Grain Filler

[Byron Trantham]

I have the material to do this but I have not done it - YET. I have the plastic squeegee and burlap for rubbing it out. I am looking for some "heads up" from experienced grain filler gurus. The wood I am trying to fill is Red Oak (1/4" plywood). Any suggestions will be appreciated.

[Jim Becker]

My one suggestion...seal the wood first. And...well as second one, too...don't try and work too big an area at once.

[Steve Schoene]

The purpose of sealing first is to keep the filler from acting as a stain on the surface areas as well as the pores. You have to play a lot by ear since how quickly the filler sets up depends a lot on temperature and humidity, as well as on what thinner you used to bring it to a workable consistency.

As Jim says don't worry about not covering an entire surface in one go. You can do a small area and then do another, overlapping it somewhat and not have a problem. But if it gets away from you and gets really firm before you wipe it off you can end up with really messy sanding or scraping process.

For oak, you may well have to use two coats because the pores are so large that even a small amount of shrinkage will leave the pores visably sunken.

Also don't rush putting on the top coat over oil based pore filler. Manufacturer's label directions often seem way too short--possibly because they may assume 77° temperature with 40% relative humidity. If you rush it it is possible for the pores to turn an ugly light grey--often after months have passed. So keep the drying room warm and give it plenty of time to cure before applying a top coat. A week is NOT to long to wait.