Indoor glue outside - how wrong can it go?

[Hep]

Now that the table I'm building is almost finished, I realize I've used indoor glue. It's a small table that's not supposed to withstand any more stress than a coffee cup and other things you place next to the couch on the patio. Is it the cold, the rain, or the sense of alienation that the glue can't handle? And what happens when it rains on it, or whatever it is it can't handle - does it explode and take half the block with it, or does it just mean it'll be a little less durable after a few years outside?

I've mostly made the table to practice my old woodworking skills and I don't actually need it, but it feels a bit disappointing if I've made something that self-destructs before Easter.

 

[justusandersson]

Rest assured, you're not the first to do so. You can use it outdoors during the summer months if you protect it against rain. Think about old kitchen chairs, which had even more delicate glue.

 

[Hep]

Absolutely, but summer sheltered from the rain is like being indoors. Since it is more of a training build than a long-awaited table, I will probably put it outside and let it both stand and freeze and get wet. I am more curious than worried about my table.

 

[vectrex]

The risk is that the glued joints dissolve from the water. Now, I don't know what you have glued, but if it's a tabletop that is a glued joint, it is not a good idea regardless of glue type to have it exposed to rain. There's a reason why almost all outdoor furniture has boards with spaces in between as tabletops.

 

[justusandersson]

It is as @vectrex writes: it is good to avoid glue joints outdoors. Outdoor glues like PU glue are not so fun to work with on furniture projects.

 

[Hep]

The risk is that the glue joints dissolve from the water. Now, I don't know what you have glued, but if it's a tabletop made of a glue joint, it's not a good idea regardless of glue type to have it exposed to rain. There's a reason why almost all outdoor furniture have planks with gaps as tabletops.

As far as I got before realizing the mistake was the legs and frame. Then there will be slats as the "top" and a shelf underneath, but they will be done with the right glue. As I said, I am more curious than worried, as it was mostly a project to practice a bit.