Expert: Jamie Yocono - 11/21/2006

Question
jamie....i know that there is a method of plugging nail holes with a combination of sanding dust and glue. my question...with the glue in this mixture,the spot tends to not want to accept stain. should this step be done after staining and before final finish or is there some other secret? this has stumped me for awhile so any help would be greatly appreciated...thnx...jim.

Answer
Hi Jim,

You're correct, the glue in the sawdust/glue filler mix prohibits the finish from looking exactly like the rest of the wood. I have found a better way.

Finish your piece completely, don't fill the nail holes yet. Then- when you're done, use one of those putty sticks, matching the putty stick to the finished wood. Those putty sticks are usually sold in the paint area of your favorite home improvement center or hardware store. The work pretty well, just rub the stick over the nail hole, and then wipe off the excess.

In a pinch, when I haven't been able to EXACTLY match the color of the finished wood, I've used a crayon. I had access to one of those mega-boxes of crayons, and there must have been 15 different shades of browns, so I found one that matched the wood I was using perfectly.

If you know a woodworking store that sells FastCap products, they sell a great filler system. Use this link to see their website:

http://www.fastcap.com/prod2.asp?page=softwax

Not only do they offer 20 colors, they make their soft wax blendable, so you can mix some up to make the exact color that you need. My local woodworking store sells all 20 colors in a kit, but they sell them individually, too. Each individual color is about a dollar, on sale. My only beef with them is that they don't have a color chart to help me match the color to the wood. So if you find the display selling the wax sticks, make sure you bring along a small sample of the wood you need to match.

I think putty is the way to go, Jim. You can finish the wood first, then fill the holes later. It makes sense if you think about it.

OK, good luck, I hope this helps. Please feel free to write back if you have any further questions after reading this.  And if this answer was helpful... please take a minute and rate my service. Thanks!

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com