Filler

[L R P]

Hi All
This is my first post here and is more a restoring question.
I am planing to use some preloved silky oak but I am not sure what filler I can use to fill the existing holes, any suggestions?

[Frithy]

I'm a relative newbie but I recently made a frame out of recycled jarrah floorboards and I used casting resin to fill the nail holes and largish cracks in the timber. Because of the dark colour of the timber, I used black cement colouring in the casting resin (thanks to some good tips from this forum).

The casting resin I used was diggers from bunnings. It's two part, and you need some syringes from the chemist to make sure you get the right quantities. Without the colouring, it dries clear and the danish oil i applied over it seems to have come up pretty well.....

Cheers
Dave

[blockhed]

hi there LRP!
and welcome to this beaut forum.
i use Plasti-Bond for all filling jobs- it's brilliant.
colour matching with the oxide powder(i think that's the description)
also gives you choices for the finish as well.
regards
the block

[BrettC]

Timbermate - but have to try to color match , Bunnings has it

[erich]

sorry, I'm new at this, but curious...

how do these products compare with homemade slurries of PVA glue and sanding dust?

[BrettC]

Timbermate is not meant to shrink on drying and can be easily sanded, it will also take a finish well whereas a slurry of PVA and sawdust may give you problems depending on the finish.

[Woodlee]

sorry, I'm new at this, but curious...

how do these products compare with homemade slurries of PVA glue and sanding dust?

In my experience wood dust and pva tend to go darker than the original timber and if you apply a clear coating over it it stands out like the proverbial dogs genitals.

[L R P]

Hi to all
Thanks to you all,will try the different timbermates I think
L R P

[silentC]

Timbermate is good stuff but it tends to be a bit soft, so you have to watch when you sand it that you don't end up with a depression. Using a block is a good idea. You can mix the different colours together to colour match. You can also mix it with water to use as a grain filler.

Casting resin will set a lot harder and can look quite stunning as a feature, either clear or opaque (by mixing in a bit of bricky's black oxide). For small amounts, Araldyte Clear is good as well but a bit more expensive.

You can fill small cracks and nail holes by putting in a bit of PVA or super glue and then sanding over. The dust sticks to the surface of the glue.

Mixing glue and sawdust can work OK but may be a bit darker and if you use a sander on it, it can 'melt' and become a dark smudge that is a pain to get rid of.

Timbermate is a good choice for general filling if you don't want to make a feature of it, but keep in mind that it will probably change colour a bit when you put a finish over it.

[ubeaut]

G'day Lindz - Welcome to the forums. Intergrain have some really good water based fillers and stains on the market at the moment which I am extremely impressed with.

These fillers can also be tinted with the stain, watered down to use as a grain filler and they dry much harder, faster and truer to colour than the Timbermate ones which I have used and recommended since they came onto the market some 20 odd years ago.

I will be using the Intergrain stuff from now on. I really love it.

Should be readily available at most Mitre10's.

Cheers - Neil