So far, this is the best video that I've found on filling those pores and other grain imperfections on my Zebrano wood surfaces. I have tried so many methods before such as catalyzed polyurethane to create a surface thick and hard enough as to eventually reach a mirror-like finish and to a certain extent, it works, but then I had to deal with bubbles on the catalyzed thick layer of polyurethane.

So for clarification, 1) Sand first with 150 Grit 2) Apply Stain and remove excess 3) Apply Shellac 4) Apply Pore filler and wipe down excess 5) Sand with 320 Grit 6) Repeat Pore filler application 2 or 3 more times and Sand again.

I used your demo to use the grain filler on my first oak table. After 2 coats, it looking great already. Super helpful video, thanks.

This is a very good video, Sean! I always appreciate a good video about finishing. I'll definitely make a shortcut to this video to keep it handy. Thanks!

Thanks for the info. I’m just trying to get into woodworking so this was really helpful. Great video!

Wow! Those finishes look great! Thanks for the video Sean!

Great tips amigo! I like your layer system. Really makes the grain look more beautiful.

Sean, as always, a top-notch video with lots of helpful information! Thanks!

You did a great job on your video. Very good presentation and easy to understand.

Interesting what a difference that makes, especially on the painted piece. Good video!

Great looking finishes there Sean. I'm going to have to try that Aqua Coat out myself.

Been looking at a lot of grain filler vids lately. Yours is definitely the best!

Hmmm. Never knew that was an option. I'll have to give that a shot. Thanks for the video.

For a painted surface I'm going the route of using Gyproc wall filler mixed thinner than normal applied with a 3inch blade, 220 grit sand then 2 coats of primer sprayed with a HVLP setup with 320 grit sanding between coats. Then 2 top coats. So far it turned out like your example. May even go with a 2K clearcoat for more durability. Will try this product next time I stain. Thanks.

This video is excellent! Thank you

Sean, working with 1/2” Baltic birch plywood that I’ll eventually be UV printing on. Wondering if the water based filler would cause expansion and what you might recommend as steps. Thanks for this awesome video!

Very very good content , thank you!

Timbermate from Australia...for me there's nothing better. Great video.....

Thanks. A very useful video!

Amazing attention to detail here. Could I use this method to paint a guitar ?

Great stuff as always.

Good Job! A lot of good info.

Great video!!! Looks like it turned out great. One question, do you apply grain filler on the cabinet door only or on the cabinet boxes as well? Thanks for the tips again!!!

Thanks for the video.

Really helpful. Merci!

Can you do a video to fill the pores with Aquacoat, followed by staining to color matching the filled pores?

Very informative video Sean, I will definitely consider this in the future.

Good advice...Good Video, Thanks

You can also use fine ground pumice stone, rubbed in with shellac or your thinned finish, almost like French polish.

great video ! Thank you ! So first we have to sand the open grain wood , clean with alcohol, apply grain filler , after apply grain sealer , and paint .... I mean this is the standard actions for painting wood ? Please let me know that. I understand that you applied 3 coats of grain filler to obtain a finish , and that's it, right ? thank you so much !

very great video

Hi. I have some pieces that have danish oil, some with oddies. I would like to use grain filler on these finished pieces and refinish them. Can I use grain filler after oil? Thanks for your video, been a great help

Thanks for the demo on how to use grain fillers, Sean. I noticed you applied it cross grain, I presume that with the grain would drag it out?

I inherited a very nice oak veneer mid century bedroom set from my grandparents. Like many others of similar age, after 60 years, the set needs to be refinished. The task itself should be fairly easy/straight forward, as it is very minimalist - very box-like, with flush drawers/doors, and just a small framing lip around the front exterior surface edge. No complicated curves, carvings, or flourishes. Overall, the way its designed has never looked out of style, and i dont think it ever will. The stain, however, is very dark. Also, when you look closely at the finish, it has these wierd little spots all over it - it looks as though someone stained it this dark color, and then jackson pollock walked into the room, stuck a paint brush into the dye, splattered it with 15000 little spots, waited for it to dry, and then sealed it. The spots are slightly darker than the stain, but barely noticeable unless you look close. Not terrible, just strange and not for me. As i said, the set is stained very dark, and i would prefer to finish it in a somewhat lighter tone. That said, and most importantly, i want to minimize the grain contrast of the oak to get a more even tone across the pieces. Id like to stain it in a medium walnut tone, with somewhat orangey undertones. If youve ever seen the stockholm series at ikea, pretty much that colour im going for. I understand that oak is oak, but i want to avoid that dated 1980's/1990's look that everyone had with their furniture and cabinets with the big obvious cathedral grain etc. Would applying the grain/pore filler BEFORE applying stain help minimize the grain contrast? Could I expect even greater uniformity if i also applied oxalic acid before everything else, and utilized conditioner when applying the stain? Any insight would be appreciated. Thank you.

