Hot take: Grain filling oak furniture is a must for any serious home refinish.

Skipping it leaves a rough, cheap looking surface every time.

3 comments

3 Comments

My dad skipped grain fill on an oak cabinet in 2010. It still looks totally fine, not rough at all. I don't get the big deal.

robinc601d ago

What the heck, @jason_knight? Skipping grain fill on oak? That's wild. Oak has huge open pores, it should feel like a scratchy mess if it's just got a top coat. Maybe he used a crazy thick finish that sort of filled it by accident over a dozen years. 2010 wasn't yesterday, that's fourteen years of dirt and grime getting stuck in unfilled grain. I just don't buy that it's "not rough at all" unless you never actually touch it.

grace271d ago

Ask jason_knight if he's run his hand over that cabinet recently. Oak pores grab dirt and skin oils over years, which could fake a smooth feel. (I mean, stuff gets stuck in there and hardens.) Does he actually use it daily, or is it just sitting there looking okay from afar? That might tell us if skipping grain fill really works or if it's just covered up.