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Before and after painting oak wood cabinet with filled wood grain and painted white.
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5 from 6 votes

Filling Wood Grain Before Painting Cabinets

Learn how to fill wood grain when painting cabinets or furniture with the best products and simple techniques in this step-by-step guide. Painted Cabinets never looked so good!
Active Time30 minutes
Total Time2 hours
Yield: 1 cabinet
Author: Rachel
Cost: $30

Materials

  • TSP or Degreaser
  • Wood Filler
  • Sand Paper 120 or 220 grit
  • Lint free cloths for removing dust

Instructions

  • Remove the hardware and clean the surface thoroughly with teaspoon or a degreaser product that won't leave a film.
    Damaged oak kitchen cabinet surface closeup.
  • Sand the entire surface. The glossy varnish needs to be removed or "roughed up" to increase the ability of the wood filler to bond.
    Three cabinet doors upright after sanding and filling wood grain.
  • Use a 3-5in. putty knife to apply wood filler and press down as you spread it into the wood grain. It is helpful to use a scraper that bends slightly. Apply in different directions to completely fill the grain. Scrape any excess filler before it dries.
    Steps to using wood filler on oak wood.
  • Sand the filler smooth. Using an orbital sander with 120 or 220 grit works well on all flat areas and saves hand sanding. Unfortunately, orbital sanders are usually round so you will either need to hand sand corners and molding, or use a mouse sander.
    Tools for painting furniture including orbital sander, sanding pads and blocks, and adhesive primer
  • 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.
    Closeup of smooth white cabinet doors.

Notes

  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 though.
  7. Most wood fillers are water-based, so if you need to thing it out a little, you can do so by adding water.