Question: I am doing a guitar body that is swamp ash. The plan is to sand, stain, then use Tru-Oil to protect and give it a nice shine that also tints/darkens slightly. I know I will be seeing pores, so when exactly should I apply the Aqua Coat? Once the Tru-Oil is on and fully cured? Before I put the Tru-Oil on? Thank you.

1) Can you get the wood to completely disappear with enough coats? 2) For a painted piece, can you use acrylic paint after a water based grain filler?

thank you . question please can you use that pore fill then use tung oil on it ?

How would you recommend achieving a semi transparent finish on a guitar... almost solid color like but upon close close inspection one would be able to see the grain (closed poor/grain filled... not open grain). I have the color picked out for the gentleman painting my guitar and he is using a sort of polyurethane paint.

Are there woodgrain fillers that work for exterior uses that you could recommend, such as an entry door fully exposed to the elements? Every video I see seems to be for interior furniture.

That one reason i hate working with oak is finishing never turns out the way i like. Have to chk this stuff out thanks Sean!🍻👍👍

Great information the test pieces look so nice and smooth what a difference. Do you use this method when finishing walnut?? Thank you for the information

If you break through the seal coat, would you suggest sanding down and starting the process over, or will it all blend when you apply a clear top coat?

Can this be used if my oak cabinets have already been painted?

I'm refinishing my Les Paul (electric guitar). I ordered both Aqua Coat Water Based Clear Wood Grain Filler Gel AND Aqua Coat, X-119 Sanding Sealer to apply after the filler. I'm going for a semi-transparent, finished product, meaning I want to see the wood grain but no wood texture. I'll be applying either clear lacquer if I opt for a natural finish or, if I feel really adventurous, cherry sunburst. Am I being redundant using both the wood grain filler AND sanding sealer? If I go with sunburst, am I making a mistake by applying the dye after the sanding sealer? I've seen it done a number of different ways.

What material is used to make the grain filler.? I use plaster of Paris mixed with water and applying as you did in this video.

How do you apply pour filler around raised accents. I have such a hatred for my oak kitchen cabinets and they have a raised panel in the center. Very 80’s. Help please! God bless

Hi Sean, great content. Can this pore filler/sealer be applied to open grain oak with 1-2mm pores previously treated with oil finish or will it react or not stick to it since it is water based? Alternatively what pore fillers can I use on oil finished open pore oak? The purpose is filling the pores prior to applying shellac or another hardening clear coat. Thank you

Hey there Sean, I’m working with a mahogany guitar body with this grain filler. I was advised to apply the grain filler before staining, which I’ve done, though have not applied the stain yet. Was this the right thing to do? If it was not, can this remedied?

I own a Ben Moore store.... I brought this in a few weeks ago, and am finally got around to trying now..... THE OPERATIVE TAKE AWAY HERE IS..... AT LEAST THREE COATS!!!! PROBABLY MANY MORE. Im using it on red oak, over THREE heavy coats of General Finishes white undercoat, which already filled 90+% of the grain. after two coats it looks unchanged. Im glad I havent sold this to anyone yet! Anyone know where can I get acrylic wall putty from here in the U.S.???

Great video with lots of info. Would you advise this grainfiller also on burl? I need to finish some boxes with maple and walnut burl veneer and think this could be a solution for a smooth finish. Do you have any advise?

Very interesting video, thanks for taking the time and effort to do this. Q1. Why do you need to put a coat of shellac on the timber before applying the grain filler? Q2. What grit do you use to sand the shellac before applying the grain filler? Q3. After applying 3 coats of grain filler, what grit do you sand it to before applying the finish coat?

What grain filler would you use before painting with an oil based paint? Does it make sense to fill grain before painting?

At 2:45 is the dye the same thing as a stain, or is dye and stain different products? Also does this method need to be used with Dewaxed shellac? Or can we use the traditional bullseye shellac as well?

I don’t here anyone talking about birch I’m doing old birch cabinets would this benefit me to use wood filler?

