Ever wonder how expert wood finishers get the mirror-like finish you find on examples of fine furniture? It isn’t by hastily slapping on a coat or two of standard-issue polyurethane varnish. There are a number of steps involved, beginning with the way the piece is originally constructed on through several coats of clear finish and final hand-rubbing. In between, there’s the all important step of filling the wood grain pores to produce the perfectly flat surface that gives the final clear finish depth and a glass-smooth shine. Crystalac Clear Waterborne Wood Grain Filler makes the process about as easy as it can be. And in case you’ve never used wood grain filler, here are a few filler facts to help you see why.
Wood grain filler is used strictly to fill wood grain pores and should not be confused with “wood putty”. Wood putty (or wood filler) is a much thicker mixture, and is used to fill larger cracks and voids in the wood. Grain filler is a binder mixed with a filler material, such as silica, “micro balloons”, clay, or calcium carbonate to for a thin paste. Most grain fillers are roughly the viscosity of pancake batter, making them easy to work into the grain of the wood, but still thick enough to span and fill the open pores of the grain.
Grain filler is most often used on “open- grained” woods like oak and mahogany. Open-grained woods have large open pores that are difficult to fill with clear finish, and cause the texture of the wood to show up on the finished surface of the wood. In terms of the strength and resilience of a finishing job, filling the grain is an optional step. If you like to see the texture of the wood telegraphed through the final coats of finish, then skip the grain filler; it won’t matter a bit in terms of the durability of the finish. But if you want to produce a glass smooth “piano” finish, especially on an open-grained species, grain filler would be pretty tough to do without.
There are two main varieties of wood grain filler: Oil-based or waterborne. Oil-based filler is as old as oil-based finish itself, and has a dedicated following. Waterborne wood grain fillers are the new kids on the block, but are rapidly gaining favor because of the easy soap and water clean-up and greatly shortened drying time it offers. You might think that using a waterborne filler would limit you to using a waterborne finish, but that’s not the case. A waterborne filler like Crystalac can be used under any clear finish, and is actually less finicky than an oil-based filler when it comes to accepting the final clear finish.
Application varies some from filler to filler, but in general, you trowel or brush the filler on, squeegee or wipe of the excess, wait for it to dry, and sand it level with the surface of the wood. Grain fillers are fairly easy to use, but one thing does take a little skill and thought: getting the color right. And getting it right the first time is important. Most wood grain fillers won”t take a stain very well after they dry; whatever color of filler you stuff into the grain of the wood will be a highly visible and permanent change. Most grain fillers are either tinted to emulate the color of various woods, or come in an opaque “neutral” color. With an opaque filler, you’re almost guaranteed to need to do a little tweaking of the color to get the effect you want.
Crystalac Clear Waterborne Wood Grain Filler, on the other hand, dries water-clear, which can be a real advantage: You don’t have to worry about getting the perfect color, nor do you have to worry about getting every last bit of the excess filler sanded off: If you leave a little behind, you’ll never see it. Aesthetically, the color of the filler you use has a tremendous impact on the look of the wood. A clear grain filler on an open-grained wood has the effect of adding depth. If you want to experiment with colored filler effects, Crystalac takes any water or alcohol soluble tint.
Wood finishing is an art form, and the more you’re at it, the more you see that it isn’t an “after-thought”. It’s often the make-or-break point of a project, and can involve several steps. Adding wood grain filler to your finishing repertoire is a great way to bump your wood finishing results up to the next level. And fast, easy sanding, forgiving Crystalac lets you do it with exceptional results and virtually no learning curve.
What’s the approximate square foot coverage per quart?
It’s difficult to give approximate coverage with fillers because it really depends on what you’re filling. If you are filling relatively fine-grained wood and carefully scraping the excess back into the can, it will go a lot farther than if you’re piling it on wood with large pores and other imperfections. For comparison, 125 square feet is fairly typical for waterborne polyurethane. But again, there’s no way to give an accurate coverage dimension for a filler.
I have built a red oak fireplace mantle and I am trying to deemphasize the grain. I want to complement our dark reddish (close to Miniwax Red Mahogaony Stain) maple kitchen cabinets.
It doesn’t have to be a perfect match, but hiding some of the oak grain would do the trick. Would a dark grain filler to the trick and what sequence should it be applied?
David – If you use an oil/varnish based filler in the color you want on raw wood, it will act as both stain and filler. If you still want to downplay the color of the grain after that, you could use a toner. Try the filler on scrap first. It’s not extremely difficult, but can take a little practice to get the hang of it.
