The Best Wood Grain Filler I Have Come Across 

I love the, “if you or someone you care about is experiencing embarrassing shrinkage with your wood filler...”

Thanks for the tip, Chris. You have some of the best luthier tips on RU-vid.

Love this man’s sense of humor “if you or anyone you know may be experiencing shrinkage in your wood”.. 😆😆😆

Love the ending! Perfect! I also just want to thank you for your videos. I am slowly getting in to building guitars with the end goal of making custom guitars. Your videos have been a great resource for me. Thank you!

Really appreciate the information this is just great keep up the good videos really appreciate what you're doing and you sharing have a blessed day

I'm just about to start a build and will try this product. Thanks for the video.

Thanks for your video. It's the most informative guitar wood working vid I've watched this year. Im a fly tyer as well as a guitar player. Solarez makes UV resin for flies as well. Funny close too 🤣

10:09 LOL that little info-mercial at the end is priceless 😂

I had the exact problem you described happen to me when restoring an old bass drum. I used a water based grain filler that dried super quick and after multiple coats of clear the finish was flawless. After about 3 months grain lines started to appear and being a high gloss black it was quite noticable. Since then I've been using a 2K polyurethane basecoat to fill the grain just by laying down a super thick coat and then level sanding it. Not particularly cost efficient but it does work well. However I heard even catalysed finishes tend to shrink just a tiny bit over time.

great video. the hard rock music intro then the extreme contrast of your calm serene face was funny haha

Thanks for the tip! I'm not a big fan of the patina craze unless it's brought about through the natural course of time. But I do like a very smooth, very glossy finish.

Such a nice video! love it! Thanks a million.

This is the exact video I needed exactly when I needed it. Next project I'm using this. I already went to the solarez site and put it in my cart. I used timbermate on a mahogany body on my current build and after 3 applications theres still spots that i can see the grain. I dont mond doing multiple coats but it would be great not having to wait to long for it to dry. Plus it smells God aweful. I wish I'd seen this sooner.....my girlfriend will never have to worry about my shrinkage problems again!!!

Chris is by far the best and most informative luthier on RU-vid. Not only does he show you what he's doing, he goes the extra mile to explain, and these videos save builders from mistakes and setbacks. And they're great videos for anyone wanting to get started building and repairing guitars.

Thanks Chris I'll have to try it.

I loved your opening statement ".. how come they don't work .. " LOL - Which is "true" in so many variations ... Loved your video, I have learnt quite a few things from watching them and applying the principles on my model airplane finishes ...

Excellent tip!

nice!! i'm gonna give this a try. thank you!

I have grain filled Rosewood fingerboards with Elmer’s walnut wood putty with good results.

I ordered some of this stuff directly from Solarez to fill a roasted swamp ash body - at least it was supposed to be this stuff... I ordered the small 4 oz size, and shook it up vigorously for a minute or so, but when I poured it out it was not white, and was not thick like pancake batter. It came with an extra cap that has a nozzle, so that’s what I used. I tried the “rub it in with fingers and scrape off with a card” method, and while that may work great for a flat piece of wood, not so much on a Strat body with the contours. I didn’t notice that there were a few drips on the sides and back and they were a major pain in the butt to level. I’m going to try the “wipe on with a coffee filter” method for the next coat and hope for better results.

Other way I do it, I preraised the grain of the wood by spraying water once dry I sanded with what ever grit sand paper you finished the wood, then I sealed the wood with shellac (2 coats, sand with 400 grit between coats) then apply the wood grain filler if your choice with out worrying about shrinkage , then seal it with shellac again then finish with the clear coat of your choice

Hello Chris, This is definitely one of the coolest video tips you have done so far. I have been following your work for the past 3 months, for I am building my 1st guitar Kit, and I don't want to mess it up. It's a Basswood body, with Maple top Les Paul style guitar. It also has a Maple Neck with ebony fret board. The body is cut out for H/P90/H, and A FR Tremolo Bridge. When I saw the kit on e-bay, It was a no brainer, For it Broke About every LP law in the book. I had to accept the challenge. That being said. I plan on painting a design over the maple top, and then applying a gloss finish over that. I'm thinking two coats of Solarez Grain Sealer. Level Sand. Then a thin coat of Solarez dual cure Polyester. Level sand. Then base coat of water-based Crystalac Black. Then do some vinyl tape Masking, followed by one coat of paint, with Createx Auto Bourne Air Brush Paint. Un-mask Vinyl. Then the clear Coat Finish with either Crystalac Brite Tone, Or Solarez Dual Cure Polyester On the Top? What do you recommend? The back of the guitar is Basswood. Most excellent tone wood it is. But, it is a softer wood. So I'm probably going to go with the Solarez Polyester On The Back. Question Is. Do you have any Suggestions for this process?