Wondering if this filler would work on a turned bowl? Seems like it should. Would be especially helpful on oak pieces.

Would this fill the bigger grain and texture you get with burl?

What is the purpose of the dewaxed shellac, and is there a brand name, or how does a person de-wax shellac?

? Do you think on a mahogany guitar body that the grain filler could be applied first followed then by the color dye? Thank you.

Can Aqua Coat be used on top of a few layers of polyurethane, before a final coat of poly is applied?

Hello! What is the reason for applying shellac before the wood filler?

Can I finish a piece of oak with danish oil after using a water based grain filler?

Why did you use shellac before grain filler , about to use on Russian olive charcuterie boards in Idaho

Why did you use a shellac first? Thanks

When using it for oak cabinets do you prime first then apply or use it first on the raw wood?

Okay, I want a high-gloss finish, but my piece has moulding that I want to match. I'm planning on using a pore filler to accentuate the pores with more contrast, so how do I do this to moulding? The piece will be oil-stained first. Moreover, if I'm using oil-based poly, can I seal with poly before the water-based filler, or will the filler not stick well or the next top finish poly not stick well to the poly/filler coats?

I just would go with a thick coat of nitro sealer (applied with a brush), then sand with 320 using the random orbital sander until the surface is flat. Then when everything is flat, just spray last two coats (or as many as you apply), sand and apply your finish.

What do I do i varnished with poly and see tiny black holes in my mahogany how do I fix this? Thank you in advance

Can you use paste wax as a pore filler?

what does laying down a coat of seal coat first on the walnut do?

Would a clear PVA glue work as a pore filler?

**QUESTION** We are moving into an older 1990’s mobile home where the cabinets are painted over in white. Do I have to strip the paint in order to use the pore filler because the grain is very obvious and we want to fill it in? The cabinets are basically a flat piece of wood, not like cabinets with a design in the middle or whatever thats called... your answer would be appreciated!

I'm thinking about using this product for the first time on my current project. I'm a little less enthusiastic after being able to still see some very large grain pits in your finished examples here. Do you think that it simply needs even more coats or is there a limit on how well it's going to fill? Possibly you sanded a bit too vigorously between coats and pulled some out of the pores? I'm thinking I'm going to go with plan B and make a wash coat from timbermate.

Can this work on end grain?

Why the shellac coat before the pore filler?

can I stain the cabinet first with oil based stain then put this

Can someone clarify the finals steps? What is considered the “top coat”? For stained pieces do we ever add another layer of stain? Or just that very first layer? I’m clearly a newby 🙋🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️

I've seen quite a few demos with this product, but this is the first I've seen that uses a shellac sealer first. Any particular reason/benefit for sealing with shellac before the grain fill step?

What's the purpose of the shellac before the grain-filler?

you can still see the grain in the sample that was painted did it need another pass of the grain filler

forgive my ignorance, but why can't you do the grain filler as step 1?

Why would anyone paint oak? That's like blasphemy! 🤣 Great video, thanks for the info.

When joint compound will not do!

Why would you pay for oak wood if you want to fill in all the grain and then paint it (not stain it)? Why?

I came here to see the mirror finish wood advertised as profile picture for the video :(

Looks like you needed about 4 more coats

The General Finishes product you applied is a pigment stain, NOT a dye.

I appreciate you uploading this video and sharing the results. I see you applied it correctly - did all that one could expect you too. But I totally disagree with what you state in the end about that being a smooth finish or being able to take it to a high gloss and get a mirror like finish. Three coats of that Aqua Coat and you still had a ton of grain in the end. That's NOT even close to a smooth finish. And the video is proof of that at the end. It's as if you're telling people to see something different than what is clearly evident in the video. All had a ton of grain left even after you filled the grain not once, but 3 times and more than one coat of finish on them. I just did table legs and after painting two coats of satin black - there's about as much grain that shows in your video - and i didn't use anything but a home brew of sanding sealer - and that's on deeply grained red oak. And achieved a mirror finish filling the grain on the same deep grained red oak top via old school methods of creating a sanding sleary to start. Like I said - thanks for sharing - including the results. I won't waste my money on Aqua Coat. Though I was hoping it would work for some dyed pieces I want to do... The Old school methods are still proving better and far less time consuming. Cheers...

I wonder when anyone can show us how to REALLY get a smooth surface. Ten's of product, youtube movies, but never has someone be able to show a surface wher the pores were realy gone away; just like in this film, the pores are clearly visible.