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· Sawdust Creator
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Anyone have a recommendation for wood filler? Something that stains decent, isn't too obvious. I have used bona wood floor filler before, but can't for the life of me find where I got it. I'm looking for something in the red oak color.
 

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Wood fillers, by their nature don't stain well after dry. They harden & seal up. Your best results, from my experience, will be by coloring the filler before it has set up. With all the products out there, my favorite is one I learned about way back in wood shop. Durham's Water putty. It's a powder that you mix w/ water just before using. You can add acrylic or powder paints to color match to what you need when you mix it. I get it at my local hardware store. One can is probably a lifetime supply. Since you only mix what you need, the rest lasts forever if you keep the can closed. Small bottles of acrylic paint or powder paints are available at hobby or craft stores. Practice on some scraps to get the correct tone.
 

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Although many fillers claim to be stain friendly, I don't know of any that do. If I'm wrong, I'll be watching this thread and hope to be corrected. That doesn't mean you can't solve your problem. A few fillers can be worked with, that is apply stain to them prior to filling. I use "PC Wood" which consists of 2 little cans, one being a hardener you will need to mix.

Other folks on this site have taken sawdust from the species of wood they are using and mixed in glue and stain to satisfy their needs. You should experiment a bit on some scraps of wood.

One last resort is to use melting sticks after the project is done which are wax or plastic sticks you melt into the cavity you're trying to fill. I know some cabinet makers who use this method and I own a set of 60 sticks (all different colors and shades) I bought at Rockler. The company that makes them is named Merrit and I think they're out of Kansas City.

I hope all this info can help and not confuse you :blink:
 

· Senior Member
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I like TimberMate. The directions state it can be stained, although I have not tried this, so no personal experience.

It also comes in pre-stained colours.

http://www.woodcraft.com/search2/search.aspx?query=timbermate wood filler

I purchased the natural colour. Very little odour and it does not go off in the container.

Just do not try to sand it before it has fully cured. It will make a mess of the wood and the sandpaper. I found out the hard way. Once cures, it sands easily.
 

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+1 on the timbermate. Recently tried famo-wood due to availability and it seems to be very similar. Both are water based and will take a stain well assuming you're only using it for small gaps. Large areas will take stain but are still totally obvious due to their shape and uniform color.
 

· Old School
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Anyone have a recommendation for wood filler? Something that stains decent, isn't too obvious. I have used bona wood floor filler before, but can't for the life of me find where I got it. I'm looking for something in the red oak color.
What you use may depend on how much you need, or the type of repair. For finished woodwork, you could use shellac sticks. They are the ones that you burn into the fill. Or, you could apply your final finish and then use the blending pencils. They are like a crayon type composition. That same fill material comes in small bottles. Either can be mixed to most any shade. It just gets rubbed in the fill area and wiped off. Done right the repair is almost invisible.







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· Old School
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Looking for filler for pre finishing touchups. There's always a chip or nick here or there.
With the blending pencils you go ahead and stain and do your topcoat. THEN use the blending pencils. You don't have to worry about the fill taking the stain. Once your finish is on, you can get an exact color match.






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Anyone have a recommendation for wood filler? Something that stains decent, isn't too obvious. I have used bona wood floor filler before, but can't for the life of me find where I got it. I'm looking for something in the red oak color.
TimberMate is what i use, they will give you a free sample, It will not shrenk after it is dryed, do a google search for the phone number or email address, it is in illinois ask for red oak
 
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