Thanks for this video, I'm buying this for a new ash guitar body.

How is it I never came across this channel before?? This is good stuff here! Guy reminds me of my 8th grade shop teacher! I loved my 8th grade shop teacher! I’m going to be binge watching this guy all week!

Thanks for the great videos Chris. Some comments I've seen on the web about this product have said that it won't cure in really deeply pored woods if it soaks in too much. Have you experienced any issues like this? I'll be using this on a build pretty soon and would love to hear more of your experiences with it. Thanks.

great video man! I had the same problem! grainfilled with epoxy, primered with polyurethane, then base colour and 2k urethane clear...let the guitars dry for 3 months (because in the automotive industry they do so) and then cut and polished...they remained like a glass for 6 months and then one day the friggin mahogany grain telegraphed through...very frustrating...I'm gonna try this! I hope it works! is that one even better than their uv cured polyester grain sealer? thanks a lor for sharing

Hi, nice video, thanks.a question please Can I use it on my ash cue to fill its grains? Over time ash cue grain pops up, ..may be due to reasons you mentioned in video (shrinkage). Cue has to clean with very slight damp cloth many times during playing. Cue has to send back to cue makers to refinish, and it takes few weeks to come back. Any idea how to fill those grains and then apply oil finish on cue. And it won’t effect cue color as well? Look to your reply, Regards

Finally, a good product that can be purchased in the UK without paying double the price or jumping through import hoops and paying enough postage that you'd think it was going to be delivered on a pallet. I was originally considering coating the swamp ash with low viscosity CA glue.

Hi! what a great video! do you think this can help and work good with buckeye burl tops? Regards Rodrigo

I'm in my 30s and get AARP cards all the time. Lol. I've tried a few fillers and had the same exact issue. Will have to check this out!

Now I know to always cure wood before applying any primer. Thnx!

I'm transforming the cabinets in my new home. They were that old school early 2000s golden oak. I know that grain is pretty hard to hide. I just want them to be a nice smooth white. I've seen all kinds of opinions and options to do this, but ultimately this is probably one of the more informative videos. I'm hoping this stuff will fill in that wood grain and allow me to throw some paint over the top. I was considering using some of the spray paint from my job, it's a white sandable filler primer. I figured if I sanded it and then hit it with that, then sanded it again and put some paint over the top it should do the trick. But if I incorporate this product, I'm thinking I will get a better result

Always welcome a cure for my shrinkage problems!

I've used something called micro-balloons doing body and fender work and the product I've used is micro-size hollow glass balloons. It has the consistency of flour. Maybe its the same thing used here? So when sanding you have to be extra careful to not breath the glass dust.

Very Cool! Is there any way to use this with a dye for a colored grain fill?

I’m restoring a 1918 singer sewing machine cabinet. Wow... I’m thinking this might be Perfect

"Any shrinkage problems..." LMAO!!!

Hey Chris.... thanks for this tip. These new products from Solarez look great and I’d really like to give them a try.... but finding a supplier in Europe of the ‘can’t believe it’s not lacquer’ materials is really difficult. If you have contacts at the company, it would be great if you could encourage them to find a reliable Europe-based distributor..... I’m sure lots of your viewers on this continent could generate some sales as a result.... Looking forward to seeing a complete guitar body done with these products over a dye/stain coloured body.... It would be interesting to see your process on that....

How about a list of the kind of woods that would and would not need this grain filler. It would be helpful to know. Thank you once again for your time and effort to educate myself and others.

I was wondering if you would do this same thing to a neck? Made of a tight grain wood like maple or sycamore? I wasn’t sure if it’s necessary to grain fill those woods or if regular finish was enough. Thanks!

I'm experiencing embarrassing shrinkage. I'll try this product. Thank you.

Nice bit of information. Now, on to find a source of the stuff.

I had to laugh at 10:09. "So if you or someone you care about is experiencing embarrassing shrinkage....".

Hi - can you use this with a wipe-on poly finish?

When working with super open pore dark mahogany acoustic necks, I have yet to find a single product that fills the gaping pours while still providing transparency. Even Stewmac grain fillers do not do this. If you have porous wood, the only real option is to keep slathering on clear finish of some kind until you get level. This is very time consuming and a pain in the butt. If you fill the pores with mahogany colored filler, it will ruin the appearance of the grain. You will be looking at the filler, not the grain. If you use "clear" fillers like Aquacoat grain filler on really dark wood, it will "ghost" the appearance when you put on lacquer leaving a whitish haze. The only consistent way to apply stain is also before any filler is used. Otherwise you are staining filler. Next time you look at a Martin neck from the 70s or 80s, think about how much work it was to get beautiful clear grain leveled lacquer. I've also never found any water base products that work as well as oil based. Add to all this the fact that every peice of wood is going to react differently to filler and finish, and you have a lot of work in front of you.

