Wood filler is used to repair or improve damaged or imperfect wood surfaces, this not only strengthens the wood but can improve the aesthetics of the wood providing a more attractive and pleasing appearance. Although the name is surely a big clue, often people forget how versatile and useful wood filler can be, so Building Supplies Online are here to remind you!
What can Wood Filler be used for?
Most often Wood Filler is used to correcting small imperfections or holes in wood that compromise the appearance or usefulness of that item, and it is excellent at doing this. Our extensive range of wood fillers includes many different brands, shades and types of wood filler to best suit the type of wood that you are using. Wood Filler can also be used to acquaint for unusually or disruptive wood grains that make it difficult to treat and work with, for example, a wood like Oak with a wide grain often soaks up wood finishing products instead of retaining them on the surface where they should be, but adding a thin layer of wood filler can often counteract this process by giving wood treatments a surface to fixate onto. Another use of wood filler is covering any nails or screws that disrupt the natural appearance of wooden furniture or DIY creations. Wood Filler can counter this by covering up and hiding the odd screw or nail while bettering the structural integrity of your wooden Item. Finally, wood filler can be used to fill much larger holes, cavities or damages in wood, however be wary that this can result in large unattractive inconsistencies in the wood, if you are planning on applying wood filler to a larger area it is advised to paint over it with an opaque finish paint that will mask the now fixed hole or damage.
How do you apply wood filler correctly?
Regardless of what you are using wood filler for, it is useful to follow these three steps to achieve the best results. Before you even think about how and then make sure you are purchasing the correct wood filler, there are a couple questions you need to ask yourself before you buy, firstly is the wood filler suitable for the environment? In other words, an Outdoor wood filler is meant to be used outdoors and indoor wood filler will fair worse in these conditions, secondly what colour and what type of wood are you going to be working on? There is a wood filler out there for everyone, just make sure you pick the right one!
Surface Preparation
Remove all existing pain, coatings or wood chips, this can be done with a scraper. Next sand down the area thoroughly, removing any rough edges while not creating any dips in the wood itself by over sanding the area. Finally, take a damp cloth and remove any dust or sawdust created by sanding, using a hover or vacuum is also effective. Applying the wood filler.
Applying your wood filler
Once you have prepared the surface, you're ready to apply your wood filler. apply an excess amount of wood filler to the area, Applying more than you need to fill the hole or crack is advised since you can scrape this off afterwards creating a smooth surface. While overfilling is necessary, only a little more than you'll use to fill the hole is required, otherwise wasting your wood filler.
Finishing the Job
Use a scraper or putty knife to smooth the surface and get rid of the excess wood filler. You don't need to get the surface completely level, because you will sand the surface after the wood filler drys. Once the area around the wood as well as the filled hole are sanded and level you can finish the area with the appropriate Treatment or finishers, you can find both on our website.
