Stainable wood filler?....I don't think such a thing exists, really. They all stand out horribly when the project is finished. I've had a lot better results with the colored wood fillers at the BORGs, and mixing them when necessary to get the right color.
Unless you're very lucky I can't remember coming across any filler that will take a stain the same as wood.
I personally prefer using a colour matched wax (similar to childrens colouring crayons) after the project has been stained and polished. However wax isn't much good when filling anything much bigger than pin holes
I've bought just about every brand of wood filler out there and none have actually taken stain where it looks good and blends in. Ends up as a really dark blotch. Like others have already stated, the touch-up/fill-in crayons work best. On occasion, I have used the magic marker type of wood coloring for touching up projects that got nicked or dinged AFTER they were already finished.
I can't think of the name of it, but there is a light colored powder that you can custom tint by mixing it with the color stain you are using. I've had the same small container of it for years and it comes in handy in a pinch.
Now that I think of it, Norm Abrams once recommended using sawdust from the wood itself mixed with wood glue to make a paste. He felt it bore the stain better than any putty.
I’ll second the sawdust and glue method. I’ve used it myself and found it usually works well. Just have to make sure you don’t get too much glue in the mix.
i've heard good things about this as well. but if you're going to stain it after using sawdust and glue as filler, won't it still turn out darker than the rest of your project? i would think the sawdust would be very porous, like end grain..?
Yup - wood glue/sawdust will show up different with stain, buty it's way better than "stainable" wood filler. What they say is true - it's stainable. However they don't say it'll look anything like the wood itself when stained.
Where the wood glue/sawdust thing does come in handy is on glue lines when you're just putting poly or something along that line on. Rub some glue into the joint, then wipe off the excess with a damp rag, otherwise it'll clog the sanding disc. Then hit it with a sander and the sawdust will cling to the top of the glue in the glueline.
A lot depends on what you are doing. If you take a woodfiller like famowood natural and fill something to be stained dark you can't really expect to have good results. I've used bondo to fil stain grade wood with good results. The trick is you have to color the filler before you apply it. You can take any woodfiller and color it with a universal tinting color while it's wet. As far as packaged woodfillers I normally use either famowood or pl. I have also used sawdust and glue however the glue is likely to stain the wood making a halo around the spot unless it is thoroughly sanded.
I've never been impressed with the results of a "stainable" filler - especially if I'm using a dark stain. I get the best results by filling with a color correct wax crayon after I've stained and before I apply the finish.
I've also had decent results by using a Famowood filler that is the color of the stained wood. For example, their Ash or Pine work pretty well on darker Maple.
I saw this post and was hoping for a miracle product as well. But everyone says the same thing ha. But I have also done the saw dust method. If the area you're not filling isn't too bad, it works pretty well.
If you are looking for a "stainable" wood filler that will accept stain to be the same color as a particular species of wood, you won't find one.
The way you get around that is to finish your piece up to the application of the first clear coat. At this point you will know what color filler you need to best match. Find or mix your filler, apply it and let it dry and then apply your final clear coats.
I've been using Zar Wood Patch in Neutral color and it works great for me. I mix the wood patch with my stain till I have the right color. I will post some pics. You have to get real close to notice it was patched. Mind you this works with darker stains I use. In the past we have used it on a light honey stain and it worked pretty well.
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I tried Durhams filler, this is a powder, Although it is a water soluble mix I have tried it in the same stain a the wood it was used for filling. Not a total success but a lot better than previous efforts.
you can add some of the stain to your existing (Minwax) colored wood filler (i dip the screwdriver bit into the can and stir into a batch), then the filler accepts that stain better.
err on the darker side. a darker fill is less visible (looks more like normal wood imperfections) than a light fill.
Now that I think of it, Norm Abrams once recommended using sawdust from the wood itself mixed with wood glue to make a paste. He felt it bore the stain better than any putty.
Hide glue is the key.
Hide glue can be stained.
For convenience, Minwax has a liquid hide glue.
Mix that with your saw dust to make a thick putty/filler that is stainable.
Keep in mind that hide glue is s slow drying glue.
With any filler there can be color variations. The color can be too light or too dark when stain is applied and also the wood can vary in color on the same project. The thing to do is touch up the color right after the first coat of finish. If the color is too light touch up markers are great to add color to these places to bring the color to where it should be. If the color is too dark you can mix some compatible paint with your finish to color these places. Small spots like nail holes an artist liner paint brush can be used to make the touch up.
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