Wood plugs and finishing

[Randy Rizzo]

Occasionally I find it necessary to put a screw where it will show. I countersink the hole and cut a plug from the same material I've been using. The problem is once the plug is in and does the job of hiding the screw head once stain is applied I get a dark ring around the plug. Is that just the nature of the beast or am I doing something wrong here? I've never been able to completely hide the plug, it always stands out due to the circular darker ring around the plug.

[Jeremy Greiner]

From what I've seen there isn't much you can do, so many people use this as an opportunity and use contrasting plugs. Something that brings an extra layer of design to the project.

-jeremy

[Rob Woodman]

Tapered plugs tend to show this less, though it is really the glue line showing through, choosing a glue that closely resembles the timber color when dry can help and it is often less visible if you have the luck of getting the plugs grain size and direction as near as possible to the main piece. Never an easy job to do. I try to cut my plugs from offcuts of the same board and use forstener bits of the appropriate size to drill clean counterbores.
Hope this is of help.
Rob.

[Steve Schoene]

Glue is the culprit. First point is to minimize the amount used, and also make the fit really tight. Using hide glue could also help since it accepts stain and finish more naturally than the PVA type glues.

[Jim Rimmer]

Just a thought - finish before installing the plug? Don't know but if it is the glue as the others think, it might help.

[Randy Rizzo]

Thanks guys, but I'm sure it's not glue. I've quit using glue some time ago in the hopes that was the culprit. So far I've never had a plug come out. So as soon as that's said I suppose they'll be popping up like spring tulips! I've always cut my own tapered plugs out of the same material that I've been using on the project. On closer examination I've noticed the hole I've bored for the plug is not a very clean one, I'm going to try a forstner bit to see if that gives a cleaner edge. Maybe drilling a tad deeper to see if driving the plug down further will close up any ragged edges around the hole. I thought perhaps I had missed some fundamental steps in doing this. Sometimes what seems simple, ain't.

[Jim Becker]

Playing off what Steve suggested about glue...it's what kind of glue you use that can make a difference. His reference to hide glue was specific...it's one of the only adhesives that provides minimal interference with finishing products including colors. The other thing you need to be sure of is that your plug starts out oversize (hence the comment given by another poster about using tapered plugs. You want and need them tight and with the grain lined up exactly with the receiving surface. This minimizes the "gap" for finishing products to flow into and also insures that the plugs move the same way as the surrounding wood seasonally.

If the fastener has to be in a critical area where you truly have to hide it, you could try prying up a thin sliver of wood with a very, very sharp chisel (leaving one end still attached, pre-drill and drive the smallest fastener you can afford to use, and then glue the sliver back down with hide glue, clamping with masking tape and then sanding flush. In this manner, there is no "plug"...just the original wood.