What's the best primer for filling and smoothing wood grain?

[red4]

Can you tell me which of your preferred brands are available in the US? I'd like to be able to buy it from Home Depot, Lowe's, Walmart, or O'Reilly's.

Thanks.

 

[GeneralFROSTY]

I have had great success using Rust-Oleum brand Filler + Sandable Primer, which you can find at Lowes and also auto part supply stores. This primer has a high-build that is designed to help fill in imperfections AND is also very sandable which aids in the refining process. On top of all that, it dries pretty fast, so you can actually start doing some sanding within an hour or two pending how thick you have put it on.

Depending on how deep your wood grain is, I would suggest layering your primer on in even coats, waiting some time for it to dry up between coats. If in the end, you are still getting some wood grain, you can always use bondo to fill it in.

 

[red4]

Cool, thanks! I'm using poplar and pine, which have pretty even, and nearly smooth grains. Shouldn't require too much work, by the sound of it.

 

[smashterlink]

I agree with GeneralFROSTY. Rust-Oleam is good quality stuff. When it comes to filler and spray paints, I usually stick with that brand. And depending on the wood type, I've used just some standard Elmer's wood filler you can get at Walmart. I Built an arcade stick out of MDF and it filled in the sides and sanded great.

 

[Kevin Gossett]

A skim coat of glazing putty followed by a high build primer should do the trick. I prefer Duplicolor primer myself

 

[Duncanator]

My favorite is by Plasticote. They have a few different types depending on what you are doing. Their "Sandable Primer" is fantastic for general purpose use, and their "High Solids" formula is great when you need to build up a thicker coat for filling. Both formulations dry fast and sand very well.
Their "Primer/ Sealer" takes longer to dry and doesn't sand as well, but it is a good sealer which is necessary if you are having the piece vacuum metalized.
(Which is about all I use that for.)

 

[wolfchild59]

I usually lay down some Elmer's wood filler first. I usually just apply it (fairly sloppily) with a plastic sculpting tool I favor and just cover the entire area. Then I go back and sand it down with a 220 or so grit sandpaper. It sands super easily and will basically knock everything off, right down to the surface, in no time flat. That way, any deeper bits in the grain get addressed before starting with the primer.

And I also like the Rust-Oleam sandable stuff. I've always had good results with it.

 

[curlyhairedboy]

i too have had great results with the rustoleum sandable primer.

there just ain't much in the can, though, so if you need multiple coats for a larger project, be prepared to buy a couple of cans....

 

[red4]

I won't be making anything bigger than a 3-foot sword. Would 1 can work?

 

[curlyhairedboy]

you might be able to squeak by with one can, yeah.

 

[red4]

I've been testing the filler-primer today. I wet sanded it after 2 coats to see what results I got. They were good, but it clearly needed about 2 more coats. Also, the wood began to warp from the water after wet sanding. I won't be wet sanding the actual project.

 

[robn1]

You should first seal the wood with shellac, give it several coats sanding in between. Then fill the grain. If the grain is fine the shellac may be enough, just sand the grain smooth.

 

[red4]

Thanks for the tip, but I won't be applying it to this project. I want to minimize my expenses, as well as the number of steps. I already have the filler-primer, I like its results, and I can dry sand it easily enough.

 

[SiR]

Hi, I'm smack in the middle of scratch building a wooden stunt version of the 'sandman follower' from LOGAN'S RUN (build thread to follow) and have to tackle the problem of hiding woodgrain myself.
I'm currently waiting for delivery of an Australian product called Timbermate (I'm based in Japan but this is already available in the States I believe) which has several good write-ups - I'll let you know how I get on when it arrives.

 

[red4]

The Rust-Oleum filler primer doesn't seem to want to fully cure. It's been almost 24 hours since I applied the last coat. While it's completely dry, it remains gummy if I poke it with my fingernail. Is it supposed to be like this?

 

[SofaKing01]

Sounds like you're getting solid advice.

I've had a bad batch of the Filler / Primer before. It can be frustrating. Did you spray it on really heavy to try to fill certain areas? That might be the problem. If you haven't already, bring it inside to let it cure. I'm wondering if the Primer / Filler might be reacting to chemicals in the wood? Have they been treated?

I use Elmers wood filler before I use the Primer / Filler.

 

[red4]

I tested it on Lowe's poplar. I have no idea if they treat it. Isn't wood filler really thick like clay? Or is there some kind of brushable or aerosol wood filler?

I'm not certain if I sprayed it on really thick, since I've never used it before. I did one full coverage spray going left to right, then spun the piece 90 degrees to give it another full coverage. I let that dry for about 2 hours, then wet sanded it to test it. Then I repeated once more. That might amount to 4 coats; but it should only count as 2 coats if I'm basing it on my technique for other aerosols. I haven't applied another coat (ie, 3rd coat) since about 5pm yesterday. Not a full 24 hours, but near enough to be concerned about the gumminess.

I guess it's worth noting that I've had it curing outside in the sun the hole time, and I even left it outside during the night. What would be the advantage of bringing it inside?

 

[red4]

I don't know what's going on with the filler-primer. I brought it inside at Sofaking's suggestion. It's been indoors almost 24 hours now, and it's still gummy. I think the high build formula is too finicky.
Would it be a viable option to buy the primer that isn't designed to be a filler, but use it that way anyway?

 

[SofaKing01]

hmmmm... normally a dry and constant temp helps the curing process. Try scraping it off, let it sit to dry out, sand smooth and start over. I've had to do this a few times. Can you post a pic?

The wood filler is like a paste to fill large cracks, holes, etc... It take a few hours to dry (depending on how much/thickness) but it also sands smooth like the primer filler.

 

[red4]

Scraping it off sounds like a chore. I hope that's not the best course of action.

You can see the dents I put in it with my fingernail. I sprayed gold paint on the top to test how well the primer grabs it. I grabs pretty well, but gumminess remains even with paint on top.