Partial grain filling of sapele veneer

[Dan Bowman]

A newbie question: I've veneered some kitchen cabinet panels with sapele and would like to partially fill the grain before finishing. I'd like to smooth out the coarse texture some, but not to a polished finish. Can I do this? Thanks

[Stephen Bunch]

For a partial fill, you could try a sanding sealer that you sand all the way back, just leaving it in the pores.

Or, pumice and linseed oil

Or, wet sand some linseed oil in, leaving the slurry in the pores.

test first...

[Jim Becker]

Yes, you can. As Stephen points out, you can use a finish product to do this with some block sanding to get a partial fill. Just remember to use compatible products...you cannot use "just anything" under certain finishes. I'd probably use dewaxed shellac for this purpose since it will give you the partial fill you want as well as be compatible with almost any top coat. Just remember that it will add some color to the wood, so your last coat should be one thin coat that is not sanded back to insure you have an even color between the pores and the surface. (Note, best results dictate you hand sand with a block to insure you don't round over components as you might with a ROS.

If you will be using water borne finishes and spraying, you could use Target's Emtech sealer as it has a high build and will block sand back nicely for the effect you desire.

If you will be finishing with NC lacquer or similar (and have the safe environment to do so), you can use a vinyl sealer specified for the particular lacquer product you intend to use. (Best not to mix manufacturers)