# Spackle as a wood grain filler?



## walleye vision (Mar 3, 2013)

Has anyone used spackle to fill wood grain? We're possibly going to paint our oak cabinets white and want to fill the grain. The commercial wood grain fillers get mixed reviews. I found one instance where someone used spackle to fill the grain and loved the results. My only worry is how it will hold up over time and if there'd be any shrinkage. Looking forward to your replies...and lets please not turn this into a debate about painting over oak, it's happening people.

Thanks


----------



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*it should work fine*

There is a high quality version that I have used with good results:

http://www.amazon.com/Synkoloid-Interior-Spackling-Paste/dp/B000H5OQP8


----------



## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

It might work, but spackles pretty soft when dry, in comparison to the oak. Personally, id skip the spackle and use something like Durhams water putty:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_41341-1789-DRHWP4_0__?productId=3143343

Im not saying the spackle wont work, but id trust the durhams a lot more. Differenec in intended uses and all that


----------



## MEP1 (Aug 14, 2015)

If you mean kitchen cabinets, I definitely wouldn't use spackle. That's an area that will get worked in a lot, and it won't take much of a ding to knock a chunk out of the finish.

There shouldn't be any shrinkage issues just filling grain.


----------



## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

I painted houses for 8 years and we used spackle all the time on wood work for filling small holes and imperfections all the time. Would be fine for what your doing as long as the surface is prepped properly and you're not going real thick.


----------



## sancho57 (Oct 23, 2011)

Have a look at timbermate. It's a waterbase Australian wood filler that can be used as a grain filler. It comes in different tints and neutral which is what y may want 

Also though I haven't used this..yet 

These guys usually have some pretty good products to

http://www.shopwoodrepairproducts.com/search.aspx?find=Grain+filler


----------



## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

sawdustfactory said:


> I painted houses for 8 years and we used spackle all the time on wood work for filling small holes and imperfections all the time. Would be fine for what your doing as long as the surface is prepped properly and you're not going real thick.


Small holes and imperfections is one thing. However, as a grain filler it will be covering a much larger area.

Too soft.

George


----------



## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

I'd stick with the available North American products for filling the pores in red oak (_Quercus rubra_). The Australian products may have been designed for local hardwoods with different pore diameters.
What they may call red oak could easily be some hardwood that you've never seen.

Spackle seems porous on its own = you need something that sets up hard, like the wood itself.
The solid particles and the binder really need to set up inside the pores to solidly block filling by capillary action.


----------



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*we have many opinions and few facts here*

To the OP, just try it. To all others, if you haven't tried it don't speak with so much authority, since you have no first hand experience.


----------



## walleye vision (Mar 3, 2013)

Thanks for all the replies, I'll let you know how it turns out.


----------



## Quickstep (Apr 10, 2012)

I've tried it on raw wood and the wood sucked the water out of the spackle so fast, the spackle shrunk a lot. It worked better when I primed the wood first, applied the spackle, then primed again, but I discovered that a couple of coats of good primer sanded between coats would worked about as well. If the cabinets already have a commercial finish, I'd be concerned that the spackle wouldn't stick well. Again, a coat of a good barrier primer would probably fill the bulk of the grain.


----------

