Smooth finish on grainy 12mm marine ply.

[Old Moo 55]

You may remember me... very rough grained 12mm Ausssie plywood.... making a doll house for my granddaughter? Well with you're help I've achieved what I set out to do. I achieved the perfect smooth finish I was seeking.
After all of my trials and errors. I got the best result using 'Timbermate'. I watered it down to the consistency of a thick batter. Applied it to the wood with a cake icing spatula, working it into the grain. I then scraped off the excess with a 4" stainless steel scraper, working diagonal to the grain. I found this didn't rip it back out of the grain. I let it dry and set for a full 48 hours then sanded it lightly using 320 paper. I then repeated this whole process two more times. I left this alone for a week to fully harden and set. I gave it a final light sand with 320 paper and then sprayed it with a good quality undercoat followed by two coats of acrylic paint. The finish is superb. I am very pleased with myself and has left hubby agog. He couldn't believe I went to so much trouble for a doll house. But he's impressed too. Just thought I'd get back to you. Oh, and one for the Tea Lady; sanding, sanding and more sanding is not always the answer ("especially, no finer than 120", you said.) This incidentally ripped the filler right out of the grain and caused bigger rifts than I had in the first place. The 320 worked perfectly. We are all here to learn and if this helps another person with a similar problem it's all good.Thanks again and happy woodworking.
Cheers
Old Moo 55