Fill the Small Holes in a Finished Project
Sometimes I get frustrated with “stainable” wood fillers. Believe me, I have tried several of them and I never have any luck with them being “stainable”. Most of my plans call for using a brad nailer to secure a top to a cabinet or a seat to a bench or chair which puts holes in the surface. If the project is being painted, filling the holes would be easy. What if the project is being stained? I’ll show you how to fill holes in wood with a wax pencil!
This is a super-easy process but it really only works on really small holes, like brad nail holes. The pencils are, obviously, made from wax or a wax-like substance. They come in wood “colors” to match most popular wood stains. In the case of the Minwax brand filler pencils, they match the Minwax stains.
When purchasing the stain, purchase a wax pencil in a shade similar to the stain. If the shade is off, it really isn’t a huge deal because it is such a small hole. There are several brands available on the market and are rather inexpensive but are worth their weight in gold! For this project, I am using a Minwax Blend-Fil Pencil (<– affiliate link!). The pencils have a sort of wrapper that is removed by pulling a string to expose the wax as the pencil is used.
The entire project should be stained and sealed. Rub the end of the pencil in the exposed nail holes making sure the hole is totally filled.
Use a cloth to buff the wax which helps remove the excess wax surrounding the hole, and also smooths it out so that it isn’t obvious.
That is it – nearly invisible!
I have a wax pencil for nearly every shade of stain I own. I think it helps my projects look so much better without all of the unsightly holes! This same technique can be used for small nicks or scratches in the finish, just be sure to buff away the excess wax. Have any questions about how to fill holes in wood with a wax pencil? Let me know at cher {at} designsbystudioc {dot} com!
Originally posted 2014-05-01 08:00:18.
