Water-based interior/exterior fillers are more versatile because they’re durable enough for outdoor projects yet emit virtually no odor while wet. You can safely apply interior/exterior fillers in either environment and to wood pieces that will live indoors or out since they can withstand extreme weather without hardening during application or cracking/shrinking once dry.Apply that same product outdoors or to a piece that will live outdoors, such as a patio table, and the filler will be more likely to freeze or harden while wet from exposure to extreme cold or heat, or crack or shrink over time once dry. Interior-only fillers can be safely applied indoors to wooden pieces that will stay indoors, such as a coffee table.This serves as an indication of how well the filler will hold up in the stated environment both during application, while wet, and post-application after it has dried. If you do intend to coat the cured filler with stain or paint, be sure to pick a stainable or paintable product, either in white or in a shade that’s lighter than the stain or paint you’ll use.Īpplication environment: Fillers are generally for “interior-only” or “interior/exterior” use. If you don’t plan to ultimately stain or paint the piece, opt for a filler in a shade that either closely matches or contrasts with the original wood color, depending on whether you want to play down or play up the filler color. (Tip: In a pinch, some thicker fillers can be thinned with water to fill pores.)Ĭolor: The most common fillers come in white or wood-inspired shades clear versions for filling pores are also available. It’s important to choose the right consistency for your project, as thicker fillers contain large particles that don’t readily fit into the pores of open-grain woods, and thinner fillers generally lack the body to adequately fill voids. Thicker fillers are primarily for filling voids, while thinner fillers mainly fill pores in open-grain woods. (As the filler inundates the pores, it levels any unevenness to achieve a finish particularly desirable on furniture.) The most versatile fillers can fill either voids or pores.Ĭonsistency: Wood fillers can have thick (putty-like) or thin (pancake batter–like) consistencies. Others are for filling pores in open-grain woods with large pores visible to the naked eye, such as oak or elm, to smooth their naturally coarse texture. Some are suitable for filling voids such as divots, holes, or gouges in all wood species. Task: Wood fillers typically handle one or more specific tasks. Cost-wise, solvent-based fillers are pricier than water-based fillers because they’re more resistant to water, humidity, extreme heat and cold, and rot, making them best suited to exterior wood projects and applications.Ĭhoosing the Best Wood Filler for Your Project Solvent-based wood thinners take about an hour to dry, and cleaning up after use calls for acetone or turpentine. They have a higher VOC content and are correspondingly smellier.
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