# Grain Filler



## GROOVY (Apr 27, 2008)

Looking to improve my finishing , here is a picture showing 1/2 rubbed with 0000 steel wool. This is walnut that has been sprayed 3 times, with shellac, sanded 220 first time then 340 block sanded and before this 400 wet block sanded. I keep getting the grain telegraphing through?
This is a crib and there are many many joints to sand and I am not only getting tired of rubbing but frustrated as well.
Yes I probably should have already looked into grain fillers! But for the next project what GRAIN FILLER would you try? Or better what have you used and would recommend???
some I have looked at purchasing: CrystaLac Wood Grain Filler,OLD MASTERS Natural Tone Woodgrain Filler , and Behlen H3963 Pore-O-Pac™ Paste Grain Filler are a few of the ones I have looked at. I have also read about pumice and shellac...


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I use an oil based grain filler from Mohawk Finishing Products. Sherwin Williams also makes a good grain filler but it comes only in a natural color. You would need to have it tinted to walnut color to work well with that wood. It's not a problem, they can tint it for you.


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## bzguy (Jul 11, 2011)

Lots of wood are so coarse grained that they need to be filled.
Having worked with a lot of Walnut however I find it not to be one of them.
From the picture it looks to me that you simply did not sand it flat to begin with.
220?
You have to start with 80, to 120 or 150 to flatten the wood before you finish sand with 220 or up.
The fact that your joints are a problem tells me you never got it flat to begin with or are using green wood?


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

bzguy said:


> Lots of wood are so coarse grained that they need to be filled.
> Having worked with a lot of Walnut however I find it not to be one of them.
> From the picture it looks to me that you simply did not sand it flat to begin with.
> 220?
> ...


+1. :yes: It looks like it needs more sanding. Actually, I like the way that piece looks. It has character.








 







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## Quickstep (Apr 10, 2012)

I don't think 3 coats of shellac would be near enough to fill the grain. I think filler is almost a must if you really want to polish to gloss. That said, I think the look you've achieved looks great. I think the look and feel of a couple of coats of shellac, leveled and then steel wooled then a coat of wax is great. For furniture I like it better that the polished gloss look.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

There is a pore filler of paste consistency which is made for such things as red oak flooring. The vessel elements in walnut are large enough that a tinted version should do the job.
Capillary action will just continue to suck watery things down inside. I've seen red oak floors ruined with Varathane, looked like corduroy cloth in reflected light.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Grain fillers, AKA paste wood filler, AKA pore filler, are available in a waterbase, and a solvent base (not called an oil base). They are not the same as wood putty or hole fillers. If it's desired to be used, I recommend using the solvent base. I use *this one*...available in colors and clear.


















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## GROOVY (Apr 27, 2008)

Thanks to all, as far as the problematic joints these are the mortises where the crib slats are attached to rails, just a pain to sand,,, somebody had mentioned that 220 was too aggressive in another post , I plan to polish the finish as it is, I already feel like the Karate Kid "sand the floor" and besides that I used BLO on the bare wood and during the last sanding (wet sand 400 grit) I got a light spot, like sanding through stain.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Yes 220 is too coarse to sand a final finish to polish. Even if you wet sand with 400 grit you will have to do a lot of sanding to polish out the scratches 400 grit makes. I normally don't sand with anything coarser than 1200 grit when I intend to rub a finish out. 1800 grit would be better. If you have a spot that is particularly rough or needs a lot of sanding and the finish is very thick you can sand it with a coarser paper but like wood from there you have to sand it over and over progressively with finer and finer paper until you get to about 1800 grit before using rubbing compound. If you don't have enough finish to begin with you will end up sanding through it before you get it rubbed out. If 220 grit is needed you probably should just put another coat of finish on after you sand it and when dry then sand the finish out with the finer paper.


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