Building floating hickory shelves.

[JERRY BRINKMAN]

Need to know if I should use grain filler or sanding sealer before applying finish.

[Jamie Buxton]

I wouldn't apply either. Grain filler is an esthetic choice. I like to see wood the way Mom Nature made it -- wood pores and all. And if you're accepting the pores, sanding sealer doesn't do you much good.

[Wayne Lomman]

Sanding sealer is used to speed production in a factory. It doesn't add anything to the quality of the finish. I agree with Jamie to let the texture of the hickory speak for itself. You get the best appearance by applying 2 or 3 coats of your product of choice, let it cure, block it flat enough to sharpen the appearance of the grain pores and the apply a final coat. Use 320 when blocking it flat.

Grain filler makes the timber look a bit blurred and lacking in definition. Use it if that is the look you want but as Jamie said, its a style choice. Cheers

[Lee Schierer]

Hickory finishes nicely without any fillers or sealers. It doesn't take stain well. it is hard to get a really dark color. Here are some hickory items that I recently made, including some floating shelves.

[Stan Calow]

What made you consider grain filler?

[JERRY BRINKMAN]

What made you consider grain filler?

Thanks for the info.

[Stan Calow]

Hey Jerry, I wasn't trying to be snarky, I just wondered how it came up as an option for you. Grain fillers have been mentioned in a couple of recent threads, and it made me wonder why, or whether perhaps people were actually thinking of gel stain.

[David Kreuzberg]

What Lee said. I did my entire kitchen in natural hickory, finished with two coats of Fabulon oil-base floor finish, which gives a warm amber look. No sanding sealer needed.