One thing you’ll be doing quite a bit of as a woodworker is filling in nail holes. Nails have to be set so they cannot be seen in the finished project, as that would spoil the visual appeal. The heads could go rusty and then you would have a spotty appearance. You cannot just paint over them either, because paint will eventually flake off the metal heads and they will be easily seen.
If you are going to paint your project, then filling the nail holes presents no problem. Instructions on the paint can will probably tell you what putty to use and when and how to apply it. Don’t forget to sand the finish smooth or you’ll have a line of rough spots that are still visible under the paint.
If you are staining your project, filling the nail holes is a little more complicated. You need to fill them with something that is a close match to the stain you will be using, or you will still have that spotty look. Many wood fillers are colored to match various woods, but the trouble is wood colors vary considerably, even within the same type of lumber.
Another problem occurs because wood fillers don’t absorb stain in the same way wood does, so this causes discoloration. Sanding the filler afterwards often forces minute particles of the filler material into the surrounding wood grain and this will cause an obvious color difference. So what is to be done? You’ve spent lots of time on that project and don’t want to see the finish ruined.
One thing you can do to minimize the effects of the filler is to use a pre- stain conditioner. This will prevent the filler affecting the surrounding areas of the lumber, especially if your lumber is soft wood like pine, birch, maple or fir. After using a pre-stain conditioner, there is a time limit for applying the stain. About two hours is normal for most pre-stain conditioners. But what happens if you exceed the limit? Don’t worry; just apply another coat of conditioner, then add the stain within the time limit. When you are sanding the filler, be careful that you don’t sand the surrounding, conditioned lumber.
You can also purchase filler that is powdered. You then mix it with a small amount of the stain that you intend to use. This will give a close color match and can be done either before or after you stain the project. If you do it afterwards, you need to take great care not to damage the surrounding areas when sanding it.
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