Thanks for the info! Do you use grain filler on alder or is it unnecessary?

Can this technique be used for a gun stock (walnut)? Of-the-shelf oil finish removed, then add filler, then layers of BLO (wet sanded?), finally with layers of tru-oil?

OK, I’m sold! However, I and doing a walnut pedal board project and would like to try Danish oil. Are the two compatible or should I lay down a seal coat of shellac after the Danis oil first? Also can a colorant be added to make the grain stand out a bit? And if so what would you recommend?

Really enjoyed this. Thank you. If I want to stain my wood, am I able to stain over this product?

Hi Can you, after using this grainfiller, stain the wood? Or will it look awkward?

Hi I need some advice on grain filler for my snooker cue which is made of Ash wood. Over time grains gets open and can be felt during playing. Is there any filler which is easily applied and then smooth out with 0000 wool. I don’t wanna use sand paper on cue., I have seen clear gel based grain filler ( by AQUA coat) but they are available only in USA. Plzz advise me how to refill the grains on my ash cue? And then smooth with steel wool etc. Thanks. Regards.

What is the order of operations? Would you stain before or after using the Solarez. I am making an oak table and would like the pores filled.

Very helpful

Haha. Good video. Good thing I saw this vid before i started filling my ash tele with Aquacoat. I think i'll use the Solarez product this time...

Outstanding Chris.....have you tried UV boxes? Love the pitch...I'm old, of course I have shrinkage...LOL lol. 🤪 🙏

The only places I can find with Solarez stuff in the UK are surf shops and they don't seem to stock these *lacquer products sadly :(

I'm working on a pain in the swamp ash guitar now. Thanks.

Sounds too good to be true..... anyone know if it’s safe under other finishes e.g. laquer, enamel etc??

Hey Chris, could this be used over-top of a dye/stain? Great info as always :)

Can I stain a guitar with white after using the sealer?

Chris, I love your videos thank you for making them! I have a question, on a mahogany body where I want to use a cherry red stain, should I mix with this product or first stain and then grain fill? Thanks!

I live in Scotland, what if there is no sun?

Thanks for the informative video. Can one apply dye on top of the grain sealer and before the clear coat?

Hello Chris, I am new to guitar finishing and your videos are great. My learning has been trial by fire, with some things working really well and then the next time I have an issue. I just finished an ash body bass (poly sealer, primer, hok Kandy basecoat and 4 coats of clear) and not knowing how porous ash is, I am at the very dilemma that you referenced. My finish has sucked into the body. How is the best way to get this finish stripped down to the point I can apply this product to prevent the ash texture from sucking the finish. Would I start sanding at 120? I am assuming I will have to get this back to bare wood to apply this grain filler. Or do you have any other tricks for a situation like this.

Seems that they don't mix in microballoons any longer. I tried stirring in separately purchased Solarez 3M microballoons, but the surface remained cloudy after curing.

PS: As if the terminology was not confusing before, now there are various products called 'sanding sealer' 'grain sealer' 'grain filler' and 'pore filler.' When a manufacturer comes up with permutations of those names, it makes it even harder to determine what goes with what, and in which order.

Hi Chriss is't good with translucide nitro lacquer ?

Really nice products! Did you tried staining black so it can enhanced for example mahogany grain?

Hi Chris, thanks as always. I like the way Z-Poxy shows grain patterns but have the same sinking issues as everyone else. Would you use a seal coat of Z-Poxy to set the color and then use the Solarez filler over it to level the surface? We're talking mahogany and Spanish cedar here. Cheers, Skip

Hi thank you for your good video. On the Solarez web site they are showing three Sizes of Micro Balloons filler. Can you suggest a sizes that would provide a maximum transparancy and less milky results uppon curring? because I intend to use rather dark wood since you seam to suggest that if applied in thin layers it provides a clear finish? or is phillipine mahogany is the darkest kind of wood you would recommend its usage? Also they seam to suggest on the Grain and filler sealer product that the addition of MicroBalloons could be done for light colored wood only. So I am unsure were to stand with using this product for my application. Thank You!

Thanks for the video! Any recommendations for how much Solarez would be needed to grain fill a typical guitar body? I've got a super porous swamp ash. I'm worried that the little 4oz bottle won't cover it. But also don't want to buy a whole pint if I don't need it.

Can you use Tru Oil after this filler?

Thanks. I'll check it out. have you tried the Gork's stuff? Been hearing so much buzz about it I think I'll try it too... but would love to hear an expert's opinion like yours. My friend contacted them and they sent a free sample.

I have birch panels and the have the oval and butterfly patches, this looks like a good solution, I want to be able to apply an acrylic gesso primer over this, will the product take applications over the cured surface?

