# Well, that didn't work



## RogerS (1 Aug 2019)

We bought some engineered oak floorboards from French Forest Floors and, well to be honest, the finish quality of many of them..well, most of them...leaves a lot to be desired and, yes, I should have rejected them at the time but when you've just hand offloaded 3 tons of the stuff and trying to beat the rain then ones' sense of perspective tends to go out of the window. And then all the million other "must-do's" push the issue down the priority list.

So, as my builder would say, we are where we are.

Enter Fiddes Filler Gel which I thought was the answer to my prayers. Just mix up with sawdust from the same boards, mix to a fine paste and fill the holes. Oh, yes ! Rejoice.

Perhaps not.


----------



## thick_mike (1 Aug 2019)

No experience with that product, but Have you tried putting a finish on a sample? Those light patches should go pretty dark after absorbing the finish. Try it with a bit of vegetable oil rubbed on it and see if it’s any better.


----------



## SammyQ (1 Aug 2019)

Roger, I'm no chemist, but that looks more like a reaction between gel and chemicals released in raw sawdust, rather than gel gone off?? Also, in same vein, does it look terrible, just gel on its own??

Ignoramus Sam.

Edit: just done due Google..."clear gel.." Baffled. S.


----------



## AndyT (1 Aug 2019)

Looking at commercially made boards in our house (Karrs) the first rule of filler on flaws like that is that the filler will be much less visible if it is darker than the rest of the wood. 
With luck, some finish will help, like Mike said, otherwise you will need some brown paint and a fine brush, or maybe one of those touch-up stain pens.


----------



## Trevanion (1 Aug 2019)

Have you tried putting a finish on it? Might darken up quite a lot if it’s similar to cascamite mixed with dust, white when sanded but the dust soaks up finish and goes dark.


----------



## RogerS (1 Aug 2019)

Trevanion":uqz3nmlt said:


> Have you tried putting a finish on it? Might darken up quite a lot if it’s similar to cascamite mixed with dust, white when sanded but the dust soaks up finish and goes dark.



Second coat drying as I type !


----------



## Jonathan S (1 Aug 2019)

Rodger
I would try and find a clear/transparent filler or resin.....for a trial run do a sample using super glue and a accelerator ....give it and sand and see what you think.


Jonathan 

Sent from my SM-J530F using Tapatalk


----------



## Bm101 (1 Aug 2019)

I've used osmo oak filler for my engineered floor Roger. I found it a little light for some of the boards, I think they do 3 oak colours from memory, and I only bought one so to be expected perhaps. Overall it was fine and I only needed a small amount in comparison. None as bad as that example mind. Or should say needing that amount of filler. I had some water based stain, dark oak I think by Rustins (?) and added a small amount to the osmo and it took it very well. Key thing seemed to be add a little, mix a lot. Been a couple of years and it's held up fine. Not saying it's any better than the Fiddes of course, just I have no experience of that but it's very nice filler to apply. Dead easy. 
Just a noob thought... what if you generated a fair bit of sawdust with your compound circ. saw, on some off cuts and add a dye to that dust in a plastic bag or summat, maybe a plant mister or some nonsense, then mix with your Fiddes gel when it dries out. Just a thought. (hammer)


----------



## Jake (6 Aug 2019)

Wow that's poor. 

Colour matching filler never works IMHO, better to use brown or browny-black so it looks more like a natural defect.


----------



## RogerS (6 Aug 2019)

After several coats of Blanchon it's not made that much difference



 

I also had some excellent advice from Rob Fiddes, MD of Fiddes, who made a very pertinent observation that perhaps the paleness is because the sawdust was contaminated by the stearate from the sanding pads and I think he's bang on the money. He also suggested applying the Filler Gel either clear or with some added stain.

I've got lots of stains and also some Liberon pigments ...will have a play around.


----------



## SammyQ (6 Aug 2019)

Ah, so I was close? Stearate, not sawdust, and gel alone? Complicated lark this woodworking. :-" 

Sam, running for the hills....


----------



## Trevanion (6 Aug 2019)

To be fair to it, that's a darker than usual patch of the timber around the knot, if the defect was a shake in the lighter part of the timber it would be near invisible once filled with that shade of filler.

If you ever do big runs of oak it's always worth keeping a spare pair of planer knives about that have a more blunt angle on them than what you would use for softwood, and also a very slight back bevel to alter the engagement angle. 9 out of 10 times this will solve any tear out around knots and will leave a lovely finish on harder woods, also ideal for burly and rippled wood.


----------



## RogerS (6 Aug 2019)

Trevanion":3a4n7mv2 said:


> If you ever do big runs of oak it's always worth keeping a spare pair of planer knives about that have a more blunt angle on them than what you would use for softwood, and also a very slight back bevel to alter the engagement angle. 9 out of 10 times this will solve any tear out around knots and will leave a lovely finish on harder woods, also ideal for burly and rippled wood.



LOL I used to cheat. I called it 'thicknessing by drum sander' :lol:


----------



## Bm101 (6 Aug 2019)

I shouldn't say this on an open forum...

No one else see the owl?!?


----------



## RogerS (6 Aug 2019)

Bm101":25ajfqfe said:


> I shouldn't say this on an open forum...
> 
> No one else see the owl?!?


Excellent ! =D> :lol:


----------



## Bm101 (6 Aug 2019)

Put that board to one side. What is seen can not be unseen.


----------



## deema (6 Aug 2019)

My go to filler for oak is Cascamite mixed with saw dust. Sand flat and then finish.... almost invisible. The finer the saw dust the better. Used it on all sorts of projects.


----------



## toolsntat (7 Aug 2019)

Lecol 7500 fillers 
https://www.floorstock.co.uk/lecol-7500 ... iller-800g
Mixed using the sandings of the same boards has good results.
If knotty areas are darker then you need to look at some darker sandings.
Cheers Andy


----------



## ColeyS1 (7 Aug 2019)

This should be much better.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk


----------



## RogerS (19 Dec 2019)

Thought I'd add a bit on this. After a few floors were laid down, soon became apparent that a lot of their filler was not that secure. So I continued using the Fiddes ... great stuff. I tried adding stain as their MD suggested......note to self...water based stains and alcohol based filler do NOT go well together. Then I remembered I had some earth pigments. Made up three different mixes with gradually increasing levels (you only need a nail full..this stuff is so intense) and basically sloshed it all about. Didn't worry too much about making it fully filled because a few hours later I made some more dollop and applied that.

My reasoning being that there should be hollows etc from one layer to the next that , being filled with different shades, when sanded down, should look 'natural'.

Pleased with the result..sorry. no pics. Obviously trying to do this in a commercial environment would be a no-no.

And in passing, for finishing would give a huge thumbs-up to Blanchon Original Wood Environment. Knocks that horrible stinking never-drying colour-changing Osmo muck :lol: into a cocked hat.


----------



## Trainee neophyte (20 Dec 2019)

Bm101":2e1zfnd6 said:


> I shouldn't say this on an open forum...
> 
> No one else see the owl?!?



Which owl? Do you mean the penguin?


----------