The only problem with “waterborne” filler is it’s tendencey to swell when being used with a waterborne finish and then shrink when drying. Old scholl thinking perhaps but I guess it depends how on picky you are on your results. For a good “piano” finish” use an oil base filler
I am looking to build a computer desk where I need a smooth enough finish where a pen/pencil won’t poke through the paper while I’m writing. I believe the grain filler should allow me to do this, is this correct? Also, I’m hoping for a “two tone” finish where the color looks reddish-brown looking at it one way and darker brown looking at it another way. I believe to do this, I would start with a Sable stain and then finish with a Ebonized Cherry toner with a clear coat on top. Can this be done with two different colored stains or will the colors blend into a different color? Here’s another question, do I stain with the Sable stain first, sand, add grain filler, sand, then add more Sable stain, sand, then apply the toner and finish with the clear coat? If I start with an oil based Sable stain, can I still use the water-based Crystalac and continue with oil based stains, or do I stick with water-based the entire way through. I’m not looking for a high gloss finish, maybe a satin finish where the surface is smooth enough to write on without making marks in the surface. Also, if I am making a bookshelf to go next to the desk, will the grain filler affect the look of the desktop enough to make the pieces not match in color? I do not plan to grain fill the the rest of the desk since they are not writing surfaces, is that a bad idea? I have built many wood projects, but they have all been painted, so finishing did not matter. This is my first real finishing project, so I really appreciate any help any of you can give me.
Thanks for the comment, Varun. According to the manufacturer, Crystalac can be use with oil-based stains, provided they are fully cured. The recommended sequence is: stain (with plenty of cure time) then filler, then (toner if desired) and clear coat. Toner doesn’t have to be the same color as the stain. If the stain is cured, the colors shouldn’t blend together. It’s common to fill the top surface of a table or desk and not the rest of the piece. The top and the rest of the desk will have a different look and feel, of course, because of the different treatment of each. Whether that’s good or acceptable is a matter of preference. We recommend testing the entire process on scrap of the same species. It can turn out to be time very well spent, especially if you are not familiar with the process. Look at the product reviews for some great tips on applying Crystalac (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=17353). Good luck with the project!
I am restoring an old dresser that had veneer on it. I stripped the veneer off, removed all of the glue, and sanded. Some areas of the dresser had deep cracks and gouges where the veneer was loose or had come off and had to use wood filler to fill this in. The grain on the top of the dresser is quite profound so with the areas of the wood filler which is now smooth I thought I could use grain filler in the areas not covered by the wood filler. Will this work having grain filler and wood filler together ? I plan on painting the dresser.
hi- i have a large table which has been stained and then coated w/ minwax oil-based poly. I plan to use Crystalac grain filler to make the surface glass-smooth. Is it safe to use the Crystalac over the Poly? thanks
Thanks for the question Charles. In your situation, an oil based grain filler might be a safer choice.
Oops – Faye, we missed your question. If you’re planning to paint the dresser, you could use Wunderfil (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=2003). It can be used as a “putty” type of filler for larger voids and also thinned down to grain-filling consistency. A primary motivation for using Crystalac is that it’s clear, and in your case, color doesn’t matter.
Hi,
I am stripping the dark brown finish off an Oak table, paint stripper seems to work OK with a light sanding afterwards however in the grain there is black stuff, it looks as though the grain has been painted in. I have been told this could be grain filler.
Do you have any tips on removing this filler?
Thanks
Rob.
Thanks for the question, Rob. If it is grain filler, it should be made of something that a stripper will dissolve. If it’s way down in the grain pores, though, it may still be difficult to clean out. Once you have the bulk of the top coat off, you could try hitting it again with the stripper and a paint stripper brush, taking care not to rub so hard that you damage the wood, of course. Sorry we don’t have a magic answer for you. It may just a little patience and elbow grease.
Hi I’m the factory manager of a joinery in Australia and we currently have a full house to build cabinets for the majority being teak veneered plywood. The client wants a grain filled Matt finish (30%) we use polyurethane paint regularly with tassie oak and New Guinea rosewood but have never had a job of this size requiring a flat finish. My only method was to use a sanding sealer to begin with possibly two to three coats then finish with clear sealer and top-coat. Turn around seems to be around 4-5 days using this process. We spend a day doing prep work cleaning it down with acetone then sanding and cleaning again. Any ideas on how we could speed this up? Will the product you are suggesting be compatible and what are the risks. On 300k worth of joinery I’m a little worried of trying a new approach but I’m all ears.
Most of the applications for Crystalac clear grain filler above are for furniture finishing. Can this product be used for exterior use? I’m talking about a wooden boat, which is about as exterior as you can get. I have some teak I am refinishing with deep grain lines I would like to fill. I will be using a 2-part “acrylic urethane enamel” finish called “Honey Teak” as the final finish. Honey Teak has excellent UV inhibitors. Please advise.
…oh, and I’m applying this on a vertical surface (grain running up-and-down). Just to be clear, this is teak trim, it is not on the hull or below the waterline. Thanks.