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Thread: Building floating hickory shelves.

  1. #1

    Building floating hickory shelves.

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

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    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.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
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    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.

  4. #4
    Join Date
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    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.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Lee Schierer; 01-09-2019 at 9:46 PM.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
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    Kansas City
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    What made you consider grain filler?

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Stan Calow View Post
    What made you consider grain filler?
    Thanks for the info.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
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    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.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Northwest Ohio
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    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.

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