Filling Wood Grain Before Painting Oak Cabinets

One of the distinguishing features of oak is the highly visible wood grain. Learn how to fill wood grain when painting cabinets or furniture with the best products and simple techniques. Painted Cabinets never looked so good!

One of the most popular projects in home improvement is to paint cabinets, especially the dreaded honey oak cabinets that are very common in builder and older homes. The problem is that even if you paint oak cabinets, the grain will still show and you essentially just have white painted oak cabinets. However, I do have a solution if you want smooth cabinets for your painting project!

My method for filling wood grain has been a READER FAVORITE tutorial for years!

And it’s because:

• Filling wood grain is time consuming, but it creates a modern and uplifted appearance on painted furniture.
• This process also works great with scratches, pits, and smaller holes too.
• I have 15 years experience in woodworking and home repair – I’ve seen a lot!

By the end of this post, you know the method to fill wood grain in your woodworking projects to create a smooth finish. While I wouldn’t recommend going out to buy oak to fill it, sometimes you have to work with what you have.

You can also check out my post on the definitive guide to painting kitchen cabinets as well.

Supplies and Recommendations

Here is an overview of the equiptment I use for these projects.

• Wood filler *See notes below to decide which is right for you.
• Flat Edge Scraper – I prefer a larger one with a little flex to push the wood filler in the grain, but not too much.
• Palm Sander – This will save your hands from all that hand sanding!
• Mouse Sander or oscillating multi-tool – optional, but highly recommended for inside corners
• Sanding Blocks – I generally like the angled sanding sponges rather than paper on blocks. With sanding sponges, I use 80 or 120 grit because sanding sponges have less grit for the same rating. (i.e an 80 grit sponge will feel closer to a 120 sandpaper). For sanding paper on a block, I use 120 grit for sanding and 220 for light finish if necessary.

Here is a before shot of the cabinets we are working with. You can see the age, pitting, and deep wood grain.

The Best Wood fillers to Use

To truly seal the pores and level out all the ridges and valleys in the wood grain, I recommend a quality wood filler. The primary purpose of wood filler is to camouflage imperfections in the wood but to do so without impacting the way the surface itself looks.

 I have used many, many wood fillers and this one is by far my favorite to use for all-purpose. For single use projects, I also really like this DAP wood filler as well, but it dries out in the can, so you can’t save any for a future project.

Also, unless you have large gaps or structural repairs, I do NOT recommend Bondo or Epoxy filler for filling grain. These products definitely have their uses but, the level of effort and skill needed is much higher without delivering a particularly better finish.

How to Fill Wood Grain Step by Step

Ok, let’s get down to the business of learning how to fill wood grain texture, shall we? The prep work is much the same as preparing cabinets for painting.

Step 1: Clean the Wood Thoroughly

Remove the hardware and clean the surface thoroughly with teaspoon or degreaser product that won’t leave a film.

Red Oak is well known for its recessed wood grain as it dries out. Unfortunately, this means that the pores of the wood are open and will easily soak up contaminants and humidity if not sealed. The damage pictured is from the wood soaking up kitchen oils and other contaminants over the many years of their use. There was no sign of rot.

Step 2: Sand to Increase Bond

The glossy varnish needs to be removed or “roughed up” by sanding. Wood filler is designed to bond with raw wood best, so I would not recommend using a deglosser. I have used wood filler over previously painted surfaces without problem, but it is noticeable that the bond is better with raw wood.

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Wood Filler is designed to work best with raw wood, so I do not recommend using deglosser or an etching product.

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Step 3: Apply the Wood Filler

To use the wood filler, add some to a 3-5 inch scraper and spread it out over the wood grain areas. Push down on the scraper and use different angles across the grain as you spread.

Scrape the excess off to save time and effort sanding.

Step 4: Sand to smooth

Using a palm sander with 120 or 220 grit works well on all flat areas and saves hand sanding. I use an orbital sander to create the smoothest finish.

Unfortunately, orbital sanders are usually round so you will either need to hand sand corners and molding, or use a corner sanding tool. I use an oscillating multi-tool to get into corners, but a mouse sander also works pretty well. I hand sand rounded edges.

Step 5: Reapply as necessary

It is important for the transitions from wood to wood filler be smooth. If you can feel ridges or depressions, you may have to apply a second coat and sand lightly again. Before painting clean with a vacuum and cloth to remove any dust.

Expert Tips for Using Wood Filler

1. Keep the layer of wood filler as thin as possible. Wood fillers are not flexible. Thus, it is more prone to cracking and thick layers will make it even more so.
2. Make the transitions between wood and filler smooth and seamless. This is why I recommend a palm sander.
3. If you are intending to stain rather than paint, you can match the wood filler to the wood grain and make it stainable. However, this will not look right unless you only have small, individual pores to fill. Large swatches like I was attempting to smooth out would not work with a stained piece. If you have small, tight pores, you may have an easier time with products such as aquacoat.
4. Make sure your inner corners and molding are as smooth as possible when you let the wood filler dry.
5. To reduce handing sanding in corners, use a mouse sander or multi-tool. Keep that in mind and save yourself as much work as possible!
6. Make sure that the first layer of paint or primer is a thin layer. Excess moisture in the paint can reactivate the filler since most are water based. You would notice a bumpy or rough texture come through.
7. Most wood fillers are water-based, so if you need to thing it out a little, you can do so by adding water.

Looking for more furniture or painting techniques? Full tutorials:

• How to Paint Old Kitchen Cabinets
• The Best Paints for Cabinets and Furniture
• How to Protect Furniture
• The Easiest Way to Paint Cabinets (still a big job)
• Amazing Furniture Transformations

Frequently asked questions:

As many people have pointed out to me, I could have simply painted many more coats of paint and sanded between each to remove wood grain & get a smooth front. However, that idea was FAR more work than a few layers of wood filler because of the depth of the ridges and pits. Paint simply doesn’t fill grooves very well. Also, the purpose of the filler is to seal the pores and diminish any future recessing of the grain.

See how these painted cabinets turned out in the Craft Room Makeover

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