I am preparing to stain cherry trim to match recently installed cabinetry.
The cabinet co provided the conditioner, stain, and wax sticks to fill nail holes.
My question is if I should fill the nail holes first, then sand/cond/stain/poly…or fill the nail holes last. Thanks for the advice.
Replies
Fill the holes last. If there is wax smudged into the grain of the wood you won't see it till you put the stain on. Then you'll really see it!
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i thought that might be an issue...but then i thought the sanding might eliminate it...i guess not...thanks Ted.
Actually, the sanding will eliminate it if you're really thouough. However, there is no reason not to wait till after it's stained, so better to err on the side of caution.
By the way, I also get the first coat of varnish on before using the wax sticks, as it's easier to rub off the excess. Then a quick wipe with paint thinner to removed any residual wax before applying further coats of varnish.
Note, don't wipe the bare stain with thinner as it might remove some of it.
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Cheap Tools at MyToolbox.netSee some of my work at AWorkOfWood.com
Edited 5/29/2008 4:57 pm by Ted W.
Thanks again Ted
Absolutely fill nails hole last. By the way, cherry is notorious for blotching. If you have any extra to experiment with, I'd suggest that you practice with your conditioner and stain to get the hang of it before you take to the finished cabs.
I second Henry's advice about practicing before you go for it. Even with the cabinet company's stain, etc, you're trying to match their shop applied stain/finish in the field. It's an even money bet that your trim will look different than the shop finished cabs.
don't get anxious about how it looks for about a month, the bloctching will mellow and cherry will darken ..
Thanks everyone.