[OP]
Member
I would like to put s smooth finish on an oak end table. I think that I must first fill the grain with a filler. What is grain filler. who do you apply it and last where do you buy it?
I am very new ti finishing thanks for helping me with the simple stuff. I need to start somewhere.
Thanks,
Jeffrey
If no one will ever see it, all the more reason to make it right
Contributor
Simple question, but very long-winded answers required.
In short - grain filler is exactly that - material you apply to the surface to fill in the pores of opn-pore wood [oak is one example] so that you get a smooth surface for the finish. Pretty much essential to fill open-pore wood if you plan to rub out the finish.
What to use, when to apply it, how to apply it - - - there's the rub. So much depends on tthe overall finish plan - what do you want the final product to look like? Will you be using dye? Will you be using stain? What is final finish - need to be sure of compatibility.
> There is oil-based pigmented filler that looks like super-viscous stain - it comes out of the can in glops - can't be poured [Behlen's Pour-O-Pac is one I have used].
> There is clear filler [Chrystalac is one I have used].
> You can use shellac, but in some cases that becomes a huge project, IMO. In other cases, not too bad.
> Gotta be plenty of other types [definitely plenty of other brands]
I suggest you spend some time with The Google and The Internets - easy to find a mountain of info.
And - no doubt you can search the posts here to get goodinfo as well.
Or - get a book or two on finushing is what I recommend. There are two on my workshop reference shelf: Jewitt's Complete Guide to Finishing, and Flexner's Understanding Wood Finishing. Both are highly regarded, and will get recommendations from this crowd.
Both guys also have many other books on more narrowly defined finishing topics. These are the "generalist" books. Helped me tremendously when I was in the "Huh??" stage of the finishing learning curve. Still check back to them on a regular basis. Both readily available on-line. May find them in used condition of you look around enough.............
When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.
Friend of the Creek
Aquacoat is the easiest and bets that I have used.
Jim
Member
I think this was mentioned in the latest issue of Fine Woodworking. Sounded very promising if all the claims about it were true.Originally Posted by Jim Tobias
Member
The waterborne fillers I have used have had more shrinkage that with oak and it's very large pores could be a problem. The best oil based filler I have used is by Sherwin-Williams, but it has the disadvantage of only being sold in gallons. It uses Silex as it's filler which gives it low shrinkage, and which also provides translucence in the pores.
Waterborne fillers dry very quickly--so fast that they can't be scraped or wiped off but must be sanded off. Oil based fillers dry more slowly and provide a lot of time to use a plastic scraper to remove most of the filler on the surface, and then to use burlap to remove any remaining "haze". Grain fillers, such as the Pore O Pac may come as very thick glopy material, but that's not how it needs to be used. The best procedure is to thin it with either mineral spirits or for faster dry time with naphtha. The proper consistance is that of very heavy cream. This means a quart goes a very long way. I apply the filler liberally with a chip brush rather than trying to clean the brush afterwards.
The first step in the process of finishing using a grain filler is to get the basic color right. I prefer a powdered water soluble dye mixed so the concetration of the solution determines the darkness when I flood it on with a sponge, working from bottom toward the top. After the dye dries I seal the surface, usually using a 2lb. cut of dewaxed shellac. With oak you may have some places in the pores where the dye does not take. This can be dealt with using the pore filler. (If you weren't filling a pigmented stain would serve.) I like the pigment coloration in the grain filler to give a shade just a bit darker than the overall base color established by the dye. Gives depth. I use artists oil colors to provide the pigment, avoiding the lowest price versions that can have wax in them to "stiffen" up the paint.
After the pore filler is applied and wiped off, it should be allowed several days or a week before applying top coats. The time given on labels seems optimistic to me. I suspect it is based on 78 degree plus drying conditions with plenty of ventilation. If you finish too quickly the filler in some pores, can--months down the road-- turn to a light gray color. Ugh.
Contributor
Jim, do you have a feel for coverage from a pint tub? I'm sure it varies, but assume 2 coats on mahogany...any idea how many square feet of coverage I can expect?
Thank you....
Scott Vroom
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
Friend of the Creek
Scott,
I cannot speak to the coverage question. I have used it on several small projects and am less than halfway through a pint. I like the ease of use and sanding it back is very easy. It's also dries clear which I really like as opposed to some fillers that "muddy up" the look.
Jim
Member
When I use pore filler ... and it is rare ... I simply get some "setting type" of drywall compound ... the one you mix with water to activate ... cheap .. foolproof .. readily available .. easy t apply and sand .. takes color well. I will not pay $50/gal for finely ground sand in a slurry base.
Contributor
Drywall compound may be suitable for filling open grain on a paint grade project but I can even fathom slapping a gypsum slurry on a stain grade project.
Scott Vroom
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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