Did you know that staining and filling the holes in wood have almost the same effect? Once stained, it is almost impossible to tell where there was wood filler. See for yourself by reading our article about how to hide wood filler after staining. This article explains everything you need to know about hiding the ugly holes left after fixing your piece of furniture with wood filler.
What is wood filler?
Wood filler is a product used to fill in gaps and holes in wood. It is sandable and paintable, so it can be used to prepare wooden surfaces for painting or staining. There are many different types of wood filler available, so it’s important to choose one that is suitable for your project.
How To Hide Wood Filler After Staining?
Short-term fixes
One quick solution is to cover the area in fabric. While you should use a fabric that’s appropriate for the piece’s surroundings (e.g. don’t use a velvet fabric on a dining table), it has the advantage that it can be easily removed. Just make sure you use an appropriate staple gun or sewing machine so it doesn’t tear. If you have a hole or crack in the wood, you can use a wooden dowel or piece of matching wood to plug it and make it look like the rest of the piece. Just make sure it’s not too thick and that you sand it down to the right level so it’s not obvious when you stain the wood. Another quick fix is to use some wallpaper. Wallpaper has the advantage of being easy to apply, easy to remove, and can be used to hide just about any kind of damage in the wood. Just make sure you buy the right type and follow the instructions.
Lighten the wood
If the piece of furniture is very dark, you may find it difficult to hide the filler. The solution is to lighten the wood. This can be done with a couple of different methods. The first is sanding. Using an oscillating power sander, sand lightly, sanding the wood down until it’s lighter in colour. This may require a few attempts and should be done carefully, especially if you’re working with a softer type of wood like pine. The other option is staining the wood. This can be done in different ways, with a spray or a brush. Make sure you follow the instructions and use the right type of stain for the type of wood you have. The stain should be applied lightly so it’s not noticeable.
Play with shadows and stain
Another trick is to play with shadows and the stain. If you notice that the area you’re trying to hide is a lighter colour than the rest of the wood, you can play with the shadows in order to hide the area. Use a dark-coloured stain and apply it heavily in the area you need to, but more lightly elsewhere. In this way, you can shade the lighter wood and reduce the visibility of the filler. Alternatively, use a coloured stain rather than a clear one. This will help to hide the filler. You can also use different types of wood. If one part of the piece has a lighter colour than the rest, use a different type of wood to fill the gap and make it look like one piece. For example, if you have a desk with an obvious gap between two drawers, use a different type of wood to fill it. You can then stain both pieces the same colour, making them one whole piece of furniture.
Go darker instead
If you have a lighter coloured piece of furniture and you want it to look darker, you can use this method to hide the filler. Stain the entire piece a darker colour, and then paint the area you want to hide a lighter colour. If you’re working with a piece of furniture that has moving parts, such as a drawer or door, you may find it difficult to paint around the moving parts. In this case, you can use a marker to colour in the area you want to hide.
Install crown moulding
If you have a very large gap that you can’t hide, consider using decorative moulding to fill it. This is commonly found in houses and is used to finish off the top of walls and other architectural features. It comes in a wide variety of styles and colours, so there’s likely to be something that works for your piece. It can also be used to hide larger gaps between pieces of furniture, like a desk and chair. It’s important to make sure you measure the gap correctly so it’s the right size. If you want to use crown moulding, start by measuring the length of the gap between the pieces of furniture. However, if you’re trying to hide a gap in a table or other piece of furniture with a flat top, you’ll need to measure the distance between the legs. Once you’ve measured the gap between the pieces of furniture, you can use a ruler or measuring tape to mark out where each piece of crown moulding should go. Make sure they line up with the edges of the furniture, and be careful to measure from both edges of the gap.
What You Need To Hide Wood Filler After Staining?
- Quality wood filler – The first thing that you need is an excellent wood filler. It’s important to choose the best filler that will last and not affect the wood in any negative way.
- Wood stain – The second item that you need to cover up the wood filler is a stain that matches the color of the wood. Make sure you buy a high-quality wood stain that will last for a long time without fading.
- Quality sandpaper – The third item that you need is high-quality sandpaper. You will need to sand down the wood filler and the wood to prepare it for the stain.
- Paintbrush – The last item that you need is a paintbrush. You will use the paintbrush to apply the stain to the wood.
Why You Should Hide Wood Filler After Staining?
It’s more work to hide it.
You have to sand it off, and then stain it You have to sand it off, and then stain it again. Yes, the results will be worth it, but it’s a lot more elbow grease than just applying a proper filler. That means you’ll have to sand it down, and then stain it again—and that’s only if you’re able to properly hide the wood filler. It’s easier to just apply the proper filler in the first place, and then sand it off after it dries.
The filler will show through.
If you use a wood glue to hide wood filler, it will just swell and warp the wood around it, creating a mess and a sticky mess at that. You can avoid this by applying a thickened white glue. That will dry clear and not show through on the stained surface the way a glue or water-based filler would. It will also make sanding easier, as the thinner consistency will almost be self-leveling. However, we don’t recommend this approach.
It expands when it dries.
The filler will swell as it dries, filling in gaps and expanding into surrounding areas. It may leave a thick, messy line on the surface of the wood. It’s not something you can sand off without destroying the wood surface. The filler will also trap moisture inside, which can lead to more warping and cracking. This is why water-based fillers are the first thing to be avoided. They expand a lot more than white-glue-thickened fillers.
It’s not the right tool for the job.
Wood and wood filler react to each other. That’s why wood filler is not recommended for outdoor projects. Wood fillers are designed to fill in small pinholes, dents, and cracks. They are not meant for covering large gaps between pieces of wood. If the gap is larger than 1/16 of an inch, don’t try to hide it with wood filler. Instead, use a larger piece of wood and a wider margin.
You’ll create more cracks and creaks.
If you use a thick filler to cover the gap, it might swell and create more gaps as it dries. This will leave the surface uneven and actually make the problem worse. This is why it’s important to use a filler that is of the same consistency as the wood. Also, if you apply the filler to a wet surface, the wood will expand, creating larger gaps on a dried surface.
Conclusion
Staining and filling the holes in wood have almost the same effect. Once stained, it is almost impossible to tell where there was wood filler. However, the difference is that if you stain the wood and add wood filler, it will last for a long time without fading. On the other hand, if you don’t stain the wood and fill the holes with wood filler, it will last for about a year before the wood filler starts to fade away.
