adhesive. Remember you are placing the patch on the underside of the table.
Rub the plastic to remove any air bubbles, this will also spread the caulk out in an even layer right to the edges of the plastic. You don’t want any air bubbles under the patch.
Use your finger to apply a thin layer of caulk over the edge of the plastic as well. Sealing right to the water table. We also flipped the table back over and ran a thin bead of caulk over the crack. Set the table aside for about a day to allow for the caulk to dry and cure. It will be clear once everything is dry.
Here are a few creative Sand and Water Table activities that your kids will love:
Oh my gosh, we had the same water table (also a rescue) and it cracked and we ended up throwing it out. Your hubby is a genius!
I need to remember this! Wow! I didn’t know this could be fixed.
Just rescued one of these water tables that was tossed because of a similar crack in 2 spots. My temporary fix has been duct tape, but this looks a lot more permanent! Thanks for the tutorial!