Overview
Clear wood filler dries rapidly for quick sanding! It's great for exotic woods that are colorful, and it can be tinted with dyes or colors to match the wood. Makes an ideal wipe-on sealer for porous woods.
Features:
- Just wipe on and trowel off with sanding between coats
- Apply several coats on deep holes
- It can be tinted with dyes or colors to match the wood
- For best results, stain wood before applying filler
- Minimal shrink formula
Questions and Answers
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Browse 15 questions
Browse 15 questions
and 58 answers
Why did you choose this?
Rockler Store
see if it works
MICHAEL S
on May 1, 2018
Sealing and hiding grain for old oak cabinet I am painting
Thomas R B
on Aug 30, 2017
see if it works
MICHAEL S
on May 1, 2018
painting oak cabinets
Kurt Z
on Jan 4, 2018
Can this product be used on marine mahogany planking under oil based marine finish?
BEST ANSWER: The water evaporates when dry, but I have used a seal coat of shellac between water based and oil finishes with good results.
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- Clint E on Aug 1, 2016
- Purchased on Sep 26, 2015
I'd like to use a stained wood filler to bring out wood grain in otherwise blah pieces. Can CrystaLac be heavily tinted with either dye stain or liquid dyes to accomplish this?
BEST ANSWER: I have added die to the filler and it worked ok but I have stained over top of it.
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- Pat R on Dec 29, 2016
- Purchased on Mar 25, 2015
We "oaked out" and wanting to paint our staircase and want as little grain showing through the paint as possible. Paint stores say clean, sand, primer, sand, primer, sand, and on and on. We realize this is going to be a tedious project, but we do have more time than money and hope to get a good result. Will your wood grain filler do the trick?
BEST ANSWER: Clean your project with water and a little dish detergent. Squeegee the Crystalac into the open grain. A little goes a long way. Let it dry and harden at least overnight. Lightly sand and then prime. Touch up with more Crystalac in places you may have missed, sand and reprime those areas. Sand those spots then paint as you wish. You should end up with a very smooth surface. Good luck
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- D O on Jan 16, 2016
- Purchased on Apr 1, 2015
HOW MUCH COVERAGE PER QUART?
BEST ANSWER: My project was a 22" x 96" tabletop. 2 applications of area and less than half used. Used as directed on unfinished wood. When clear coat was applied, white blotches appeared = a lot of sanding. Checked internet forums and same issues. Thought it was just me. On stained wood, it worked great. Will cover big projects...Hope it helps
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- BOB S on Oct 20, 2015
- Purchased on Apr 4, 2015
After following the instructions and reading advice posted on rockler, I put two coats of crystalac on my mahogany piece. I went great except for, it seems to dull/not clear in certain spots. I can't figure out why these spots were different. It looked fine and level after application. I am learning constantly at this point so any advice on how to smooth out my issue is welcome. Thanks.
BEST ANSWER: This generally happens to wood that isn't stained or treated with something prior to applying this product. The only way I found to remove blotches was to sand them out, and that means the whole project usually. When you think you have sanded it down enough, take a damp cloth and wipe it to see if there are still remaining blotches, If so, keep sanding. Good Luck. I ended up just using clear coats then wet sanding-then polishing-then waxing like you would a vehicle.
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- BOB S on Feb 29, 2016
- Purchased on Apr 4, 2015
i have already stained my oak table top and have some minor grain that i need to fill can i use this on top of the stain and then put clear urethane on or should i try to fill grain with the urethane an answer would be appreciated ?
BEST ANSWER: If you put the filler over the stained surface, the stain will be removed when you sand the sealer off. It is very difficult to fill the grain with urethane. The best thing to do is put three coats of urethane on and then use the filler. When you sand down the filler make sure you only sand through the third coat off urethane so you do not damage the stain.
Jim
Jim
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- Jim L on Feb 27, 2018
- Purchased on Jun 30, 2016
will it yellow in sunlight?
BEST ANSWER: I don't think so. But just make sure that you use it only to fill the pores and wipe of all the rest, Let it dry properly than do the sanding . It leaves a nice smooth surface.
