Customer Reviews

CrystaLac Wood Grain Filler, Quart

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I never tend to follow the directions. With years of wood finishing techniques under my belt I have found that sometimes, with some careful experimenting one can find a much better way to utilize a product for a specific finished result. This product is one of those. I use an oil based sanding sealer that is allowed to fully cure and is sanded smooth. Over that I put not 1 but 2 coats of this stuff, and allow 4+ days of drying time at room temp before sanding it. Once done the item looks like a piece of glass, however open grains do not loose their appearance of depth and character through the 'glass' surface. On top of this I then apply 6+ coats of high gloss polyurethane, sanded to ever greater grits between coats. The final coat I let cure for 1 month and then polish sand to 2600 grit, wax, buff, and call it a day.

This product cuts the work of achieving a true 'piano gloss' appearance down significantly. The greatest caveat is that you really do need 2 coats, and each coat needs at least 4 days to cure out.

In the end everything worked out but the product does not give good directions, basically says apply and wipe off excess and sand between coats. I called Rockler and they helped out as much as they could but all they could give me was the manufacturer's name. I searched them online and called but never got a person.

I applied it with the grain, let it sit 2-4 minutes, and remove with a rubber squeegee. Immediately after application it doesn't look or feel much different but after it dries overnight it looks great.