FHB Logo Facebook LinkedIn Email Pinterest Twitter Instagram Plus Icon Close Icon Navigation Search Icon Navigation Search Icon Arrow Down Icon Video Guide Icon Article Guide Icon Modal Close Icon Guide Search Icon Skip to content
Subscribe

In every issue you'll find...

  • Expert insights on techniques and principles
  • Unbiased tool reviews
  • Step-by-step details to master the job
  • Field-tested advice and know-how
Subscribe Now!
Subscribe
  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcast
  • Join
  • Log In
Subscribe
Ask the Experts

Filling Nail Holes in Stained Trim

What’s the best approach to filling the nail holes of my stained white oak trim?

By Mike DiBlasi Issue 305 - Feb/March 2022

Bucking the trend of painted moldings, I’m trimming my house with stained and varnished white oak. What’s the best approach to filling the nail holes so they aren’t obvious?

—Luke Winnerbeck, Buffalo, N.Y.

Mike DiBlasi, of DiBlasi Painting in Millbrook, N.Y., replies: I like to see everything sanded, stained, and with one coat of clear finish applied before I begin filling nail holes. If your trim carpenter is thoughtful and accurate, most of the nails will have been shot into similarly colored areas of the wood grain, minimizing the number of colors of filler needed.

I like to use Crawford’s Painter’s Putty, a linseed oil–based putty that can be tinted to correspond to the variations of the wood. I keep a variety of universal colorant tubes on hand that I custom-mix each time I set up for a project. This often means keeping four or five containers of differently shaded fillers on hand for one job. I purchase my tints at a local art-supply store, which has a great selection of finely ground pigment in an oil medium. One can buy kits with a full spectrum of color or individual tubes.

It’s a great resource for achieving the perfect color when tinting putty.

Keep on hand a small container of cornstarch. When mixing the tint into the putty, it’s possible for the product to become a little too rich in oil, making it sticky and difficult to tool well. Simply sprinkle some cornstarch into the mix and—poof—the workability returns.

Off-the-shelf fillers are also quite good. They dry quicker than tinted linseed oil and don’t tool quite as well, but they come in a reasonable variety of colors and can be combined to make a custom match where necessary. The colorants I use are perfectly compatible with oil-based off-the-shelf fillers as well. With alcohol- or water-based fillers, aniline dyes and trans tints can be used to help match up the color.

By applying the first coat of clear finish first, excess filler can easily be wiped off without discoloring the bare wood around the hole. Once the filler has dried, I often apply the final coats of clear finish. These final coats give a uniform sheen to the project and help the filler blend more naturally into the wood.

From Fine Homebuilding #305


RELATED LINKS

  • Old-World Oil Finish for Interior Woodwork
  • Paint a Room Series: Painting Interior Trim
  • Painting Trim the Right Way, Ep. 2: Cleaning, Priming, and Filling Holes

Sign up for eletters today and get the latest how-to from Fine Homebuilding, plus special offers.

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters
×

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

New Feature

Fine Homebuilding Forums

Ask questions, offer advice, and share your work

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Sign up Log in

Become a member and get full access to FineHomebuilding.com

More Ask the Experts

View All
  • Efflorescence on Brick Below a Window
  • Will Insulating a Crawlspace Save Me Money?
  • Setting Bases for Porch Posts
  • How Many Outlets Per Circuit?
View All

Up Next

Video Shorts

Featured Story

Elements of a Good Residential Building Contract

Beyond the basics, learn what items will contribute to a good working relationship and help prevent misunderstandings or potentially expensive conflict.

Featured Video

Builder’s Advocate: An Interview With Viewrail

Learn more about affordable, modern floating stairs, from design to manufacturing to installation.

Related Stories

  • Balancing Design and High-Performance Construction
  • Quicker Coped Moldings
  • Highlight Cutlines
  • How to Install Flat-Pack Kitchen Cabinets

Discussion Forum

Recent Posts and Replies

  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
View More Create Post

Highlights

Fine Homebuilding All Access
Fine Homebuilding Podcast
Tool Tech
Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20

"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Video

View All
  • How to Repair Shrinking Crown Molding
  • Installing Exterior PVC Window and Door Trim
  • Exterior PVC Trim: Wire and Pipe Penetrations
  • Installing Exterior PVC Trim Corner Boards
View All

Paints and Finishes

View All Paints and Finishes Articles
  • One person teaching another person proper painting technique on an interior wall
    Hiring and Training Quality House Painters
  • paint scraper
    Dust-Free Paint Scraper
  • Soak Your Paint Brushes for an Easier Clean
  • exterior home colors
    How to Choose Exterior Paint Colors for a Home
View All Paints and Finishes Articles

BOOKS, DVDs, & MERCH

Shop the Store
  • 2022 Fine Homebuilding Archive
    Buy Now
  • 2023 Tool Guide
    Buy Now
  • Pretty Good House
    Buy Now
  • Code Check Building 4th Edition
    Buy Now
  • Shop the Store

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 313 - Feb/March 2023
    • Practical System for a Seismic Retrofit
    • Fine Homebuilding Issue #313 Online Highlights
    • Practical System for a Seismic Retrofit
  • Issue 312 - Dec 2022/Jan 2023
    • Tool Test: Cordless Tablesaws
    • Gray-Water System for a Sustainable Home
    • Insulate a Cape Roof to Avoid Ice Dams
  • Issue 311 - November 2022
    • 7 Steps to a Perfect Exterior Paint Job
    • Options for Smarter Home-Energy Tracking
    • The Fine Homebuilding Interview: James Metoyer
  • Issue 310 - October 2022
    • Choosing a Tile-Leveling System
    • Choosing Between HRVs and ERVs
    • Custom Built-in Cabinets Made Easy
  • Issue 309 - Aug/Sept 2022
    • 10 Steps to Install Crown Molding on Cabinets
    • How to Get Sturdy Walls Without OSB
    • Choosing the Right Construction Tape for the Job

Fine Homebuilding

Follow

  • twitter
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Membership & Magazine

  • Online Archive
  • Start Free Trial
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Magazine Renewal
  • Gift a Subscription
  • Customer Support
  • Privacy Preferences

Taunton Network

  • Green Building Advisor
  • Fine Woodworking
  • Fine Gardening
  • Threads
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Copyright
  • Terms of Use
  • Site Map
  • Do not sell or share my information
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • California Privacy Rights

© 2023 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

X
X
This is a dialog window which overlays the main content of the page. The modal window is a 'site map' of the most critical areas of the site. Pressing the Escape (ESC) button will close the modal and bring you back to where you were on the page.

Main Menu

  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Reader Projects
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House

Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk

Webinars

  • Upcoming and On-Demand

Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk

Webinars

  • Upcoming and On-Demand

Popular Topics

  • Kitchens
  • Business
  • Bedrooms
  • Roofs
  • Architecture and Design
  • Green Building
  • Decks
  • Framing
  • Safety
  • Remodeling
  • Bathrooms
  • Windows
  • Tilework
  • Ceilings
  • HVAC

Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Magazine Index
  • Subscribe
  • Online Archive
  • Author Guidelines

All Access

  • Member Home
  • Start Free Trial
  • Gift Membership

Shop the Store

  • Books
  • DVDs
  • Taunton Workshops

More

  • FHB Ambassadors
  • Reader Projects
  • Podcast
  • Customer Support

Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Follow

  • twitter
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest

Join All Access

Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.

Start Your Free Trial

Subscribe

FHB Magazine

Start your subscription today and save up to 70%

Subscribe

We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.

Start your FREE trial

Already a member? Log in