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- Paul B on Jan 14, 2017
- Purchased on Feb 5, 2015
Have several oak projects ...large built-ins in LR, kitchen cabinets, stairs & banisters, and bathroom vanities. I want to COMPLETELY cover and smooth the heavy oak woodgrain before painting - some black, some white. I'm a DIY-er and this is my first grain-filling project. There is a shiny clear coat on all the oak, I assume poly?? What are my steps? Can this be applied directly to the cleaned shiny poly w/ no sanding first? Then follow w/ primer? Or should I sand, prime, then do grain filler?? (I realize I need to sand between coats, just wondering if I need to sand to start.) I've researched many grain fillers, I think this one looks easiest to use, esp for a first-timer on such a big project. Please help! Much appreciated!!
BEST ANSWER: Have never used this product in this fashion. But, I will say this as a x body man I never applied any kind of filler over a shinny surface because it would de-laminate over time. Sand your surface first and then go back over again with scotch bright to try to nock the shine off in the pours and then apply your grain filler.
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- Pat R on Apr 8, 2016
- Purchased on Mar 25, 2015
Is Crystalac OK for filling the grain on an EXTERIOR door?
BEST ANSWER: You should be able to use it on a exterior surface, providing you use a exterior finishing product after completing the filling. Good luck.
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- Paul B on Nov 14, 2015
- Purchased on Feb 5, 2015
Can this be used on vertical surfaces? If so, any suggestions?
BEST ANSWER: Yes, It’s thick consistency allows it to be used on vertical surfaces. Best to apply in several thin coats without much excess to avoid extra sanding, but it does powder pretty nicely when it comes time to sand it.
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- Paul Z on Dec 3, 2017
- Purchased on Dec 27, 2015
Can this product be used for the cerusing technique? I am currently putting one layer of thinned latex on raw wood oak cabinets then putting one layer of water based General Finishes High Performance Top coat and I need a tinted grain filler to accentuate the grain and then I will put two more layers of GF top coat to protect and seal the cabinets. I need a good grain filler that doesn't wipe out as easily as furniture wax, something that can be tinted and something that can be top coat sealed with GF. Would this product work? Thanks!
BEST ANSWER: This would work, but I would put this on the Oak before anything else. Then you can finish it anyway you want.
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- Randy N on Jan 31, 2017
- Purchased on Jun 12, 2014
Can I use CrystaLac between Cetol 1 and Cetol 23 applications on exterior mahogany door?
BEST ANSWER: Providing the Wood is very dry , in between coats, I believe that it is ok to use it as a filler before using a good quality product for the final coats. Good luck.
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- Paul B on Jun 19, 2016
- Purchased on Feb 5, 2015
I am building a project using Hickory, a very heavy and dense wood and plan to use a spray lacquer. The wood has been sanded to a 600 grit and I want to know if given the grit and the wood is it still recommended that I "level" it first? What is the best way to test to see if I need this?
BEST ANSWER: absolutely not with crystalac. If you absolutely want to use lacquer then the sealer will be plenty. a couple coats with the sealer followed by light sanding with 300-600 grit. then the final coat will suffice. However you may consider using a product called waterlox, which is a tung oil based finish and and is very easy to apply. I've used pre-cat lacquer for years and waterlox for years.. years after application the waterlox looks far better then any lacquer i have ever used, especially in color. I use waterlox original for the first coat, wipe on liberally reallly let it soak in, then wife off. followed by several coats of waterlox satin, wiped on then quickly wiped off.
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- Joseph L on Jun 2, 2016
- Purchased on Apr 2, 2015
Is this heat resistant? I'm trying to line the inside of a wooden container for homemade soy candles... when the wax in thin enough during burning it soaks into the wood and seeps through all over the table. Want to make sure it won't melt off and go into the wax.
BEST ANSWER: This is strictly a grain filler, not the final coat. It requires lacquer, polyurethane or a final top coat which should water proof or wax proof your box.
