I would think that this has been asked a many times before. How do you like to fill the nail holes of your finish work.
With all the new products out there and every other piece of knowledge or trick that I am trying to pick up this is one I have yet to get a tip on.
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Replies
paint grade or stained and finished work?
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What?
The white liteweight spackle doesn't go with stain- grade?
I thought the speckled look was in. LOL
But now that I think about it, I wonder how that stuff accepts stain. It might work better than some of the wood putties. I might have to experiment.
If yer lookin' for faux worm holes
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Color putty on prefinished materials, Zar woodpatch for wood that will be stained, Red Devil spackle for wood that is painted, Famowood for wood left natural, also as tough as anything for exterior work.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Unfortunately there really isn't much new out there. There used to be a lacquer based putty called Perfect Match that stained great and could be used before staining new wood. It hasn't been made for a lot of years.
I have yet to find a replacement that will take stain that satisfies me. So on stain grade I use color putty between the seal coat and finish coats. Usually you have to mix and match to get a good color. Also usually need more than one color match.
Paint grade I use spackle or something like famowood to fill and sand before priming.
For anything larger than a finish nail in paint grade, Bondo. For finish nails and smaller, any latex wood filler.
For stain grade, colored putty.
prefinished stain grade ... wax pencil ... fill sticks ... or ... bruce hardwood floor latex stuff in a tube.
paint grade ... DAP 33.
unfinished stain grade ... the putty in a little can.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
carpenters glue and sawdust from the cutting of the same species of wood. equal parts mixed thoroughly.
I did that recently on some screw holes in a cherry floor, and they came out much darker than the surrounding wood when dry. Any thoughts why?Steve
that's what I was gunna say, I learned that in school (though I did fail with the correct mix)
"I'd rather be a hammer than a nail"
Edited 1/15/2008 12:09 am ET by andyfew322
I've used a oil based filler, slightly lighter than the wood, then went over it with the stain i used for the wood. It matches real well, then some Old English over all of it and all my mistakes seem to disappear, to the person who didn't make them. 18 gauge nails help a bunch too. some say its not enough, i say, trim ain't structural
Try using the sawdust mixed with the finish you're going to use, not glue. It works better and gives you a truer color.
Done all the previous posts. Also found times when hardwood floors had to be fastened down after sanding. Used small head trim screws, stained putty and then with an artists brush used stain to duplicate grain in oak right over the filled hole. Dazzled the HO's Tyr
plaster of paris...50lb bag for $15
Paint grade, I use Ready Patch. Inside & out, it's smoother than most others.
Stain grade, sometimes I use colored putty that can be finished or before I stain I use stainable non latex, I think it's a ketone base. Make sure to re sand the wood around the filled hole as not to retain the haze on the raw wood. Another technique is to wait and fill the holes after it's stained and has one coat of finish. Go back and fill the holes and carefully smooth it out with 220 then touch the holes with stain and put the last two coats of finish on.
Prefinished wood for nail holes I use the colored wax puttys. Nice thing about them is that you can loosen them up with a heat gun on a surface and then mix them with other colored waxes to the right color. The other good thing is the color you see with the filler is the color you're going to get. No finish goes over it to change the color.
Sometimes for larger repairs, I faux paint it and finish over that.
I don't fill nail holes...I just make 'em.
After I leave, the nail hole fairies wearing little white coveralls, work their magic in their ;o)