# What to use to fill oak grain



## don716 (Mar 1, 2008)

I'm working with oak and would like to fill the grain before staining it.I have a book around here some place that will tell me all this but I think it would be alot easier to ask here.I'vr probally got 2000 woodworking books so it might take a while to find that article.What can I use?
Thanks,
Donny


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

I like to use this paste wood filler. There's been many threads here on grain filling that might be helpful.


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## Lilty (Dec 20, 2006)

Constantine's sell paste wood fillers, which are very good, I have used them.

Lilty


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

Sherwin Williams also sells paste wood grain fillers.
I dont know what finish you plan on using so I will give generic information. Normally the grain filler is darker than the rest of the wood. This has been found to be more pleasing to the eye. The colorant in the grain filler will also act like a stain and darken the wood also if used directly on top of the stain or unprotected wood. The usual procedure to avoid this is to stain the piece to ever so slightly lighter than the color desired. Then put on a thin washcoat of primer or your finish. Then apply the paste wood grain filler in the normal manner. By applying the grain filler *after* the washcoat, the filler fills the pores and sits on top of the washcoat and does not penetrate the wood surface. The next step would be to sand the top lightly. This sanding will sand off the filler on top of the primer and leave the filler in the pores and not cut deep enough to reach the stain.


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## Just Bill (Dec 29, 2008)

Just an observation of mine, but one of my main reasons for using something like oak, ash, hickory, etc., is because of the grain. Why would I want to hide/fill it???


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## don716 (Mar 1, 2008)

The reason I'm filling the grain/pours is to establish a very smooth finish.I will be using an oak stain and then finish with poly.
Donny


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

Grain filling followed by a hard finish actually accents the grain pattern by the greater reflection of light on the surface. Light is dispersed by open pores and somewhat muting the grain pattern. It's all a matter of what someone likes.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Tony B said:


> Grain filling followed by a hard finish actually accents the grain pattern by the greater reflection of light on the surface. Light is dispersed by open pores and somewhat muting the grain pattern. It's all a matter of what someone likes.



Filling the grain is not only a visual change, but changes the feel. Open pored wood that's not grain filled may have an appearance and feel that is less "plastic" looking...if that makes any sense. The same could be said for just oiled wood and film finished.

As for when to apply the filler, read the directions on the particular product. Get familiar with applying natural or tinted filler to bare wood, and then staining and finishing. Some fillers may appear to be obvious when applied over a sealer or a stain. It's best to experiment with samples to see what looks best.


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## shopsmithtom (Nov 3, 2009)

I'm in the middle of an oak project & need to fill the grain too. I've done some grain filling using linseed oil & "wet" sanding to use the slurry of sanding dust as a filler with success & read about using 4f pumice in the same way. It becomes translucent in the linseed oil. (I can't attest to that because I can't find any nearby source of pumice. 
The other day I decided to try sprinkling Durham's water putty powder on a piece of oak with some linseed oil & after I rubbed it in, let it soak & wiped off the excess. After 24 hrs to cure I used a clear top coat & was pleased with the results. Most of the grain was filled. I should have done another linseed/water putty powder coat to fill more completely, but my goal was to test the process & I believe I will use it on my project. It might be worth a try, but use a practice piece first.


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## Just Bill (Dec 29, 2008)

I am restoring a 36 Plymouth woody, and am in the final finish stage on the ash and plywood. No filler, but using 6-10 coats of marine poly wet sanded after each coat. For the most part, grain is filled and it looks like glass.


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## Woodcutterron (Nov 21, 2009)

One issue with filling oak with sanding slurry is that it tends to fill the pores with the same general color as the oak, which has a somewhat muting effect on the grain. I fill oak with a darker filler, then sand it smooth. It looks great and makes a smooth finish a piece of cake. The only drawback to this method is you want to be sure there aren't any defects in the wood surface, because any 'dings' in the surface will also get filled with the darker filler and stand out like a sore thumb. If it does happen, just dig out that area carefully and fill it with a filler that matches the "normal' color . . . . which brings me to a minor pet peeve of mine . . . .Have ya ever noticed that wood fillers are never the best color for the wood they're named to fill, heheh. I generally use maple filler to fill basswood. Birch filler to fill maple etc. 

Why are stain colors like "honey wheat" neither the color of honey nor wheat? To quote the great Steve Martin: "What's the danged deal with that?":icon_smile:


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

Woodcutterron said:


> One issue with sanding slurry is that it tends to fill the pores with the same general color as the oak, which has a somewhat muting effect on the grain. I fill oak with a darker filler, It looks great and makes a smooth finish . . . . .Have ya ever noticed that wood fillers are never the best color for the wood they're named to fill.....


I agree 100% with the color/muting thing. The darkening of the grain filler can be done with an oil stain or analine dye. In days gone by, when commercial fillers were not available, craftsman used a plaster mix. Also keep in mind that if you apply filler over bare wood, you will be changing the color of the wood which is not necessarily a bad thing but something to be aware of. The reason I mention this is that traditionally, only the tops had their grain filled. The darker grain filler does somewhat darken the top but the enhanced light reflection kinda negates this. Also the slightly darker appearance due to the darker filled pores is not as noticable as color changing the entire surface. 
The best thing you can do is to go to a large museum and really study prized antiques. Antique shops are not a place to study antiques.


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## CharlesNeil (Jun 26, 2007)

the best grain filler i have found is Timbermate wood filler, you can thin it to a mayonaise consistency , and apply , i wipe it on and use a plastic squeege on flat surfaces , i can also wipe it on and wipe it back with a damp cloth on areas hard to sand back, you can use either the species desired or go with adverse colors to accent...it is water base and will accept any dye and stains , it also does not shrink back like alot of the others, its a silica base most others are gypsum based ..works super, you can simplly add any remainder back to the container , and if it gets hard on you it can be reconsituted with a little water...no waste :thumbsup:


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## Woodcutterron (Nov 21, 2009)

Hey Tony,
You mentioned the darkening effect on the primary surface of the wood, that can be an issue. I've found that when darkening a wood filler with stain, this tends to be more of an issue than choosing a filler that is darker 'from the factory'. I've never used analine dyes for that particular purpose, other than one time to fill a crack in some gabon ebony, and of course bleed wasn't an issue with the ebony. Is it less of an issue with the analine over wood stain?


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## Colt W. Knight (Nov 29, 2009)

I use Behlens grain filler. Excellent results.


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

Woodcutterron said:


> Hey Tony,
> You mentioned the darkening effect on the primary surface of the wood, that can be an issue. I've found that when darkening a wood filler with stain, this tends to be more of an issue than choosing a filler that is darker 'from the factory'. I've never used analine dyes for that particular purpose, other than one time to fill a crack in some gabon ebony, and of course bleed wasn't an issue with the ebony. Is it less of an issue with the analine over wood stain?


I cant answer your question because I never use grain filler on bare wood. I only use it over a primer/sealer. That way the filler goes into the low spots in the pores to follow the contour of the wood structure and sits in the surface of the primer/sealer on the high plains area. Then when you sand the surface back to bare wood, all of the high areas containing the primer/sealer and filler are sanded completely off and leaving only the filler in the pores where the sandpaper cant get to it. I would suspect though that if you dyed the filler with the analine dye that the dye itself would flash off and not taint the wood.


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