How to Fill Wood Pores

Wood furniture is known to be classy and to see a wood furniture get old and unused is just sad. There are many ways we can prevent that from happening. Wood pores filler is used for creating a glasslike finish on the surface of wooden furniture. By filling wood pores, you would be able to have a smooth, reflective surface and create the finish that you desired. Some of the wood types such as birch, cherry and maple are easier to finish with wood pores filler because the woods have small and uniform pores that enable you to fill with just one or two topcoats. Wood types like ash, oak and mahogany have larger and uneven pores. This will take a longer time for you to finish filling the wood pores.

To fill wood pores, you need:

  • Solvent
  • Finish
  • Brush
  • 220-grit and 320-grit sandpapers
  • Wood block
  • Electric torch
  • Paste filler
  • Thinner
  • Mixing stick
  • Stiff brush
  • Coarse cloth
  • Lint-free cloth

Filling Wood Pores

How to Fill Wood Pores

  • First thing that you need to do is to
    • Take one part of solvent to three parts of finish. You can either use finish like varnish, lacquer or poly. Mix either one of the finish in its container along with the solvent together. If you are using oil-based finish, you need to add some mineral spirits as its solvent.
  • Next step is to apply a coat of diluted finish onto the wood’s surface by using a brush.
    • Once finished, allow them to dry thoroughly.
    • If you find that the wood is stained, you have to apply another one or two more coats.
    • After the coats have dried, you need to sand the coat by using 220-grit sandpaper wrapped around a wood block.
    • The above mentioned task of coating, drying and sanding need to be repeated for at least five times.
  • The next step for you to do is to shine a beam of light from your torch on the surface of the wood at least from 30 degrees angle. Examine closely so that you can see whether there are any small pits on the wood’s surface.
    • If you notice any pits on the wood’s surface, the above mentioned task of coating, drying and sanding need to be repeated.
    • For a surface that does not have any pits, you just need to coat the surface only with undiluted finish.
  • If you like to use paste filler to fill your wood pores,
    • You need to add thinner gradually and mix them together with the paste filler. Make sure that when you add thinner, the filler must be thin enough and able to flow down the stick that you use for mixing them.
    • If your paste fillers are oil-based, you should be using mineral oil or naphtha as its thinner. As for water-based fillers, you need to use water as its thinner only if it is necessary.

If you are using paste filler, you need to ensure that the paste filler comes with similar color with the wood’s color.

  • Next, you have to use a stiff brush when you are applying your selected filler onto the wood’s surface.
    • Apply your filler and cover small sections of the wood surface at a time. Do not apply it onto the whole surface at once.
    • Allow the filler to stand on the wood’s surface until its color turns to dull color.
  • If there is any excess filler, you should wipe it off using a coarse cloth
    • Make sure to wipe the excess filler against the wood’s grain.
    • After that, you have to wipe it again lightly by using a lint-free cloth.
    • You need to allow the filler to dry thoroughly overnight.
  • You also need to shine a beam of light from your torch on the surface of the wood. Examine closely so that you can see whether there is any small pits on the wood’s surface.
    • If there are no pits, you need to sand the surface of the wood using 320-grit sandpaper in order to remove any left-over filler.
    • If you notice any pits, you have to repeat the whole process again.

    Always remember that when you want to fill wood pores

    • Using paste filler, it must be used under top coat finishes like lacquer, polyurethane, varnish or water based finishes.
    • Remember not to use under penetrating finishes of oil varnish blends available in the market like Watco Danish Oil, Tung Oil, Other Pure Oils or thin oil was finishes.
    • Any chemical products that you are using need to be tested on scrap wood first for testing before you begin to apply them on the original wood.

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