When you’re filling nail holes in a piece of stained wood, the wood filler can stand out like a black eye. But here’s a quick tip for disguising those nail holes and getting much better results.

First of all, don’t fill the nail holes until you’ve stained the wood and applied the first coat of clear finish. That will make it easier to match the final wood color with the putty. And it will also help you avoid making smears that will stain the bare, unfinished wood and make a blotchy spot that’s hard to get rid of.

Secondly, make sure you use the soft, oil-based putty that most professional trim carpenters use. This kind of filler has two advantages. It’s easy to mix two colors together to get the exact tone you need. You can find a wide variety of colors at home centers and hardware stores.

The other big advantage is there’s no sanding. You just wipe away the excess filler.

If it’s a little too gooey to mix and shape, just add a little drywall dust or powdered joint compound to make it more doughy. Then mold the putty into a cone shape and push the pointed end into the hole first.

Another thing to remember when you’re filling nail holes is that one color does not fit all. In some stained woods, especially oak, you’ll have some nail holes in dark, grainy spots, and others will be in light areas.

Once you’ve filled all the holes, you’ll need to apply another coat of clear oil-based finish. That second coat will protect the putty, which is important, because the putty will remain soft under the surface.


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