Simple instructions for hole filling
Dear Madame,
Use and of the following products to fill in any nail holes or divots. To repair this damage there are various methods and it is up to the homeowner and whomever is doing the repairs to select a product that will detract from view and hold up to standard foot traffic without failing.
Mohawk Fil-Stik:
(wax sticks) are widely available at most Home stores. We have a preference for Mohawk, due to it matching our product colors better than others. They should all perform the same in application.
- Clean the area well. Whatever remains will be a permanent part of the material
- Heat up the tip of the wax stick with a lighter. It doesn’t take much. This will be easier to press into the nail holes due to it now being in a liquefied state. Reheat when needed
- Overfill shouldn’t’ be a concern. You can remove slight bumps over the original hole with a plastic putty knife. I recommend doing this the next day. As the material cools, it shrinks and in some occasions required reapplication.
- NOTE: Keep in mind that up close this may not be perfect in appearance. It’s meant to blend into the floor and be less noticeable to the eye. Set your expectations to moderate
Product Overview:
Fil-Stik™ Putty Sticks are semi-hard putty sticks that you can use to fill in nicks, scratches or open corner joints. It can be protected with Tone Finish aerosols or other coatings. No heat or special tools are required, simply rub in and wipe off. Custom color matching is available with minimum order of 72 pieces per color.
PVA/Sawdust Mix:
Hardwood refinishers use a method of taking hardwood sawdust and mixing it with T&G PVA glue. By mixing it and some sawdust together like and epoxy, you stand to inherent some of the bamboo color within the clear structure of the adhesive. It is structural sound and recycles all the sawdust hiding in the corners after construction.
Materials Required:
- Sawdust
- Wood Glue
- Putty knife
- File
- Sandpaper
FYI:
Just about any wood glue will work to make this filler. Wood Glue (PVA T&G white), hides glue and even epoxy glue. Because epoxy glue dries quickly, As for sawdust, my preference is the fine saw dust from sanding, rather than wood shavings which don’t mix well. It’s usually easiest to get it from underneath the disc sander and band saw.
Mixture:
I start by pouring glue into a small pile of sawdust and mix the two together with my putty knife. There’s no particular ratio or formula. It’s just a matter of adding a little more of either material until I get a desired consistency. (It should appear somewhere in the region of the image below) A well-mixed slurry of sawdust and glue will be workable enough to hold some shape, but not runny. A dry mixture will not adhere correctly, and a runny mixture will shrink and need additional applications.
Application:
As you can see below, you apply thin layer of glue on the surface just before the application of the wood filler. Doing this strengthens the damaged wood and helps the filler bond well.Using the putty knife, the filler is applied by repeatedly packing it into the damaged area. Then smooth out as best as possible. .This filler shrinks as it dries, so I leave excess to compensate. When filling deeper holes or cracks, I find it best to do more than one application to avoid air pockets.
Finishing touches:
Dry time depends on which glue you use and the size of the repair. I usually let dry overnight before preparing the surface for any finishing touches. Once dry, the filler is very rough and sometimes jagged. Kind of like the texture of heavy tree bark. The majority of this coarseness is quickly taken off with a file. Then I use sandpaper to smooth and flush. If I were repairing a different kind of surface, I might use a plane, or just sandpaper, and not a file.
Depending on the project, the filler may then need to be colored or touched up to help blend in. Since the rail on this project was going to be covered with upholstery, it was left as seen below.
I hope this helps…
Technical Manager