Need to know if I should use grain filler or sanding sealer before applying finish.
Need to know if I should use grain filler or sanding sealer before applying finish.
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.
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
Every construction obeys the laws of physics. Whether we like or understand the result is of no interest to the universe.
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.
Last edited by Lee Schierer; 01-09-2019 at 9:46 PM.
What made you consider grain filler?
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.
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.