Nice!!!!

Can anyone tell me if the 4oz bottle is enough for entire guitar body?

Thanks for the video. How would this grain filler work on an acoustic instrument like a ukulele? Would it subdue the tone or volume?

Great video as always Chris! Would you stain the wood before or after this process?

Can I use a catalyzed polyurethane finish over this?

Chris, doing a project with swamp ash. For a translucent finish, like a light amber, would I need to first use some other grain filler with black or brown dye first, then use solarez after? Or does the solarez make the grain pop enough? Thanks!

Hey Chris, thank you for sharing. Can we use ant kind of clear coat on top of this? Poly or acrylic vs nitro ect...?

No use in the UK tough as too expensive. $35+ for only 4oz of the stuff. I need to move to the USA!

I want to finish a walnut radio cabinet. My intent is to stain with dark walnut, then apply Mohawk Dark Walnut toner, and finish with several coat of clear satin lacquer. Where in the process would I use the Solarez grain sealer?

Thanks for another informative video, Chris. Can this grain sealer be dyed? Is it compatible with oil finishes? Mark

After our exchange, I ended up using the Solarez on our Telecaster. Amazing stuff--the ash is as smooth as glass! My son wants to spray on a sonic blue nitro finish--would you recommend a vinyl sealer before that or have you found you can finish right over the Solarez?

Watched your solarez can't believe it's not lacquer vid. Wondering why the solarez I bought is clear and what you used is milky white? Do i have the right material or did they change formulas?

hello , thank you for the video :) do you believe I can finish a guitar with shellack using this as filler or will react badly?

Hi Chris, would you recommend this product for some ambrosia maple that I want to stain a darker brown color? Apply a good coat and sand it all the way back to only use it as a grain filler before staining? I'm real concerned with blotchiness.

I have an older guitar that I am redoing. I have removed all the old painted surfaces because it was badly chipped in many places. I also have a couple of areas that have dent marks in it, where the guitar was bumped sometime in its lifetime. Would this make a good wood filler if the same color sawdust were mixed and added to this product to fill in the bumped in area. That way this product would show the wood sawdust close to the normal surface once the dent has been filled to the right level for smooth sanding? It would be a matter of filling the small dent slightly higher than the normal surface with this product and same colored sawdust of the guitars overall surface, and once cured, could be leveled by sanding that area to the right smooth finished level, thus giving it the appearance, no dent was even there in the first place before sealing the whole guitar surface on a final coat of the product you are speaking about here. Have you tried filling a small dent using this product and same colored sawdust as the guitar body? I'd be interested in your findings.

Hi Chris have you experienced Solarez grain filler not curing in sunlight? It happened to me. I sanded and prepped my Taylor 810 guitar ready for Solarez and applied it first to the bottom (rosewood) of the guitar... let it sit for a few minutes and took it outside into direct bright sunlight about 3PM in the afternoon outside it was about 65 degrees. After 3 minutes it was still tacky on most areas. I waited another 5 minutes still tacky. In all it sat in the sunlight for 30 minutes... it had hardened in some areas where I first applied it but the last areas I spread it to would not harden! I had to use acetone to wipe the uncured stuff off and its quite a mess because it was partially hardened but still tacky. I'm tempted to never use Solarez again... either I did something wrong or the stuff is a real pain in the rearend.

What is this composed of or based on as the main ingredient? No SDS/TDS provided on site, is this similar to others, talc powder in solvent, which is what 99% of them are. The powder particles lodge in the wood pores and block them.

Hey Chris! Would you use this first to fill, then do the new process you just posted on the fake hand rubbed oil finish using the other Solarez product?

Actually a better question - on snowy days, quite often the sun is usually hidden by clouds, etc .. is that amount of sunlight still enough to cure solaraz products ? Also - do subsequent coats require their previous coats be sanded so they provide "mechanical" bond or this is not necessary ? Not that I don't plan to sand, this is more of a chemical property question to see if a proper bond can still be achieved without scuffing the surface. Thank you for your time.

Is that a water based product, and would it work with oil based finishes and or shellac, waxed and de-waxed? I am doing a natural ash body and just experimenting on ash sample blocks at the moment. I wet sanded (220) using Danish oil and seems filled when it dries, but then I applied amber shellac over that, and the grain seems to be raising again.

Woodmate... From Australia...by far the best.

I imagine this product would not work for oil or oil/poly type finishes. What would you recommend there on Korina.

Hello Loved your demonstration, I build acoustic guitars using rosewood and its extremely hard to get it pore filled. Will this product work on the thinner wood.

How many coats for black walnut?

Can you use some kind of dye to give this clear filler a dark(er) color?

Hi Chris. Are there any problems using this on top of the CrystaLac stains or under the Brite Tone topcoat?