Wood Filler and Stain

[David Ragan]

Hi,

I am putting together a hard maple plant stand for my wife. Not meant to be heirloom, so I used a pin nailer in places.

The 23 guage holes were a little too obvious, so I put a little Timber Mate in them. I will sand off tonite; those areas are now pale. But when I stain it with a dark walnut stain to match her other office furniture, the little areas of Timber Mate will absorb more stain, and then be darker.

How about taking a tiny brush and just hitting the areas of Timber Mate/pin holes with some sanding sealer, dilute glue, etc so they wont over saturate with the dark stain?

Thank you, David

[Steve Schoene]

The time to add filler is AFTER the basic finishing has been done, just before the final coat or two. That way you can match the filler color to the rest. No filler takes stain the same way as the basic wood.

[Stan Calow]

If the holes are really tiny, and you just need a dot of color, this is where I would try one of those colored stain marker pens.

[Rich Engelhardt]

The time to add filler is AFTER the basic finishing has been done, just before the final coat or two.

+ 10000 to that.
I lost count of the number of times customers would ask how to get rid of the fingernail sized light splotches that showed up after they puttied a nail head before they stained.

But - anyhow - just finish the piece, then prior to the last couple of clear coats fill the nail holes. That way, if you do have to stain them, you can just wipe the excess off the finished surface with a cloth - no need to use a Q-tip or small brush.

[Rick Mosher]

Since it is too late for another option, yes you can spot seal the filler so the stain doesn't penetrate as much. Also if it is too light after stain is applied you can use a colored pencil to match the spots perfectly to the wood.