Fibreglass resin as filler for exterior surface checking?

I have some exterior hardwood timber steps. They looked really good when I first installed them, and finished with Spa-n-Deck.

18 months later, there is now (of course) considerable surface checking (small cracks, etc) over the whole surface of each step.

Being someone who likes to experiment (even if it means undoing everything later if the experiment fails), I'm thinking about trying to fill the imperfections with marine fibreglass resin (Epiglass), coloured/thickened with sawdust. I.e., pour/brush the resin over the whole surface so that it fills the cracks, and then sand it smooth before re-applying a finish (either Spa-n-Deck again, or maybe Cutek).

Just wondering whether anyone has tried this sort of thing?
Or am I just being silly?

I tried "perfect glass" from carbatec to fill the holes of a burl slab, worked fine. I would suppose that any epoxy glue based product should do the trick of fixing cracks and holes.

I find that sawdust/resin always looks a bit plastic and fake - I think taking it to a red/black colour with a translucent tint so it looks like a sap run provides a more natural looking solution.

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Originally Posted by pkjames

I tried "perfect glass" from carbatec to fill the holes of a burl slab, worked fine.

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Ummm,.... but did the eventual use involve heavy foot traffic in an exterior environment?

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I would suppose that any epoxy glue based product should do the trick of fixing cracks and holes.

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I'm wondering about timber expansion/shrinking in the exterior environment, and whether this could push the resin out of the cracks.

BTW, I've found that ordinary epoxy filler (builder's bog) is not adequate for exterior applications in the long term. I used it to fill some holes in posts made from recycled blackbutt and ironbark. Although the timber was thoroughly coated with several layers of oil-based primer/undercoat, and Weathershield topcoats, moisture gradually penetrated and softened the epoxy. It took a couple of years to become noticeable, but now I must dig it all out and start again using resin. :~

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Originally Posted by Master Splinter

I find that sawdust/resin always looks a bit plastic and fake - I think taking it to a red/black colour with a translucent tint so it looks like a sap run provides a more natural looking solution.

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I know what you mean -- but I've noticed that tints can fade outside when subjected to endless UV rays.

My primary concern though is whether the resin filler would get forced out over time in a fully-exposed situation.