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- Norm V on Oct 26, 2015
- Purchased on Feb 18, 2015
Reviews
3.5 / 5.0
48 Reviews
Wood grain Filler
Crystalac is a water base product that is easy to apply and easy to work with. My experience was better than expected. It filled in and smoothed out the oak that I was working on making for a great finish.
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Great product
This product goes on easy and it is easy to work with. My results I wanted to accomplish was nice.
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Great filler
Crystalac is a great wood grain filler. Used it with oak and being careful with the application one coat was all that was needed.
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Good stuff
I use it a lot expecially when working with exotic woods. I apply by hand with rubber gloves and rub it in until it is not detectable to the naked eye. Then sand with my Klingspor sanding mop. Sometimes more than one coat is needs but it does the job. Particularly good where you are not applying a stain.
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Works Wonders
I found that although it takes a couple of coats, this does a great job at getting into all the grain. I used it specifically for a Red Oak cabinet and the smoothness is impressive. A Great Product.
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Easy to use
I have used various wood grain fillers, including one from a guitar material vendor, that have not been as easy to use as this product. It was easy to work with enough time to level.
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Easy
Easy to use and dries fast. A bit expensive.
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crystalac
Very good product. Expensive but wrorth it.
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Professional opinion...
There are many instances when a clear grain filler is really necessary. I'm glad this product exists.
What I've been surprised is how little is out there in the way of product guidelines and instructions for use. This stuff behaves uniquely and can have some funky interactions with our finishes.
It does dry clear, we routinely use it rather than burn-ins when the areas get large. It does tend to telegraph through until you get at least a couple of mils of film thickness over it, even if you wet sanded it out perfectly flat.
I have had little success in scrubbing out like is typical with mineral spirit and linseed-oil based traditional grain fillers. Instead, we generally find it better to use a straight edge or squeeqee to overbuild the area and then do a final cleanup wipe at the end. It's usually dry enough on thin builds to sand out in 15-30 minutes. The thicker builds we usually jump the gun and still coat while "white spots" are in it, but careful application will still allow the white to dissipate and the boil bubbles in the topcoat finish are small enough to scuff out in between coats - a real time saver. We've always hated using linseed-oil base and other slower-drying grain fillers for cycle times, and this one does not disappoint.
I read reviews about the difficulty in sanding, but the product wet sands with silicon carbide 220 or 320 just fine, and dry sands better with stearated "finish" papers better than catalyzed lacquer, so I am thinking the others opinions are more due to the fact they are used to sanding raw wood, but maybe not "fine finishes".
Anyways, your mileage may vary, but we have been happy to finally find a product that works to solve a problem that has before seemingly only had poor solutions.
What I've been surprised is how little is out there in the way of product guidelines and instructions for use. This stuff behaves uniquely and can have some funky interactions with our finishes.
It does dry clear, we routinely use it rather than burn-ins when the areas get large. It does tend to telegraph through until you get at least a couple of mils of film thickness over it, even if you wet sanded it out perfectly flat.
I have had little success in scrubbing out like is typical with mineral spirit and linseed-oil based traditional grain fillers. Instead, we generally find it better to use a straight edge or squeeqee to overbuild the area and then do a final cleanup wipe at the end. It's usually dry enough on thin builds to sand out in 15-30 minutes. The thicker builds we usually jump the gun and still coat while "white spots" are in it, but careful application will still allow the white to dissipate and the boil bubbles in the topcoat finish are small enough to scuff out in between coats - a real time saver. We've always hated using linseed-oil base and other slower-drying grain fillers for cycle times, and this one does not disappoint.
I read reviews about the difficulty in sanding, but the product wet sands with silicon carbide 220 or 320 just fine, and dry sands better with stearated "finish" papers better than catalyzed lacquer, so I am thinking the others opinions are more due to the fact they are used to sanding raw wood, but maybe not "fine finishes".
Anyways, your mileage may vary, but we have been happy to finally find a product that works to solve a problem that has before seemingly only had poor solutions.
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Smooth as glass
Great product in works as advertised
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