Stainable wood filler

"Stainable" wood fillers are really tough to make work right. The stainm is always a different color in the filler. I only use them on projects where I care very little about the look. They best practice is to fill the holes with colored filler just before you apply the last coat of finish. This way you can select a color that matches best at each location you have a hole. You may want various colors depending on the variable color of the wood.

Sometimes fillers have a tendency to repel the finish so do you first few coats, then fill the holes carefully, the apply that last coat. Of course this requires that you pretty much use your fingers as opposed to a putty knife.

In some cases a "burn in" type filler is best but I reccomend you do this before the finish coats and you have to be pretty good. You melt the burn stick to put some drops into the hole and then smooth it with a heated putty knife. If it's not to hot you won't blister a film finish but I find it easier to do it on un-filmed material (ie no lacquer/poly, etc yet). I only use this stuff when I have big mistakes, ie gouges.

Make your own filler with fine oak saw dust and a small amount of glue.

Solvent based Famowood.

Yes, Famwood. I didn't answer that portion in my first post.

Thanks. I see that there is a solvent based Famowood and a water based Famowood. Your post specifically mentioned solvent based so I just want to be sure that was intentional on your part. If the two were equal, I wouldn't mind not being around the fumes of the solvent though I do have a very good cartridge based mask.

I do a similar thing, but use sawdust and a few drops of blond shellac. I always shellac the piece first before staining (as a stain control) so this blends in very well, and seems to take a stain consistantly. It only works for fairly small cracks however.

What kind of glue do you use, and does it stain ok?

Rob

I have no experience with the "water based" Famowood. I have years experience with the solvent based product and it stains well. "Fir" Famowood is great on oak.

Rob Mitchell wrote in news:L%vTd.25504 $ snipped-for-privacy@news20.bellglobal.com:

I'd be sure to test this method on scrap, as it will change the performance of most stains over red oak.

You may like the changes. Or not. So test.

PVA (yellow or white) glues and stains are generally speaking, on red oak, not such good friends.

Patriarch

Famowood here, except if the wood is knotty or has many pitch pockets. In the latter case, I'll tint epoxy, let it cure, smooth it with a chisel or plane, and not worry about the "feature" taking stain.

Barry

OK - thanks. I will give the solvent based Famowood a try. I take it "fir" is a color of Famowood??

I don't see who their retail suppliers are on their website. Can you tell me where you buy it? (I live in Massachusetts but if you buy from a chain like ACE or something, I can probably find them out here.

Dick Snyder

Try a good paint store.

My local Pratt & Lambert dealer sells Famowood.

Barry

so, you're kinda making your own oak Bondo.. *g* good idea!

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

It's an OLD trick, but thanks!

Barry

don't know about that brand, but I tried some tests with a few brands of water based fillers, thinking that you'd use them with water based stains, but the solvent based fillers worked much better for both oil and water based stains.. YMMV

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Has anyone tried the Elmer's stainablewood glue? If that works you could mix in saw dust from your project and make a good filler.

This is not really a testimonial but a professional painter recently told me that the Leech Real Wood Filler from the squeeze tube works very well with oak. He said the stuff in the tube is not as thick (as in the can) and seems to take stain better. I don't finish anything that I don't build for myself so I can't really give you any first hand info.

Mike O.

While there are some decent stainable wood filers, they will rarely accept the stain the same as the wood. Firstly, are these nail holes, or something much bigger/longer? Assuming nails, I'd stain and apply at least enough finish to seal the wood. Then take some sawdust and a little glue. I split it into a few samples, and add different amounts of the stain used, then let dry. Pick the one that best matches the finished dresser. Fill each hole and wipe with a damp sponge, then again with a clean part of the sponge. The finish will prevent it from sticking. If it doesn't level to the surface, repeat when dry. It can then be touched up with finish if needed, or the final coat of finish can be applied.

As it happened, I used Golden Oak about 2 years ago on a window molding and sill, and you can't easily find the nail holes. GerryG

stain the same as the wood.

Famowood does.