So, as you might know by now, I’ve really been working on perfecting my finishing process: learning to spray with an HVLP system, learning to sand more effectively, and learning to apply waterborne lacquer. Why you ask? The pursuit of a flawless (well as near as I can get!), glossy finish. My self-education has included reading woodworking forums (pretty sure I am NOT the target audience!), and buying and reading several woodworking books by Jeff Jewitt and Bob Flexner. Through some extensive reading (both online and other ) combined with some hands-on practice, I think I’m getting the hang of it and I’ll share all I’ve learned below.
So, why use wood filler?
This is a great question. If you’ve spent any time around wood or even appreciating beautiful wood, you might have noticed that some woods, like oak say, have a really “open” grain. You can see and feel the ridges and the veining. Other woods like mahogany or maple have a really “tight” grain and you have harder time feeling ridges in the wood grain.
If you’re aiming for a glossy, glamorous finish (like I often am), it’s easier to begin with either a tighter grained wood, or to fill with wood pores with filler.
Enter this beast: I found this piece at my local Goodwill for a reasonable price. Instantly, I dreamed of coating it in a luscious color, with a high-gloss finish. Everything was intact for the most part—there was some damage—but nothing unusual or unfixable. So I bought it.
As I began to prep the piece for primer, I noticed that the grain was fairly pronounced and there were some significant dents and dings that I didn’t want showing in the final finish. Heretofore, I’ve used Bondo glazing putty to smooth out the grain and other imperfections, but it’s tedious and based on my experience, works best on smaller areas. Given that I wanted to smooth out the entire top, I decided to research another option.
Enter Timbermate woodfiller.
One of my favorite woodworkers, The Wood Whisperer recommended Timbermate and it’s also a product that Jeff Jewitt, another one of my favorite woodworkers has used. I opted to use a water-based product because there are no flammability issues as there are with oil-based products; also, given that I was painting over the filler, there was no need for me to match the filler to an existing stain or wood tone.
Tools to gather before you begin applying woodfiller
Rags (more of these than you think you need!)
A squeegee or something similar (I used the squeegee that I bought to wash my windows. Oops.)
A synthetic brush (used to apply the filler)
Woodfiller (I used Timbermate)
A bucket of clean water (used to remove excess filler as needed)
How to apply the wood filler
Sand your wood based on your sanding goals. Remove dust, either with a damp cloth, a tack cloth (though avoid using a tack cloth if you’re putting down a waterborne finish—doing so can cause adhesion issues), or a vacuum—honestly, this is probably the best way. Your goal here is to remove the dust from the wood pores.
Thin the woodfiller with water. In my application, I spooned some filler into a disposable cup and then thinned it until it was the consistency of cake batter or thicker latex paint. A note: this stuff. Absolutely. Stinks. So maybe do this outside if it’s nice outside OR at the very minimum wear your respirator—you NEED to have one of these!
Apply the thinned filler with a synthetic brush. While there is more than one way to skin the proverbial cat, I used a synthetic bristle brush to apply the filler, working in just a small area. Note: water-based filler dries quickly, so you’ll want to work quickly as well. Apply with the brush, working the product into the pores of the wood with your brush, then take your squeegee and squeegee the filler off the wood into a waiting receptacle (a cardboard box works well). Once the filler is applied, take a rag dampened with water to remove the remaining excess product.
Allow to dry and then sand with 150 to 180 grit paper. Sand when it powders, in about 3 hours or so, (be sure to wear a respirator!), remove the dust with a vacuum, and then, if you’re satisfied with the results, prime as you normally would.
Some final thoughts
In the interest of full disclosure, this was my first time using any type of wood filler, so please understand I’m no expert here, just a girl trying to add to her woodworking skill-set. In any event, here are my takeaways as a first time user.
Make sure the filler is thick enough. I had a hard time mixing the filler with the water initially and in hindsight, the filler was perhaps too thin. Be sure to find the sweet spot in terms of thickness.
Use a primer that also works to fill the wood pores. My painting friend Kayla from Painted by Kayla swears by Sherwin Williams ProBlock oil primer, and this is a product that is definitely on my must try list.
Some other final thoughts
As I mentioned earlier, the dresser sported some damage though nothing unusual per se. In my haste to purchase it before anyone else did (!) I failed to notice some missing decorative trim. You’ll perhaps notice in the final photos that all the trim is intact; that’s because we replaced it ALL. (Psssst: when I say “we,” I actually mean Farm Boy!) I purchased some poplar stock from Outwater Plastics , removed the original moulding, Farm Boy installed the new moulding–taking care to match the pattern–and I primed and painted as usual.
The other thing: this dresser came missing some hardware–three pieces to be exact–and it can be really hard to find acceptable replacements as one might guess. This heavy beautiful brass hardware isn’t exactly available at your local home improvement store. I had been looking high and low–both online and at local thrift stores to find a spare–but without any luck. Earlier this spring I was exploring our burn pile (read: furniture cast-offs) and found a small, 1970s plant stand that sported two heavy brass pulls, perfect for what I needed. And honestly, I was a bit stunned /humbled by the unexpected providence. I had completely, completely forgotten I had tossed the piece on the burn pile last fall.
After searching high and low for a replacement pull with ZERO success, I consulted some furniture painting amigas and opted to mis-match the hardware (intentionally!) while maintaining a style that’s true to the original. I ended up purchasing hardware from a lovely Esty seller. Here’s the Big Bertha now…
Thanks for reading!
Queen P
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