Matching the filler to the repair
| Job | Example | Type | Stain or paint | Times |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nail holes and small defects in bare wood | Minwax Stainable Wood Filler | Soap-and-water cleanup filler | Takes Minwax penetrating stains | Dry 2–6 h by size |
| Small marks in a finished surface | Minwax Wood Putty | Precoloured putty that does not harden | Precoloured | Does not harden |
| Split, damaged or rotted wood, in or out | Minwax High Performance Wood Filler | Two-part polyester | Stain after sanding no finer than 100; prime before paint | Work 10 min; sand 30 min |
| Decayed or missing wood | Abatron LiquidWood and WoodEpox | Epoxy consolidant and putty | Paintable | Not stated on the page reviewed |
| Open pores under a film finish | Aqua Coat Clear Wood Grain Filler | Water-based clear grain filler | Stain before or after | Touch 60 min; sand 1–2 h |
From Minwax's product guide and data sheet, Abatron's product page and Aqua Coat's data sheet. What each kind of filler is for is explained in the filler guide.
Choosing
- Stained work. Choose a filler its maker says will take stain, and expect it to look different anyway: Minwax's own data sheet says no filler, once stained, will exactly match the wood. Minwax says its stainable filler accepts its penetrating stains; for its polyester filler it says to sand no finer than 100 grit and leave the stain on at least an hour. Test on scrap with the actual stain — see a stain sample board.
- Painted work. Colour does not matter, but adhesion does: Minwax says to prime over its polyester filler before painting.
- Outdoors and rot. Minwax describes both its stainable and polyester fillers as usable outdoors, and treats soft, rotted wood with a hardener first; Abatron pairs a consolidant with its epoxy putty for the same job. The Forest Products Laboratory adds that a filler should stay flexible to move with the wood.
- Finished surfaces. A putty made for finished wood, such as Minwax's, fills marks without disturbing the finish, but never hardens.
- Open grain. A grain filler is a different product, for levelling the pores of oak, ash or walnut under a gloss film; it does not fill holes.
- Floors. Minwax does not recommend its stainable filler for hardwood floors.
Before buying
Note— Specifications, not a test
These are the makers' statements about their own products, not BenchRoot measurements. Two-part fillers carry solvent and hardener hazards on their labels — read them before mixing. Sanding the repair is covered in how to sand wood.
Before buying a filler
- The job: a defect or open pores
- Bare or finished wood, indoors or out
- Stained or painted, and the maker's note on each
- Rotted wood consolidated first, as the maker says
- Working and sanding times that suit the repair
- A test on scrap with the actual stain
Sources
Uses, times and stain behaviour are each maker's own statements for its product. 'Not stated' means the document reviewed does not say. No filler was tested and none is ranked.
- 1.
Minwax Product Guide. Minwax.
Used for: Stainable Wood Filler for holes, cracks and gouges in unfinished wood indoors and out, dry in 2–6 h by size, cleaned up with soap and water, accepting Minwax penetrating stains, not for hardwood floors; Wood Putty for finished wood, precoloured and never hardening.
- 2.
Technical Data Sheet, Minwax High Performance Wood Filler. Minwax.
Used for: High Performance Wood Filler as a two-part polyester for split, damaged or rotted wood indoors or out, workable about 10 minutes and sandable after 30, sanded no finer than 100 grit before stain, primed before paint; no filler stained to exactly match the wood.
- 3.
Abatron Wood Restoration Kit: LiquidWood and WoodEpox. Abatron (UC Coatings).
Used for: LiquidWood as a penetrating epoxy consolidant and WoodEpox as a shrink-free epoxy putty for decayed or missing wood, machinable and paintable.
- 4.
Technical Data Sheet, Clear Wood Grain Filler (130-099). Aqua Coat.
Used for: A clear water-based grain filler for open pores, stainable before or after, touch in 60 minutes and sand or recoat in 1–2 h at 70°F and 50% RH.
- 5.
Christopher G. Hunt. Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material (FPL-GTR-282), Chapter 16: Finishing Wood. USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, 2021.
Used for: Large-pored species needing grain filler under a smooth film; repair fillers that should stay flexible when cured.
About this buying guide
Written by BenchRoot Editorial. How BenchRoot sources, checks and corrects its pages is set out in the Editorial Policy. If something here is wrong or unclear, the contact page explains how to tell us.