A real newbie question: I am refinishing an old oak Hoosier cabinet. There are several old screw holes that I would like to conceal before staining/finishing. Can anyone recommend a good wood filler for oak that will end up dark brown? I’ve tried the water-based fillers and they always seem very obvious after staining. I’ve fixed this in the past by touching up with artist’s oil paints, but thought there might be a better solution.
Thanks,
Michael
Replies
Shellac burn-in sticks, oak sawdust mixed with hide glue, Durham's water putty with a little tint added...
Michael,
Try this: cut a slightly-larger-than-the-screw-hole-sized plug hole where the screw hole is. Then use a piece of scrap of the same type of wood to make plugs to fit, using the same grain (end or long) as on the part(s) where you cut the plug hole. Finishing the plug(s) to match/blend with the original piece's colour should be relatively easy, and, if you do a good grain and colour match and grain alignment, will be virtually invisible; you won't have a potentially ugly and very visible patch where the filler is.
Tschüß!
Mit freundlichen holzbearbeitungischen Grüßen!
James
The time to fix such defects is after the dye or stain has been applied and the first coat of the top coat is in place. Then you know what color to make the patch. Shellac stick is my favorite. And, it's not unusual to have to "paint in" a little detail. (I usually mix pigment powder into shellac, but sometimes use a dye with shellac as a binder.
If anyone can invent a filler that stains exactly like wood they could make a mint, but since two pieces of oak from different trees can take stain differently, the task of making a filler to apply before the finish is daunting to say the least.
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