Finishing Oak

[newt]

Hi Folks
I am building a Book Case out of European Oak which I intend to finish with a light oak stain and then Danish Oil. Could you advise me on how to fill the open grain that is a characteristic of oak so I can achieve a smooth finish. Thanks

 

[Chris Knight]

Newt,
Welcome to the forum.

You can most easily fill such an open grained wood with an oil based grain filler - I use one from Bolloms (they have a few branches and distributors but their website doesn't work - it gives a phone number though http://www.bollom.com/woodfinishing/index.html ) . It comes in different colours including an oak coloured variety.

You need to work the stuff into the grain using a coarse rag - hessian is good. Do it only a small area at a time and as soon as it begins to haze, scrape/wipe off the excess. If you leave it too long its a b****r to get off. After 24 hours light sanding is done before applying a finish. Staining is best done beforehand if needed but may not be necessary - test on a scrap piece of wood first.

I prefer oil based to water based fillersas they give me smoother better results.

 

[newt]

Chris thanks very much I will give it a go.